N-CSR 1 specializedfinal.htm NCSR FORM

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM N-CSR

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT

OF

REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

Investment Company Act file number:

811-3916

 

Name of Registrant:

Vanguard Specialized Funds

 

Address of Registrant:

P.O. Box 2600

 

Valley Forge, PA 19482

 

Name and address of agent for service:

Heidi Stam, Esquire

 

P.O. Box 876

 

Valley Forge, PA 19482

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(610) 669-1000

 

Date of fiscal year end:

January 31

 

Date of reporting period:

February 1, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

Item 1:

Reports to Shareholders

 

 


 

 

Vanguard® Energy Fund

 

 

> Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

The Investor Shares of Vanguard Energy Fund posted a modest 2.2% return for

 

the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007.

 

>

While the fund’s result fell short of that of its benchmark, it surpassed the

 

average gain of peer funds.

 

>

The fund’s integrated oil holdings generally fared well; many of the fund’s

 

equipment, drilling, and refining businesses, which are highly sensitive to

 

changes in energy prices, suffered losses.

 

 

 

 

 

See page 28 for a Notice to Shareholders concerning the fund’s investment advisors.

 

 

 

Contents

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Total Returns

1

Chairman’s Letter

2

Advisors’ Report

7

Fund Profile

10

Performance Summary

11

Financial Statements

13

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

25

About Your Fund’s Expenses

26

Notice to Shareholders

28

Glossary

31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the cover of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

Your Fund’s Total Returns

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

Total

 

Returns

Vanguard Energy Fund

 

Investor Shares

2.2%

Admiral™ Shares1

2.3

S&P Energy Sector Index

4.3

Average Natural Resources Fund2

0.8

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.1

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions Per Share

 

Starting

Ending

Income

Capital

 

Share Price

Share Price

Dividends

Gains

Vanguard Energy Fund

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$64.50

$63.55

$1.020

$1.447

Admiral Shares

121.13

119.35

2.000

2.717

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

A lower-cost class of shares available to many longtime shareholders and to those with significant investments in the fund.

2

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

1

 


 

Chairman’s Letter

 

Dear Shareholder,

After a few years of outsized gains, the Investor Shares of Vanguard Energy Fund posted a much more modest return of 2.2% for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. The fund’s Admiral Shares returned 2.3%.

The fund’s performance reflected the unusual oil-price volatility produced by tension in the Middle East, atypical weather patterns, and an uncertain economic outlook. While the fund’s return fell short of that of its benchmark—the S&P Energy Sector Index—it surpassed the average return of peer funds.

If you invest in the Energy Fund through a taxable account, you may wish to review the fund’s after-tax performance on page 25.

Domestic equity markets did well; markets abroad did even better

In the first half of the fiscal year, returns from large-capitalization stocks were virtually flat, while those of small-caps lost some ground. In the second six months, both large and small stocks rebounded, with small-caps faring slightly better. For the 12 months, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%. Despite the weakness in the housing sector, the economy showed remarkable resilience, and corporate profits rose at a fast clip.

Across market capitalizations, value-oriented stocks outpaced their growth-oriented counterparts. International stocks continued to outperform U.S. stocks, as overseas

 

 

 

2

markets—especially European and emerging markets—produced stellar returns. For U.S.-based investors, the dollar’s weakness further enhanced the results of international stocks.

Bond returns were modest as the Fed put rate hikes on hold

In the first six months of the fiscal year, the Federal Reserve Board continued its campaign to keep inflation in check, raising its target for the key federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point on three occasions (in addition to a 0.25-percentage-point increase the day before the fiscal year began). Then, at its August meeting, the Fed left the target rate unchanged at 5.25%, where it remained through the end of the fiscal period, as inflation fears diminished.

 

Following the Fed’s pause, the prices of longer-maturity bonds rose faster than those of short-term bonds, reducing their yields more dramatically. Throughout the maturity spectrum, the “yield spread,” or the difference between yields of corporate securities and those of U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturities, became even tighter. Bonds produced coupon-like returns for the period, with the broad taxable bond market returning 4.3%. Corporate bonds generally outperformed U.S. government issues. The Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index, a proxy for money market yields, returned 4.9%.

 

Market Barometer

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Stocks

 

 

 

Russell 1000 Index (Large-caps)

14.5%

11.0%

7.5%

Russell 2000 Index (Small-caps)

10.4

12.6

12.0

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index (Entire market)

14.1

11.5

8.4

MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (International)

19.3

21.3

18.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonds

 

 

 

Lehman Aggregate Bond Index (Broad taxable market)

4.3%

3.4%

4.9%

Lehman Municipal Bond Index

4.3

4.0

5.1

Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index

4.9

3.1

2.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPI

 

 

 

Consumer Price Index

2.1%

3.0%

2.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Muted gains for the fund in a challenging period

Vanguard Energy Fund produced modest gains during the fiscal year, a difficult period for energy investors. Over the 12 months, oil prices were volatile. They began the period in the mid-$60s, leapt above $75 per barrel in July, then dropped to near $50 in mid-January.

Natural gas prices generally moved lower throughout the period, thanks to mild weather and increased drilling and storage capacity. In addition, a quiet hurricane season averted the kind of shocks that roiled domestic energy markets after the devastation of the Gulf Coast in 2005.

