Investment objective & strategy
As of Dec. 19, 2025 · prospectusObjective. Vanguard Health Care ETF, an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (the Fund), seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of health care stocks.
Strategy. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50 (the Target Index), an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the health care sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS health care sector includes health care provider and services companies, companies that manufacture and distribute health care equipment and supplies, and health care technology companies. It also includes companies involved in the research, development, production, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the … The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50 (the Target Index), an index made up of stocks of large, mid-size, and small U.S. companies within the health care sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The GICS health care sector includes health care provider and services companies, companies that manufacture and distribute health care equipment and supplies, and health care technology companies. It also includes companies involved in the research, development, production, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the stocks that make up the Target Index. The Fund attempts to replicate the Target Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Target Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Target Index.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| LILLY ELI and CO | — | $2.54B | 12.54% |
| JOHNSON&JOHNSON | — | $1.77B | 8.74% |
| ABBVIE INC | — | $1.23B | 6.08% |
| MERCK & CO | — | $928.95M | 4.58% |
| UNITEDHEALTH GRP | — | $797.78M | 3.94% |
| AMGEN INC | — | $627.68M | 3.10% |
| ABBOTT LABS | — | $608.24M | 3.00% |
| THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC | — | $591.05M | 2.92% |
| GILEAD SCIENCES INC | — | $555.13M | 2.74% |
| INTUITIVE SURGICAL INC | — | $542.17M | 2.68% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Fidelity MSCI Health Care Index ETF · FHLC | 92% | 0.08% |
| JNL/Mellon Healthcare Sector Fund | 91% | 0.28% |
| iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF · IYH | 88% | 0.38% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of December 19, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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