ETF Evaluator:
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK)
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(as of Jul 30)
Best Performing in Europe Stock Over the Last Year
| 28.5% | iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF (EUFN) |
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| 26.3% | First Trust STOXX® European Sel Div ETF (FDD) |
| 24.9% | Xtrackers MSCI Eurozone Hedged Eq ETF (DBEZ) |
| 24.1% | First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX® ETF (FEUZ) |
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ETF Details
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF Overview
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) is a passively managed International Equity Europe Stock exchange-traded fund (ETF). Vanguard launched the ETF in 2005.
The investment seeks to track the performance of a benchmark FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index that measures the investment return of stocks issued by companies located in the major markets of the Pacific region.
The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index, a market-capitalization weighted index that is made up of common stocks of companies located in European countries. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the stocks that make up the target Index.
About Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.24 years: Christine Franquin (2016), Scott Geiger (2022) and John Kraynak (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: FTSE Global All Cap ex US TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and FTSE Dvlp Europe All Cap(US RIC)NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has 1233 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 18.4% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has 97.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.1% There is 97.7% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has 1.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $29 billion in total assets, which is above the $2 billion average for the Europe Stock category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
VGK Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Europe Stock category. Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has an expense ratio of 0.06%, which is 86% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 5%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.2 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 36% for the Europe Stock category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF returned 0.6%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Europe Stock category had an average return of 0.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has a trailing yield of 2.90%, which is above the 2.72% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 7.9%, 0.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 17.7% over the past year (grade of D), 16.4% over the past three years (grade of C) and 9.3% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 10.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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VGK Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| VGK Return (NAV) | 0.6% | 9.0% | 17.7% | 16.4% | 9.3% | 10.1% |
| VGK Return (Price) | 0.8% | 8.9% | 17.8% | 16.4% | 9.2% | 10.0% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.224% | 0.113% | -0.049% | 0.017% | 0.044% | 0.028% |
| Europe Stock Avg | 0.3% | 10.3% | 18.2% | 17.2% | 9.7% | 10.1% |
| VGK Grade (NAV) | C | D | D | C | D | C |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.3% | -1.3% | -0.5% | -0.7% | -0.4% | -0.1% |
| VGK Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
VGK Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VGK Return (NAV) | 7.9% | 35.4% | 2.0% | 20.0% | -16.0% | 16.4% | 6.5% | 24.3% | -14.8% | 27.1% | -0.6% |
| VGK Return (Price) | 7.9% | 35.8% | 1.9% | 20.2% | -16.0% | 16.9% | 5.5% | 24.9% | -14.9% | 27.0% | -0.4% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.007% | 0.011% | -0.072% | 0.009% | -0.002% | 0.033% | -0.161% | 2.4% | 0.8% | -0.3% | -37.6% |
| Europe Stock Avg | 8.0% | 35.7% | 4.1% | 19.6% | -16.1% | 17.6% | 4.1% | 25.2% | -14.5% | 24.9% | 1.1% |
| VGK Grade (NAV) | C | C | C | C | C | C | B | D | C | B | D |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | -0.3% | -2.1% | 0.5% | 0.0% | -1.3% | 2.4% | -0.9% | -0.3% | 2.1% | -1.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.90 |
| R-Squared: | 84% |
| Standard Deviation: | 13.7% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.12 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 2.9% |
| Total Assets: | $ 37,915 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 29,981 Mil |
| Turnover: | 5.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.06% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | FTSE Global All Cap ex US TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 10.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Franquin Christine (2016), Geiger Scott (2022), Kraynak John (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 1233 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 18.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 97.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 1.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 97.7% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.2% |
| Cash: | 1.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Vanguard |
| Phone Number: | 866-499-8473 |
| Website: | www.vanguard.com |
| Inception Date: | March 4, 2005 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.06% (Rating: Low) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.43% |
