Key Highlights

  • The fund tracks the S&P/ASX 300 Index and holds 325 companies, with the top ten at 46.97%.
  • Fund size is $26.32 billion and the management fee is 0.07%.
  • Companies below $1 billion in market capitalisation make up 5.22% of the fund.
  • The October 2026 distribution of $1.290 is higher than the $1.095 paid in October 2025.

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX:VAS) holds or is exposed to most of the securities in the S&P/ASX 300 Index, with individual weightings allowed to vary marginally. The fund was admitted to the ASX on 8 May 2009 and last traded at $108.67 on 13 October 2026. It reports a fund size of $26.32 billion.

Detail

Information

Ticker

ASX:VAS

Fund

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF

Category

Equity Australia Large Blend

Benchmark

S&P/ASX 300 TR

Fund size

$26.32 billion

Management fee

0.07%

Total holdings

325

ASX admission date

8 May 2009

Index coverage and market capitalisation

Because the benchmark is the S&P/ASX 300, the fund reaches further down the market than 200-stock funds. Companies above $1 billion in market capitalisation account for 94.78%, those between $500 million and $1 billion for 4.79%, and those below $500 million for 0.43%.

The fund may also hold securities that are expected to join or leave the index. Its reported turnover ratio is 0.81%.

Top holdings and sectors

The ten largest positions represent 46.97% of the fund. BHP Group leads at 11.78%, followed by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (9.36%), National Australia Bank (4.14%), Westpac (4.13%) and ANZ Group (3.92%). Wesfarmers (3.15%), Macquarie Group (3.10%), CSL (2.91%), Rio Tinto (2.27%) and Woodside Energy (2.15%) follow.

Financial Services holds 31.88% and Basic Materials 27.14%. Consumer Cyclical is 7.02%, Healthcare 6.62%, Industrials 5.95%, Real Estate 5.51% and Energy 4.68%. Australia represents 95.76% of the fund and the United States 2.64%.

Fees and distributions

The management fee is 0.07% a year. The interim distribution of $1.290 per unit has an ex-date of 1 October 2026, a record date of 2 October and payment on 16 October, equal to an annual yield of 3.17%.

The amount compares with $0.488 in July, $0.847 in April, $0.820 in January and $1.095 in October 2025, making the latest payment the highest of the five periods listed.

Category classification and liquidity

Morningstar places the fund in the Equity Australia Large Blend category, which covers funds investing primarily in large Australian companies, defined as stocks in the top 70% of the Australian equity market by capitalisation, with the blend style applied where neither growth nor value characteristics dominate.

Liquidity indicators add a further view. There are 242,236,568 units on issue, and average daily trading volume is 345,957 units. Over the five sessions from 7 to 13 October 2026, daily volume ranged from 177,200 to 377,300 units, with 256,959 recorded on 13 October while the market was still open. The bid-offer range stood at $108.67 to $108.69, and the day range at $108.10 to $108.91. These figures change through the trading day and reflect market activity rather than the fund's holdings.

Recent announcements

Vanguard lodged Outstanding Securities for September 2026 on 7 October, a Distribution Tax Estimate on 5 October, and DRP and Final Distributions notices on 2 October.

Closing Perspective

VAS covers a wider slice of the Australian market than 200-stock funds, yet its top ten holdings still account for 46.97%. The 0.07% fee, $26.32 billion size and a distribution of $1.290 that exceeds each of the last four quarterly amounts frame its profile without suggesting a future outcome.