Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VHT vs VIG: how they differ
VHT and VIG hold 16% of their weight in the same names, and VHT returned more over the year.
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund and Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VHT and VIG hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VHT | VIG |
|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly & Co | 14.07% | 3.36% |
| Johnson & Johnson | 8.48% | 2.51% |
| AbbVie Inc | 6.10% | 1.69% |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc | 5.46% | 1.52% |
| Merck & Co Inc | 4.67% | 1.23% |
| Amgen Inc | 2.87% | 0.84% |
| Gilead Sciences Inc | 2.64% | 0.74% |
| Abbott Laboratories | 2.36% | 0.72% |
| Danaher Corp | 1.84% | 0.51% |
| Stryker Corp | 1.66% | 0.49% |
| Medtronic PLC | 1.50% | 0.47% |
| McKesson Corp | 1.45% | 0.45% |
| Only in VHT | Only in VIG |
|---|---|
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 2.93% | Broadcom Inc 5.21% |
| Intuitive Surgical Inc 2.39% | Apple Inc 4.10% |
| Pfizer Inc 2.36% | Microsoft Corp 3.99% |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Co 1.84% | JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.61% |
| CVS Health Corp 1.83% | Exxon Mobil Corp 2.92% |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc 1.80% | Walmart Inc 2.62% |
| Cigna Group/The 1.17% | Visa Inc 2.34% |
| Boston Scientific Corp 1.14% | Costco Wholesale Corp 2.04% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| VHT Vanguard Health Care Index Fund | VIG Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | Vanguard |
| What it is | Health Care | Dividend growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.6% | +12.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +4.1 pts | −5.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.04% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 85.6% | 95.7% |
| Holdings | 401 | 332 |
VHT in plain words
VHT is an index equity fund tracking the Health Care. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +21.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 401 positions, with the top ten at 52.0%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
VIG in plain words
VIG is an index equity fund tracking the Dividend growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 332 positions, with the top ten at 32.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VHT or VIG?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VHT returned +21.6% and VIG returned +12.4%, so VHT returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VHT or VIG?
- VHT charges 0.09% a year and VIG charges 0.04%, so VIG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VHT and VIG overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 86% of VHT and 96% of VIG by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 16% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, VHT against VIG, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VHT-VIG Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources