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Top Moat Stocks in 2020: Veeva, ServiceNow and Amazon

January 07, 2021

Read Time 7 MIN

 

The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM (the “Index”) finished 2020 on a strong note, outpacing the S&P 500 Index by over 3% in the fourth quarter (15.28% vs. 12.15%, respectively). Its strong performance erased much of its mid-year underperformance but wasn’t enough to close the gap for the year, ending behind the S&P 500 (15.09% vs. 18.40%, respectively).

This was the first year in which the Index underperformed the S&P 500 by a notable amount since its 2014 and 2015 underperformance, which was followed by a very strong 2016 and subsequent years of impressive excess returns.

Index Calendar Year Return (%)

  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index -19.58 46.93 8.57 6.61 24.50 31.46 9.68 -4.28 22.37 23.79 -0.74 35.65 15.09
S&P 500 Index -37.00 26.46 15.06 2.11 16.00 32.39 13.69 1.38 11.96 21.83 -4.38 31.49 18.40
Difference +17.42 +20.47 -6.50 +4.50 +8.50 -0.93 -4.01 -5.67 +10.41 +1.96 +3.64 +4.17 -3.31

Source: Morningstar. Data as of 12/31/2020.Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Index performance is not illustrative of fund performance. Prior to 4/24/2012, VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF had no operating history. For fund performance current to the most recent month-end, visit vaneck.com.

While there have been periods of underperformance in any given quarter or year, the impressive long-term track record of the Index stands out since its live history began in February 2007. When analyzing rolling periods of increasing length, the Index’s success relative to the S&P 500 improves as the holding periods increase. For example, since the Index’s inception in 2007, it has only outperformed the S&P 500 Index approximately 50% of the time over any given month. But in 100 of the 107 rolling five year periods, or 93% of the time, the Index outperformed the S&P 500 Index.

Batting Average: Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index vs. S&P 500 Index

Monthly Frequency: 2/2007 – 12/2020

Batting Average: Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index vs. S&P 500 Index
  1 Month Rolling Periods 6 Month Rolling Periods 1 Year Rolling Periods 3 Year Rolling Periods 5 Year Rolling Periods
Total Periods 166 161 155 131 107
Total Outperformed 83 92 101 112 100
Batting Average (%) 50 57 65 85 93

Source: Morningstar. Batting Average is measured by dividing the number of periods a portfolio or investment strategy outperforms a benchmark by the total number of periods.

What Drove Moat Index Returns?

Information technology companies contributed most significantly to the Index’ underperformance of the S&P 500 Index in 2020. The sector’s underweight paired with poor relative stock selection within the sector dragged on relative returns. Industrials stock selection was also a major contributor to underperformance while strong stock selection within consumer discretionary, energy and financials helped offset some of the Index’s short-term misses. 

Moat Stock Leaders in 2020

Veeva Systems Inc. (VEEV)

Veeva was the Index’s leading contributor to returns in 2020. It performed so well following the market’s March turmoil that its position in the Index was scaled down in June 2020 as valuations appeared pricey, only to see its stock price continue to appreciate in subsequent quarters. It finished the year posting strong third-quarter results in early December.

Veeva is a leading supplier of vertical software solutions serving customers ranging from small, emerging biotech companies to global pharmaceutical manufacturers. It benefits from switching costs, or the cost (time, productivity, operational risk, etc.) associated with changing software solutions from one provider to another. Within the life sciences industry, where pharma and biotech companies have strict workflows for clinical trials, R&D and manufacturing, Morningstar believes switching costs are exacerbated.

Morningstar increased Veeva’s fair value estimate from $275 per share to $290 in December, citing the company’s strong quarterly results and continued long-term investments. Its shares finished the year trading at a slight discount to Morningstar’s fair value assessment.

ServiceNow Inc. (NOW)

ServiceNow is a software as a solution (SaaS) provider primarily focusing on the IT function for enterprise customers. It, like Veeva, benefits from high customer switching costs associated with its software offerings. ServiceNow specializes in Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) and, according to Morningstar, built its business model from the ground up in 2004 as a SaaS solution. It has disrupted the industry and controls approximately 40% of the ITSM market, which is growing at a rapid pace.

