Vanguard ETF Doubles S&P 500 Returns Year to Date
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 22 2026
0mins
Should l Buy NVDA?
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Market Style Shift: In 2026, tech stocks are no longer leading the market, with the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF up nearly 4% year to date compared to a flat return for the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, indicating a cautious investor sentiment towards high-valuation tech stocks and a shift towards more defensive value stocks.
- Portfolio Advantage: This ETF invests in over 300 U.S. stocks with a track record of more than 10 years of annual dividend growth, excluding real estate investment trusts and the top 25% highest yielding stocks, thus creating a portfolio characterized by cash-rich, mature business models capable of consistently rewarding shareholders.
- Yield and Market Expectations: Although the ETF's current yield stands at 1.6%, which may not excite income investors, its total returns are expected to outperform the S&P 500 against a backdrop of economic slowdown and potential Fed rate cuts, reflecting a market preference for defensive investments.
- Risk Warning: The ETF's market cap-weighting strategy results in large stocks becoming the biggest holdings, with current top three holdings being Broadcom, Microsoft, and Apple, all yielding less than 1%, which exposes the fund to greater risks during market pullbacks due to its elevated tech allocation.
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Analyst Views on NVDA
Wall Street analysts forecast NVDA stock price to rise
41 Analyst Rating
39 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 175.750
Low
200.00
Averages
264.97
High
352.00
Current: 175.750
Low
200.00
Averages
264.97
High
352.00
About NVDA
NVIDIA Corporation is an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company. The Company is engaged in accelerated computing to help solve the challenging computational problems. Its segments include Compute & Networking and Graphics. The Compute & Networking segment includes its Data Center accelerated computing and networking platforms and AI solutions and software, and automotive platforms and autonomous and electric vehicle solutions, including software. The Graphics segment includes GeForce GPUs for gaming and personal computers (PCs), and Quadro/NVIDIA RTX GPUs for enterprise workstation graphics. Its technology stack includes the foundational NVIDIA CUDA development platform that runs on all NVIDIA GPUs, as well as hundreds of domain-specific software libraries, frameworks, algorithms, software development kits (SDKs), and application programming interfaces (APIs). Its platforms address four markets, which include Data Center, Gaming, Professional Visualization, and Automotive.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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