Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares

NYSE Arca:VPUUnited States

The cumulative market value of all assets that an investment company manages for its clients. It can be interpreted as a credibility rating for an investment firm, but many firms calculate this number using different methodologies. This value can increase due to asset appreciation and new cash inflows from investors or, alternatively, it can decrease due to asset depreciation or cash withdrawals by investors.

The value of assets either bought or sold over the year as a percentage of a fund’s net asset value. Investors should be conscious of a fund’s turnover because this can incur high transaction costs, which are not always included in the expense ratio, further reducing an investor’s net return.

The amount of profit that is attributed to each share of common stock outstanding. It is the profitability measure that most directly influences a share’s price.

This ratio compares the price per share of a stock to the earnings per share received by investors. It can be interpreted as the amount which an investor is willing to pay for each dollar of a company’s earnings. This is a helpful ratio when comparing firms within an industry, but should be viewed with caution when being compared across industries.

A comparison of the current market value of a firm's stock to its original book value. The market value is discovered by taking the current market share price times the total number of shares outstanding. This ratio can give an investor a signal about the current valuation of a stock but varies widely across industries.

The dollar amount that is generated for every dollar in assets put into use by the company. This measures how profitable a company's assets truly are. The higher the number, the more efficiently assets are being put to use. This ratio can be compared to other companies in the same industry group to gain an understanding of the company's efficiency relative to peers.

A way to determine how many dollars are generated for every dollar invested in capital. This ratio can be compared to other companies in the same industry group to gain an understanding of the company's efficiency relative to peers.

A measure of the return from a stock investment that will come from dividend payments. Dividends are not guaranteed nor are they consistent and they account for only a portion of the return on a stock investment along with stock price appreciation.

An evaluation of an entity’s credit history in determining whether they are worthy or not of obtaining future financing. Entities with a poor history will have a lower rating, and therefore financiers will require a greater rate of return on their loan due to a higher risk of default.

A method of measuring the maturity of a bond while also accounting for the probability that the bond may be called.

The rate of return paid to the holder of a bond, note or other security that the investor holds until maturity. Also referred to as a bond's "yield", the yield to maturity is stated on an annual rate. Calculating the YTM uses the coupon rate, time to maturity, and the market price of the security.