--- title: "IJT Offers Higher Yield While VBK Is More Affordable" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/279124472.md" description: "The Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) offers a lower expense ratio and higher 1-year return compared to the iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT), which provides a higher dividend yield and has experienced less severe drawdowns. VBK is more focused on industrials and tech, while IJT has a more balanced sector allocation. Both funds target U.S. small-cap growth stocks, appealing to different investor preferences. Despite VBK's cost advantage, IJT's higher yield and lower drawdown during market downturns may attract income-focused investors." datetime: "2026-03-14T13:25:25.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/279124472.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/279124472.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/279124472.md) --- # IJT Offers Higher Yield While VBK Is More Affordable ## Key Points - VBK offers a lower expense ratio and higher 1-year return than IJT. - IJT delivers a higher dividend yield and shallower historical drawdown. - VBK overweight industrials and tech, while IJT is more balanced across multiple sectors. - 10 stocks we like better than iShares Trust - iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF › The **Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF** (**NYSEMKT:VBK**) and **iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF** (**NASDAQ:IJT**) both target U.S. small-cap growth stocks, but VBK charges a lower fee and tilts more toward industrials and tech, while IJT pays a higher yield and has experienced less severe drawdowns. Both VBK and IJT are designed for investors seeking exposure to small-cap U.S. companies with growth characteristics. While their mandates appear similar, key differences in cost, sector exposures, and risk metrics may appeal to different types of investors. This comparison highlights those distinctions to help clarify which fund could be a better fit for specific portfolio goals. ## Snapshot (cost & size) Metric VBK IJT Issuer Vanguard IShares Expense ratio 0.05% 0.18% 1-yr return (as of 2026-03-11) 23.7% 19.4% Dividend yield 0.53% 0.88% Beta 1.38 1.17 AUM $40.0 billion $6.4 billion _Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months._ VBK is more affordable with its lower expense ratio, while IJT charges over three times as much. IJT, however, may appeal to income-focused investors by offering a higher dividend payout relative to VBK. ## Performance & risk comparison Metric VBK IJT Max drawdown (5 y) \-38.4% \-29.2% Growth of $1,000 over 5 years $1,098 $1,119 ## What's inside IJT offers exposure to 356 U.S. small-cap growth stocks, balancing industrials (21%), technology (18%), healthcare (15%), and financials (14%) as of its latest sector breakdown. Its largest holdings, such as **Interdigital Inc** (NASDAQ:IDCC) and **Caretrust Reit** Inc (NYSE:CTRE) each account for just over 1% of assets. The fund has a long track record, with more than 25 years since inception. In contrast, VBK holds 551 securities and leans more heavily into industrials (23%), with significant allocations to technology (21%) and healthcare (17%). Its top positions include **Rocket Lab** (NASDAQ:RKLB), **Comfort Systems USA** (NYSE:FIX), and **Sandisk** (NASDAQ:SNDK), each making up over 1% of the portfolio. Neither fund carries notable quirks or follows an ESG, currency-hedged, or leveraged strategy. For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at this link. ## What this means for investors Both funds offer low-cost exposure to small-cap stocks. Small caps are overdue for a strong bull run, which have significantly underperformed the market in recent years. The Russell 2000 surged to new highs at the start of the year — a signal that investors could be rotating away from large-cap stocks to the promise of higher upside in small caps. Of course, Vanguard is known for its ultra-low-cost funds, which gives VBK an advantage here. However, some of that cost advantage is eaten up by IJT’s higher yield. There are minor differences in their sector weightings and diversification. But one key difference that may tilt the scales in favor of IJT is its lower drawdown. It held up much better than VBK during the 2022 bear market. That allowed IJT to outperform VBK over that time frame. ## Should you buy stock in iShares Trust - iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF right now? Before you buy stock in iShares Trust - iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF, consider this: The _Motley Fool Stock Advisor_ analyst team just identified what they believe are the **10 best stocks** for investors to buy now… and iShares Trust - iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when **Netflix** made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, **you’d have $514,000**!\* Or when **Nvidia** made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, **you’d have $1,105,029**!\* Now, it’s worth noting _Stock Advisor’s_ total average return is 930% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 187% for the S&P 500. **Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with _Stock Advisor_, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.** See the 10 stocks » _\*Stock Advisor returns as of March 14, 2026._ _John Ballard has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Comfort Systems USA, Rocket Lab, and Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy._ The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. ### Related Stocks - [RZG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/RZG.US.md) - [IJT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IJT.US.md) - [SLYG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SLYG.US.md) - [VBK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VBK.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Small-Cap ETFs May Be Prepping For A Comeback Investors Are Still Ignoring: Here Are Four You Can Start With](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286806917.md) - [30-YEAR TREASURY YIELDS CONTINUE DECLINE, LAST AT 5.1085%](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287093969.md) - [Verizon and 4 other stocks with 5% yields—and market-beating returns](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286926821.md) - [US 10-year Treasury yield expected to fall by year-end](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287011743.md) - [This 7.2% yield is safe and on stronger ground than it seems](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286679043.md)