ETF Versus

IJH vs VB

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF vs Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IJH iShares

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.31%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $104.0B ER: 0.05% Yield: 1.31% Since: May 22, 2000
VB Vanguard

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VB) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.33%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $69.1B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.33% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VB has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.05%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. VB has edged ahead over the past year (18.4% vs 16.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric IJH VB
Expense Ratio 0.05% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.3% 1.3%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Mid Cap US Small Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 88 101 114 127 140 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IJH +28.1%
VB +20.7%

Performance Comparison

Period IJH VB Difference
1 Month -5.55% -5.50% -0.05%
3 Months +1.78% +0.71% +1.07%
6 Months +3.54% +2.15% +1.39%
YTD +1.78% +0.71% +1.07%
1 Year +16.09% +18.40% -2.31%
3 Years +36.14% +39.02% -2.88%
5 Years +28.09% +20.71% +7.38%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IJH Fees VB Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $100 $60 $40
$10.000 20 years $430 $258 $171
$10.000 30 years $1.388 $835 $553
$50.000 10 years $499 $299 $199
$50.000 30 years $6.941 $4.176 $2.765
$100.000 30 years $13.882 $8.352 $5.531

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IJH VB
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 20.8%
Max Drawdown -24.6% -28.8%
Sharpe Ratio 0.12 0.07

Dividend Comparison

Metric IJH VB
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.89 $3.50
Dividend Yield 1.31% 1.33%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IJH Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.92%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.84%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.78%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.76%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.72%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.70%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.67%
US Foods Holding Corp.USFD0.64%
FabrinetFN0.63%
Burlington Stores, Inc.BURL0.62%

VB Top Holdings

NameWeight
Sandisk CorporationSNDK1.21%
Comfort Systems USA, Inc.FIX0.65%
Lumentum Holdings Inc.LITE0.64%
Ciena CorporationCIEN0.64%
Coherent Corp.COHR0.53%
Rocket Lab CorporationRKLB0.48%
NRG Energy, Inc.NRG0.44%
Bloom Energy CorporationBE0.43%
EMCOR Group, Inc.EME0.42%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VB if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose VB if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Related Comparisons