Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT)
$327.15−0.61%close of Oct 16, 2026
Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Vanguard. This fund owns shares of about 410 US health care companies, such as drug makers. It charges 0.09% a year. From January 2004 to October 2026 it returned about 10.1% a year, and its worst drop was −39.1%.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
- Yearly fee
- 0.09%
- about $9 on $10,000
- 1-year return
- 24.9%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 10.1%
- since January 2004
- Worst drop
- −39.1%
- since 2004
- Below its high
- −0.6%
- now
- Volatility
- 16.9%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Tracks
- MSCI US Investable Market Health Care 25/50 Index
- Started trading
- January 26, 2004
- Type
- US stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 412 holdings as of September 30, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.09% a year
How has VHT done since 2004?#
From January 2004 to October 2026, VHT returned about 10.1% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 10.8% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $89,110 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | VHT | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 4.3% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | 7.9% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 20.1% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 14.8% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 24.9% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 12.9% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 7.2% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 11.5% | 15.4% |
| Since 2004 per year | 10.1% | 10.8% |
Periods longer than a year show the return per year (CAGR). Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.
VHT returns by month and year#
VHT rose in 172 of its 273 months (63%). Its best month was April 2020, at 13.4%. Its worst was October 2008, at −13.1%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 14.8% | −0.2 | 2.9 | −7.5 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 7.3 | 1.9 | 5.0 | −0.9 | 3.5 | ||
| 2025 | 15.5% | 6.7 | 0.4 | −2.3 | −3.3 | −4.7 | 2.3 | −2.8 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 8.9 | −1.7 |
| 2024 | 2.7% | 2.4 | 3.4 | 2.2 | −5.3 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 4.9 | −1.6 | −4.4 | 1.0 | −6.5 |
| 2023 | 2.5% | −0.8 | −4.6 | 1.9 | 3.1 | −4.0 | 4.2 | 1.0 | −1.2 | −3.5 | −4.0 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
| 2022 | −5.6% | −7.9 | −1.0 | 5.0 | −5.9 | 1.0 | −2.3 | 3.9 | −5.4 | −3.0 | 8.6 | 4.7 | −2.1 |
| 2021 | 20.6% | 2.4 | −1.9 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 2.4 | −5.5 | 4.6 | −4.0 | 7.7 |
| 2020 | 18.3% | −2.5 | −6.2 | −5.0 | 13.4 | 4.4 | −1.6 | 5.2 | 2.4 | −1.4 | −2.9 | 8.8 | 4.2 |
| 2019 | 21.9% | 5.9 | 1.6 | 0.4 | −2.7 | −2.7 | 7.2 | −1.3 | −1.2 | −0.8 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | 5.6% | 6.8 | −4.2 | −2.4 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 2.2 | −7.7 | 6.5 | −9.1 |
| 2017 | 23.3% | 2.7 | 6.4 | −0.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | −0.7 | 2.9 | −0.5 |
| 2016 | −3.2% | −9.3 | −0.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 5.4 | −3.2 | 0.2 | −7.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 |
| 2015 | 7.1% | 1.7 | 4.6 | 1.4 | −2.0 | 5.3 | 0.1 | 2.9 | −8.1 | −6.6 | 6.8 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| 2014 | 24.2% | 1.9 | 5.9 | −2.0 | −1.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | −0.3 | 5.3 | −0.1 | 5.8 | 3.3 | −1.7 |
| 2013 | 42.7% | 7.6 | 1.3 | 6.2 | 2.9 | 1.9 | −0.6 | 7.6 | −3.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 0.8 |
| 2012 | 19.0% | 4.2 | 1.7 | 4.2 | −0.4 | −3.3 | 5.9 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 3.9 | −1.3 | 1.0 | −0.1 |
| 2011 | 10.7% | 0.8 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 6.4 | 1.9 | −1.5 | −3.9 | −3.3 | −4.9 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 2.7 |
| 2010 | 5.6% | 0.4 | 0.5 | 3.6 | −2.7 | −6.9 | −2.1 | 1.0 | −2.0 | 9.7 | 1.9 | −2.3 | 5.4 |
| 2009 | 21.8% | −1.7 | −11.8 | 5.9 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 3.5 | 5.9 | 2.1 | 2.0 | −3.0 | 8.8 | 2.8 |
| 2008 | −23.3% | −5.2 | −2.2 | −4.6 | 1.5 | 2.3 | −4.5 | 6.1 | 1.9 | −6.0 | −13.1 | −7.7 | 7.5 |
| 2007 | 7.9% | 3.3 | −2.0 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 1.7 | −3.4 | −4.0 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0.4 | −2.4 |
| 2006 | 6.5% | 1.9 | 1.1 | −0.7 | −3.3 | −2.4 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 2005 | 8.2% | −3.3 | 3.1 | −0.5 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 2.9 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −2.8 | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| 2004 | 0.7% | 1.3 | −3.4 | 3.5 | −0.8 | 0.0 | −6.6 | 1.6 | −0.7 | −1.9 | 2.5 | 5.8 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is VHT compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 0.59. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, VHT tended to move about 0.59%.
