VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF

MOAT

Market cap $13.1B

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF is downgraded from buy to hold due to lagging performance and less compelling valuation. MOAT underperformed the S&P 500 YTD, hindered by underweights in Energy and Materials and a value/mid-cap tilt. The ETF's technicals are weak, with shares below the 50-day moving average and RSI near multi-month lows, raising near-term downside risk.

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) debuted on 04/24/2012, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.

The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) was launched on April 24, 2012, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

With net inflows of about $1.5 trillion for the year, 2025 was in some ways the biggest year ever for exchange-traded funds (ETFs). And with a massive and ever-growing field of funds available, the ETF space shows no signs of slowing or losing its appeal to investors in 2026.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VanEck announced today the 2025 annual distributions per share for its VanEck equity exchange-traded funds.

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market, the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 04/24/2012.

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF employs a value strategy, targeting companies with strong competitive advantages trading at discounts. MOAT's high portfolio turnover and sector concentration undermine its long-term value approach, resulting in higher costs and inconsistent performance versus IWB. Despite lower valuation metrics, MOAT exhibits higher volatility and inferior risk-adjusted returns compared to the broader market, with an expensive 0.47% expense ratio.

MOAT currently offers exposure to 53 wide-moat stocks trading at attractive discounts relative to their estimated fair market value, as determined by a team of 100+ Morningstar analysts. MOAT's long-term results are excellent, and although the ETF has struggled over the last five years, its short-term returns are picking up, with further upside more likely than not. Still, my fundamental analysis reveals some weaknesses, including a growth and value mix that lags other equal-weight funds along with surprisingly questionable quality.

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on April 24, 2012.

By Brandon Rakszawski, VanEck Director of Product Management The September Moat Index review trimmed tech exposure, added new names and maintained a strong value tilt, highlighting its contrarian position in today's market. Key Takeaways Moat Index holds largest tech underweight vs.