The exchange-traded fund (ETF) Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) has lifted by 19.28% over the past 12 months.
The popular ASX ETF closed the session on Friday at $104.87 per unit, down 0.19% for the day.
The VAS ETF gives investors exposure to the 300 largest companies by market capitalisation on the Australian share market.
In other words, it seeks to track the performance of the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) before fees.
In terms of share price growth, it is interesting to note that the VAS ETF is running pretty much neck-and-neck with peer ETFs that only track the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).
Over the past 12 months, the iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ) has risen by 19.11% to $34.03 on Friday. The BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200) has increased by 19.64% to $141.39 on Friday.
So, it appears that the inclusion of those 100 small-cap shares ranked between 201 and 300 isn't giving the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF any particular advantage over IOZ or A200 right now.
Perhaps this may change next year, given falling interest rates are usually a tailwind for smaller growth companies, and it is widely expected that the Reserve Bank of Australia will begin cutting rates in 2025.
In reviewing the 12-month performance of the VAS ETF, we have identified which stocks have contributed the most growth over the period.
Check them out below.
6 ASX shares pushing VAS ETF higher over the past year
1. Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)
ASX financial share Zip has shot the lights out with 800% growth over the past 12 months. The Zip share price was $3.42 at the market close on Friday.
This makes the buy now, pay later company the fastest-growing share within the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF over the past year.
2. Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6)
This ASX biotech share has rocketed 372% to $6.41 at the market close on Friday.
Clarity Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company that develops cancer treatments.
3. Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB)
ASX biotech share Mesoblast has also ripped over the past 12 months, up 361% to $1.77 on Friday.
Mesoblast is a clinical-stage biotech that develops allogeneic cellular medicines for complex diseases.
4. Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG)
ASX healthcare share Sigma has risen 319% over the past 12 months to close at $2.89 on Friday.
Sigma Healthcare owns a network of chemists including Amcal, Discount Drug Stores, and Guardian Pharmacy. Earlier this year, it announced a proposed merger with private company Chemist Warehouse.
5. Nuix Limited (ASX: NXL)
ASX tech share Nuix is up by 262% over the past 12 months, closing at $6.70 on Friday.
Nuix provides specialised software for analysing large data sets.
6. Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC)
Shares in ASX telecommunications company SuperLoop have also streaked higher over the past 12 months.
The Superloop share price closed at $2.20 on Friday, up 228% over the past 12 months.
Price history snapshot: VAS ETF
The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF has risen by 20.35% over the past five years.
This compares to a 21.36% lift in the IOZ ETF and a 22.82% increase in the A200 ETF.
The VAS ETF has a management fee of 0.07%.
The IOZ fee is 0.05%, and the A200 fee is 0.04%.