- Correlation 0.66. VHT moved with the S&P 500 some of the time.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, VHT rose 73% as much on average. In months it fell, VHT fell 82% as much.
| Measure | VHT | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 7.4% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 15.4% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −17.7% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.54 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.78 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.42 | 0.52 |
Volatility is how much the price swings in a year. The Sharpe ratio is return per unit of volatility, the Sortino ratio counts only the falls, and the Calmar ratio is the return per year over the worst drop. Higher ratios mean more return for the risk taken.
Is VHT above its 200-day average?#
VHT closed 11.8% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds VHT only above that average would hold it today.
- vs 200-day average
- +11.8%
- above it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- +8.8%
- trend rising
- vs 52-week high
- −0.6%
- high of $329.15
A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as the 10-month moving average strategy hold a fund only while it is above one. You can build that rule for VHT and backtest it in a minute.
What was VHT’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VHT’s worst fall was −39.1%, from December 10, 2007 to March 5, 2009. It got back to that high on March 3, 2011. On October 16, 2026 it was 0.6% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −39.1% | Dec 10, 2007 | Mar 5, 200915 months | Mar 3, 20112.0 years |
| −28.8% | Feb 19, 2020 | Mar 23, 202033 days | Jun 8, 20203 months |
| −20.3% | Jul 20, 2015 | Feb 11, 20167 months | Jun 1, 201716 months |
| −18.3% | May 18, 2011 | Aug 8, 20113 months | Feb 1, 20126 months |
| −17.7% | Dec 30, 2021 | Jun 16, 20226 months | Feb 6, 202420 months |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does VHT hold?#
This fund owns shares of about 410 US health care companies, such as drug makers. It holds only one part of the stock market. A few big drug companies make up a large share, so news about medicines can move its value.
It tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Health Care 25/50 Index. It had 412 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Vanguard.
What is the VHT expense ratio?#
VHT charges 0.09% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.09% fee comes to about $9 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 52% charge more.
You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.
Which Tactfolio strategies hold VHT?#
No classic strategy holds VHT yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.
How does VHT compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for VHT:
- XLV: State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- XLP: State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
- VDC: Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF, 0.09% a year
- QUAL: iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, 0.15% a year
See all 5 VHT alternatives, compared on the same dates as VHT.
Test VHT in your own rules#
Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add VHT, and see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.
The details#
Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for VHT and SPY. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Beta and correlation compare daily returns with the S&P 500 over the same dates.
Fund facts come from Vanguard. We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.
Common questions#
What is the expense ratio of VHT?#
VHT charges 0.09% a year, according to Vanguard as of October 17, 2026. That is about $9 a year for every $10,000 you hold.
When did VHT start trading?#
VHT started trading on January 26, 2004. It is run by Vanguard.
What does VHT track?#
VHT tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Health Care 25/50 Index. This fund owns shares of about 410 US health care companies, such as drug makers.
How much has VHT returned per year?#
From January 2004 to October 2026, VHT returned about 10.1% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −39.1%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is VHT above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, VHT closed 11.8% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use VHT?#
None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold VHT yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.