What Is VLUE? iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF

VLUE is the iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF, launched by iShares in April 2013. It tracks the MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index, which selects US large- and mid-cap stocks that appear inexpensive on valuation measures, aiming to capture the long-run tendency of cheap stocks to outperform. It selects within sectors to keep the emphasis on value rather than sector timing.

VLUE, listed on NYSE Arca and issued by iShares, part of BlackRock. The full name is the iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF. It sits in the same single-factor family as MTUM (momentum), QUAL (quality), and SIZE (size).

VLUE follows an index that ranks stocks on valuation metrics such as price-to-book, price-to-forward-earnings, and enterprise value to operating cash flow. It picks the cheapest names within each sector, so the fund tilts toward value while limiting unintended sector bets. Holdings rebalance periodically, and the mix can shift as valuations change.

US large- and mid-cap stocks that screen as inexpensive, which changes over time. Recent top holdings have included Micron, Cisco, General Motors, Verizon, AT&T, Bank of America, Ford, Comcast, Qualcomm, and Citigroup. See the top-10 table above for current weights. Note that one name, Micron, has carried an unusually large weight recently.

VLUE's methodology can assign a large weight to a stock the model views as deeply undervalued relative to its sector, which is why a single name like Micron has recently made up a substantial share of the fund. This concentration is a feature of enhanced-value weighting, but it also means the fund can be sensitive to one or two large positions.

0.15% per year, or $15 annually on a $10,000 position. That is low for a factor strategy, though higher than the cheapest broad-market index funds. The modest fee is one reason VLUE is a popular way to add a systematic value tilt without paying for active management.

VLUE offers rules-based exposure to the value factor, which has historically added return over long periods but can underperform for years when growth leads. It is more concentrated than a broad index fund. Whether it fits depends on your goals and patience for factor cycles. Walnut is not an investment adviser; this is not a recommendation.

VLUE trades like a stock during US market hours through any major broker, including Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, Public, and Webull. Fractional shares are supported at many brokers. If you use VLUE as a value tilt alongside a core holding, you can connect your broker to Walnut to see how the pieces fit together.

Approximately $10.58 billion as of mid-2026. VLUE is one of the larger single-factor value ETFs by assets, reflecting steady interest in value investing as a complement or counterweight to growth-heavy index exposure.

The value factor is the historical tendency of stocks that trade cheaply relative to fundamentals, such as earnings, book value, or cash flow, to outperform more expensive stocks over the long run. VLUE tries to capture it systematically. Value is a well-documented factor, but it can lag growth for extended periods, as it did through much of the 2010s.

April 16, 2013. iShares launched VLUE alongside its other single-factor ETFs to package academic factors like value into low-cost, rules-based funds, giving everyday investors a systematic alternative to picking value stocks individually or paying for active value managers.

Yes. The listed yield is approximately 1.40% as of mid-2026, somewhat higher than the broad market because value stocks tend to include more established, dividend-paying companies. Distributions are paid on the fund's schedule and can be reinvested automatically at most brokers.

VLUE tilts toward cheaply valued stocks, while a growth ETF tilts toward companies with fast revenue and earnings growth, which usually trade at higher valuations. The two often lead in different market environments: value tends to do relatively better in some regimes and growth in others. Holding VLUE is a deliberate bet on the value side of that divide.

Value investing goes through long cycles. When investors favor fast-growing companies, as they did through much of the 2010s, cheap stocks can lag the broad market for years. VLUE is designed to hold value stocks through those periods, so it requires patience and a tolerance for extended stretches of underperformance relative to growth-led indexes.

Put a few fields side by side: the expense ratio (fees compound over decades), the index or strategy it tracks, the top holdings and how much they overlap with what you already own, the dividend yield, and the AUM, liquidity, and bid-ask spread that affect trading costs. For index funds, tracking error (how closely it follows its index) and tax efficiency matter too. VLUE's figures are above; the full method is in Walnut's guide on how to compare ETFs.