The MOAT ETF

There’s an ETF which focuses on competitive advantages, otherwise known as moats. The VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF has the symbol MOAT.

I don’t own any shares in it but their strategy is close to what we do with our Buy List. MOAT currently has 44 stocks while we have just 25.

Here are the MOAT holdings as of January 31:

AMAZON AMZN
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY FOX FOXA
LOWE’S LOW
EXPRESS SCRIPTS ESRX
AMERISOURCEBERGEN ABC
VEEVA SYSTEMS VEEV
SALESFORCE.COM CRM
EMERSON ELECTRIC EMR
UNITED TECHNOLOGIES UTX
VISA V
CARDINAL HEALTH CAH
VF VFC
BRISTOL-MYER SQB BMY
TRANSDIGM GROUP TDG
WELLS FARGO WFC
WALT DISNEY DIS
WESTERN UNION WU
L BRANDS INC LTD
PFIZER INC PFE
MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL INC-A MDLZ
MONSANTO CO MON
MCKESSON CORP MCK
AMGEN INC AMGN
ZIMMER HOLDINGS INC ZMH
STARBUCKS CORP SBUX
MEDTRONIC PLC MDT
ELI LILLY & CO LLY
MERCK & CO. INC. MRK
STERICYCLE INC SRCL
COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATION CMP
BIOGEN IDEC INC BIIB
CVS CAREMARK COR CVS
ALLERGAN PLC AGN
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO GE
SCHWAB (CHARLES) SCHW
CBRE GROUP INC – A CBG
MICROSOFT CORP MSFT
GUIDEWIRE SOFTWARE INC GWRE
NIKE NKE
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON BK
GILEAD SCIENCES GILD
WILEY (JOHN) & SONS JW-A
MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY MCHP
POLARIS INDUSTRIES PII
AMERICAN EXPRESS AXP
PATTERSON PDCO

I can’t say I like all these names, but I see several former Buy Listers here. It’s interesting how similar strategies can yield different names.

I couldn’t find a precise methodology for the fund. Judging what’s a long-lasting competitive advantage must involve some human guesswork.

Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on February 28th, 2018 at 3:13 pm

The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.