Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
MGK vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MGK returned +7.8% to SPY's +13.6%; 51% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $34.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF, and $814.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
Pair scorecard
MGK costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.8 points; SPY is far larger, $809.2bn against $34.9bn.
| Measure | MGK | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.8% | +13.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $34.9bn | $809.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 51% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 64.5% | 38.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jan 4, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 981 weekly returnsMGK returned more: +1,024.1% to +657.5%. SPY swung slightly less: 18.2% to 19.5%. MGK fell slightly less at its worst: −46.4% to −50.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | MGK | SPY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,024.1% | +657.5% | MGK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.7% | +11.3% | MGK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +823.8% | +437.8% | MGK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.5% | 18.2% | SPY (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.3% | 12.8% | SPY (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −46.4% | −50.8% | MGK (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.68 | 0.60 | MGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.00 | 0.85 | MGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.30 | 0.22 | MGK | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 981 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, MGK and SPY hold 51% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
51% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
MGK and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
MGK and SPY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. MGK follows Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index and SPY follows S&P 500 Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 MGK returned +7.8% and SPY +13.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.8 points.
- Number of holdings. MGK holds 54 positions and SPY holds 504.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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MGK
MGK tracks an index of Mega Cap Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 64.5%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, MGK or SPY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MGK returned +7.8% and SPY +13.6%.
- Which is cheaper, MGK or SPY?
- MGK is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, MGK against SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/mgk-vs-spy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). MGK against SPY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/mgk-vs-spy
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