ServiceNow was most recently added to the Index in September and December 2019. After appreciating significantly from April lows, its position was scaled back in September 2020, locking in some of its gains in the portfolio. ServiceNow was the second leading contributor to Index returns in 2020 and a top performer within the tech sector. It finished the year trading at a premium to its Morningstar fair value estimate despite a slight increase to the estimate in October.

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)

Amazon has benefited through the global pandemic, as consumers have accelerated online buying behavior. According to Morningstar, Amazon owns one of the wider economic moats in the consumer sector and is likely to reshape retail, digital media, enterprise software and other categories for years to come. Its operational efficiencies, network effect and brand intangible assets give its marketplaces sustainable competitive advantages that few, if any, traditional retailers can match.

Amazon was likely a shining star in many investor portfolios this past year. Most U.S. equity strategies hold significant exposure to Amazon, which is likely overrepresented in many portfolios. The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index features a structural underweight to Amazon due to its equal-weighting methodology, which typically limits Amazon’s weight in the Index. This structural underweight carries through to other FANMAG stocks (Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and Google) and is exacerbated by Apple and Netflix receiving narrow moat ratings from Morningstar and not being eligible for the Index. Knowing how critical these companies have been to short- and long-term U.S. market returns makes the Index’s long-term track record all the more impressive.

Moat Stock Laggards in 2020

Wells Fargo & Co (WFC)

We’ve written about Wells Fargo quite a bit in recent years as it navigated scandals and management turnover. It remains one of the top deposit gatherers in the U.S., and according to Morningstar, the bank has easily out-earned its cost of equity for decades and continues to do so today. Morningstar considers its wide moat rating to be stable.

Despite its competitive positioning, Wells Fargo was the leading detractor from Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index returns in 2020. Morningstar believes Wells Fargo still faces many issues, including regaining a more positive reputation among potential advisor clients, turning around its asset management unit, and generally returning to offense instead of constantly being on defense. That said, Morningstar does not see a fundamental reason why the bank can't consistently earn returns on tangible equity of 14% longer term, which would warrant a better valuation. How long it will take the bank to rebuild remains a key unknown, and is a risk investors should consider.

Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX)

Raytheon Technologies benefits from strong competitive positioning in both commercial aerospace and defense contracting resulting from the merger of United Technologies and Raytheon, both of which Morningstar believes warrant wide moats on their own. The company completed its merger shortly after the market bottomed in March 2020. The company’s shares recovered modestly but remained well below highs from February and finished the year at a modest discount to Morningstar’s fair value estimate.

RTX was the second leading detractor from performance for the year and is one of several aerospace and defense companies held by the Index. Aerospace and defense is currently one of the largest sub-industry overweights in the Index relative to the S&P 500 Index.

Biogen Inc. (BIIB)

Morningstar sees barriers to entry as high for potential biosimilars to Biogen's products, and Biogen has a strong R&D strategy for maintaining its leadership in multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Pricing power is strong, patient need for novel therapies is high, and Biogen has been building a solid pipeline in that space. On the flip side, Morningstar believes Biogen's profitability depends on three key blockbuster franchises and a high-risk but potentially high-reward pipeline.

This risk played out in 2020 as Food and Drug Administration hurdles have delayed the potential path forward for Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease drug candidate, aducanumab. This uncertainty resulted in Morningstar decreasing its fair value estimate from $354 per share to $346. BIIB closed the year at nearly a 30% discount to fair value.

December Moat Index Review: Less Tech

The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index underwent its quarterly review in late December. Several new companies from the consumer sectors and aerospace and defense were added while several strong performing chip companies were removed, among others.

A notable shift following the review was a further shift away from tech. Already substantially underweight, the tech sector weighting in the Index dropped by 4.5% leaving the Index underweight tech companies by 10% relative to the S&P 500 Index.

Review the full results here.

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide ETF (MOAT) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses the price and yield performance of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index.

Watch our Quarterly Moat Investing Webinar Now: Moat Investing - Opportunities as We Enter 2021.

