VHT — Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares

VHT Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in VHT over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.

VHT Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: VHT's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.

Overview

The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares (VHT) operates within the Healthcare category, which ETFValuer currently tracks 11 distinct funds. Issued by Vanguard, this fund has accumulated assets under management of $20.4 billion, reflecting significant investor adoption relative to its $313.23 share price. It holds an overall rank of #50 out of 458 tracked ETFs across all categories and has received an ETFValuer grade of B with a score of 74.5 out of 100. The fund maintains a low cost structure with an expense ratio of 0.09% while offering a dividend yield of 0.93%. These metrics position VHT as a substantial, cost-efficient vehicle within its sector that balances broad market exposure with income generation. The combination of high assets and a mid-tier rank suggests the fund serves as a core holding for many investors seeking healthcare exposure.

Short-term performance shows strong momentum with a 1-day return of +2.14% and a 1-week gain of +3.75%. This upward trajectory continued into the monthly horizon, where the fund posted a 1-month return of +3.91% and a 3-month return of +16.94%. Year-to-date performance stands at +9.26%, while the 6-month return is recorded at +7.35%. Over the longer term, the fund has delivered a 1-year return of +26.69% and a 3-year return of +33.58%. The data indicates a pattern of sustained growth that has accelerated notably over the past three months compared to the six-month average. Peer comparisons in the category include XLV, which returned +24.69% over the last year, and XBI, which returned +71.74% over the same period.

VHT carries a moderate volatility label and a beta of 0.57, indicating that the fund's price movements have historically been less sensitive to broad market fluctuations. This lower beta is complemented by a Sharpe ratio of 1.42, suggesting that the fund has generated a favorable amount of excess return for each unit of risk taken. Despite this efficient risk-adjusted performance, the fund experienced a maximum drawdown of -16.91% during the tracked period. This drawdown figure highlights the potential for significant temporary declines even within a fund classified as having moderate volatility. The combination of a low beta and a high Sharpe ratio implies that the fund has managed downside risk effectively relative to its returns, though the -16.91% drawdown confirms that substantial losses are still possible during market stress.

AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.

VHT Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-02-28 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 50.3% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how VHT's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With VHT

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with VHT's top 10 — XLV overlaps most, holding 10 of the same companies as VHT's top 10 (50.3% of VHT's assets).

Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.

Market Backdrop

10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.65% (as of 2026-07-27) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 18.67 (as of 2026-07-27) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.

Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-06-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

VHT Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is — and average daily volume is 252K/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $20.4B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: VHT is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.

VHT Performance History

How VHT Compares to Other Healthcare ETFs