For the Month Ending April 30, 2016 A Star-Spangled April for Moats
Performance Overview
Moat-rated companies continued their strong start to 2016 in April. U.S.-oriented Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM (MWMFTR) topped the S&P 500® Index (5.20% vs. 0.39%) in April and widened the gap in relative performance year-to-date (12.05% vs. 1.74%). On the international front, Morningstar® Global ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM (MGEUMFUN) lagged the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA in April (1.43% vs. 2.63%), but maintained relative outperformance year-to-date (4.09% vs. 2.25%).
U.S. Domestic Moats: Healthcare Rotation Pays Off
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (STJ US) was the big winner among domestic moat-rated companies in April. Late in the month Abbott Laboratories (ABT US) announced its intent to buy STJ US in a deal that is expected to close in the coming fourth quarter. As part of its quarterly review, the MWMFTR Index rotated into several healthcare companies, including STJ US. According to Morningstar, the healthcare sector offered a number of attractive valuation opportunities in March, some of which contributed to MWMFTR’s strong performance in April. Drug manufacturer Allergan plc (AGN US), however, provided no such boost to results. A U.S. Department of Treasury tax ruling squashed any hope for its planned merger with Pfizer, pushing AGN US lower for the month.
International Moats: Oh, Canada
MGEUMFUN’s exposure to financials companies, particularly Canadian banks, contributed to positive performance in April. Only three of the 24 financials companies in the Index posted negative returns last month. Additionally, Russian operator Mobile Telesystems (MTSS RM) has been on a roll since announcing solid fourth quarter results in March. Strains on performance came largely from some of the Index’s consumer discretionary constituents, such as Macau gaming firm Sands China (1928 HK) and Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Group Co. (489 HK).
Shooting for the Stars
VanEck Vectors™ Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT), which seeks to track MWMFTR, received a 5-star Morningstar Rating™ as of April 30, 2016.
Moat Investing
Important Disclosure
For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund’s monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF was rated against 1,374 U.S.-domiciled large blend funds for the 3-year period and received 5 stars. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
©2016 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
This commentary is not intended as a recommendation to buy or to sell any of the named securities. Holding will vary for the MOAT and MOTI ETFs and their corresponding Indices.
Index performance is not representative of fund performance. To view fund performance current to the most recent month end, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com.
An investor cannot invest directly in an index. Returns reflect past performance and do not guarantee future results. Results reflect the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any. Index returns do not represent Fund returns. The Index does not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, nor does the Index lend securities, and no revenues from securities lending were added to the performance shown.
Fair value estimate: the Morningstar analyst’s estimate of what a stock is worth.
Price/Fair Value: ratio of a stock’s trading price to its fair value estimate.
The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM and Morningstar® Global ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM were created and are maintained by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar, Inc. does not sponsor, endorse, issue, sell, or promote the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF or VanEck Vectors Morningstar International Moat ETF and bears no liability with respect to the ETFs or any security. Morningstar® is a registered trademark of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index and Morningstar Global ex-US Moat Focus Index are service marks of Morningstar, Inc.
The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index consists of 20 U.S. companies identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are the most attractively priced, according to Morningstar.
The Morningstar Global ex-US Moat Focus Index consists of 50 companies outside of the U.S. identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are the most attractively priced, according to Morningstar.
The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 widely held common stocks covering the leading industries of the U.S. economy.
MSCI All Country World Index ex USA captures large and mid cap representation across 22 Developed Markets countries (excluding the U.S.) and 23 Emerging Markets countries.
An investment in the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) may be subject to risks which include, among others, fluctuations in value due to market and economic conditions or factors relating to specific issuers. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector and may be subject to more risk than investments in a diverse group of sectors.
An investment in the VanEck Vectors Morningstar International Moat ETF (MOTI) may be subject to risks which include, among others, fluctuations in value due to market and economic conditions or factors relating to specific issuers. Foreign and emerging markets investments are subject to risks, which include changes in economic and political conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations, changes in currency exchange rates, unstable governments, and limited trading capacity which may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector and may be subject to more risk than investments in a diverse group of sectors.
Fund shares are not individually redeemable and will be issued and redeemed at their Net Asset Value (NAV) only through certain authorized broker-dealers in large, specified blocks of shares called ”creation units” and otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading. Creation units are issued and redeemed principally in kind. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. You will incur brokerage expenses when trading Fund shares in the secondary market. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns for actual Fund investments may differ from what is shown because of differences in timing, the amount invested, and fees and expenses.
Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of a Fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contain this and other information, call 800.826.2333. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.