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Important Disclosures 

The information presented does not involve the rendering of personalized investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward looking statements, which do not reflect actual results, are valid as of the date of this communication and subject to change without notice. Information provided by third party sources are believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. The information herein represents the opinion of the author(s), but not necessarily those of VanEck.

This commentary is not intended as a recommendation to buy or to sell any of the sectors or securities mentioned herein. Holdings will vary for the MOAT ETF and its corresponding Index. For a complete list of holdings in the ETF, please click here: https://www.vaneck.com/etf/equity/moat/holdings/.

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. Certain indices may take into account withholding taxes. 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 was created and is maintained by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar, Inc. does not sponsor, endorse, issue, sell, or promote the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF and bears no liability with respect to that ETF or any security. Morningstar® is a registered trademark of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM is a service mark of Morningstar, Inc.

The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM consists of U.S. companies identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are attractively priced, according to Morningstar.

Effective June 20, 2016, Morningstar implemented several changes to the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index construction rules. Among other changes, the index increased its constituent count from 20 stocks to at least 40 stocks and modified its rebalance and reconstitution methodology. These changes may result in more diversified exposure, lower turnover and longer holding periods for index constituents than under the rules in effect prior to this date.

The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by Van Eck Associates Corporation. Copyright © 2021 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global, Inc., and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Redistribution or reproduction in whole or in part are prohibited without written permission of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. For more information on any of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC’s indices please visit www.spdji.com. S&P® is a registered trademark of S&P Global and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the ability of any index to accurately represent the asset class or market sector that it purports to represent and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of any index or the data included therein.

An investment in the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT®) may be subject to risks which include, among others, investing in equity securities, consumer discretionary, financials, health care, industrials and information technology sectors, medium-capitalization companies, market, operational, index tracking, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount risk and liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified, and concentration risks, which may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.

Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider a Fund's investment objective, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus for VanEck Funds and VanEck Vectors ETFs, which contain this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus for VanEck Funds and VanEck Vectors ETFs carefully before investing.

Important Disclosures 

The information presented does not involve the rendering of personalized investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward looking statements, which do not reflect actual results, are valid as of the date of this communication and subject to change without notice. Information provided by third party sources are believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. The information herein represents the opinion of the author(s), but not necessarily those of VanEck.

This commentary is not intended as a recommendation to buy or to sell any of the sectors or securities mentioned herein. Holdings will vary for the MOAT ETF and its corresponding Index. For a complete list of holdings in the ETF, please click here: https://www.vaneck.com/etf/equity/moat/holdings/.

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. Certain indices may take into account withholding taxes. 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 was created and is maintained by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar, Inc. does not sponsor, endorse, issue, sell, or promote the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF and bears no liability with respect to that ETF or any security. Morningstar® is a registered trademark of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM is a service mark of Morningstar, Inc.

The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM consists of U.S. companies identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are attractively priced, according to Morningstar.

Effective June 20, 2016, Morningstar implemented several changes to the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index construction rules. Among other changes, the index increased its constituent count from 20 stocks to at least 40 stocks and modified its rebalance and reconstitution methodology. These changes may result in more diversified exposure, lower turnover and longer holding periods for index constituents than under the rules in effect prior to this date.

The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by Van Eck Associates Corporation. Copyright © 2021 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global, Inc., and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Redistribution or reproduction in whole or in part are prohibited without written permission of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. For more information on any of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC’s indices please visit www.spdji.com. S&P® is a registered trademark of S&P Global and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the ability of any index to accurately represent the asset class or market sector that it purports to represent and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of any index or the data included therein.

An investment in the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT®) may be subject to risks which include, among others, investing in equity securities, consumer discretionary, financials, health care, industrials and information technology sectors, medium-capitalization companies, market, operational, index tracking, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount risk and liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified, and concentration risks, which may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.

Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider a Fund's investment objective, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus for VanEck Funds and VanEck Vectors ETFs, which contain this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus for VanEck Funds and VanEck Vectors ETFs carefully before investing.