 

The fund’s integrated oil & gas holdings, which represented almost half of its assets on average, were a mixed bag in terms of performance. The fund earned strong returns from integrated giants such as ExxonMobil and Chevron. Because these huge companies are active in several areas—they produce, refine, and market oil—their businesses are less sensitive to movements in oil prices and investors’ concerns about the effects of an economic slowdown on the energy sector. However, the fund was less successful with smaller, international, and generally less diversified companies such as PetroCanada and Sasol.

 

Expense Ratios1

 

 

 

Your fund compared with its peer group

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Natural

 

Investor

Admiral

Resources

 

Shares

Shares

Fund

Energy Fund

0.25%

0.18%

1.44%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Fund expense ratio reflects the 12 months ended January 31, 2007. Peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper Inc. and captures information through year-end 2006.

 

 

 

 

4

 

Companies involved in exploration and production, as well as those that provide services and equipment to oil and gas producers, turned in disappointing results for the period. These companies are much more vulnerable to perceived changes in global economic growth and energy demand than are the large integrated companies.

Several of the fund’s exploration companies—particularly Canadian Natural Resources, EOG Resources, and Western Oil Sands—suffered sizable losses. Among services companies, Halliburton was hurt by the loss of a multibillion-dollar contract to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide. Oil refiners also had a difficult period; shares of Sunoco, the largest refiner in the northeastern United States, declined as a result of falling crude prices and warm weather.

 

Your fund benefits from the talents and experience of two investment managers—Wellington Management Company and Vanguard Quantitative Equity Group—that use distinct, but complementary, investment approaches. For more about the advisors’ strategies and the fund’s performance and holdings, see the Advisors’ Report, which begins on page 7.

The fund’s long-term record shows its strengths

Although the Energy Fund’s return was more modest than it has been over the past few years, the fund’s long-term results reveal its superb track record. As the table below shows, the 15.9% average annual return for the fund’s Investor Shares is well above the result

 

Total Returns

 

 

Ten Years Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Average

Final Value of a $25,000

 

Annual Return

Initial Investment

Energy Fund Investor Shares

15.9%

$109,139

S&P Energy Sector Index

13.3

87,499

Average Natural Resources Fund1

11.5

74,225

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

8.3

55,587

The figures shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

 

 

 

1

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc. for the sector index, the average return for competing funds, and the return for the broad stock market.

5

 

A hypothetical initial investment of $25,000 in the fund would have appreciated to $109,139 over the decade ended January 31. If compounded at the average return of peer funds, the same initial investment would be worth less than $75,000. It’s also nearly twice the final value of a hypothetical investment in the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

Keep perspective on the fund’s role within your portfolio

After the Energy Fund’s stellar 63% return in its previous fiscal year, its more down-to-earth showing during the recent period may appear underwhelming. However, that contrast provides a valuable reminder of the risks investors face in this sector, which may be affected by, among other things, the weather, political turmoil, and global economic conditions.

The fund’s potential for short-term volatility illustrates the importance of understanding its role within your portfolio. If you already have a carefully assembled foundation of stocks, bonds, and cash investments tailored to your investing goals and comfort level, this fund can serve to diversify your portfolio, giving it meaningful exposure to a sector that may perform independently of other market groups.

 

While a modest commitment of assets to a sector fund is certainly reasonable, Vanguard discourages investors from chasing performance. All too often, cash flows into the hot sector of the moment, and when the sector cools, the cash flows right out again. That’s why we set a high initial investment amount for the fund and impose a 1% redemption fee on shares held for less than one year.

Thank you for your continuing confidence in Vanguard.

Sincerely,


John J. Brennan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

February 14, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

Advisors’ Report

 

During the 12 months ended January 31, the Investor Shares of Vanguard Energy Fund returned 2.2% and the Admiral Shares 2.3%. The performance reflected the combined efforts of your fund’s two advisors. The use of multiple advisors enhances the fund’s diversification by providing exposure to distinct, yet complementary, investment approaches.

The advisors, the percentage of fund assets each manages, and brief descriptions of their investment strategies are presented in the table below. Each advisor has also provided a discussion of the investment environment that existed during the fiscal year and of how portfolio positioning reflects this assessment.

 

Wellington Management Company, LLP

 

Portfolio Manager:

Karl E. Bandtel, Senior Vice President

 

The environment for energy investing was positive over the last 12 months. Historically high prices dented consumption somewhat, but demand growth remained relatively strong for much of the period. Toward the end of the fiscal year, oil prices declined as a result of mild winter weather globally. Natural gas prices also dropped, responding to both a temperate winter in the United States and a supply surplus. Natural gas inventories continue to exceed the five-year average.

 

Vanguard Energy Fund Investment Advisors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fund Assets Managed

 

Investment Advisor

 

%

$ Million

Investment Strategy

Wellington Management

90

9,075

Emphasizes long-term total-return opportunities

Company, LLP

 

 

from the various energy subsectors: international

 

 

 

oils, foreign integrated oils and foreign producers,

 

 

 

North American producers, oil services and

 

 

 

equipment, transportation and distribution, and

Vanguard Quantitative Equity Group

10

1,016

refining and marketing. Conducts quantitative

 

 

 

portfolio management using models that assess

 

 

 

valuation, marketplace sentiment, and balance-

 

 

 

sheet characteristics of companies compared with

 

 

 

their peers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

Pressure on oil and gas prices could continue. However, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) approved production cuts in late 2006. Reduced output represents an attempt to sustain prices near current levels. Despite these efforts, the price of crude oil fell in January.

Even though oil and gas markets have loosened up somewhat, the challenge of increasing supply over the long run remains. In this environment, we favor companies that have direct access to productive capacity and that are run by management teams that demonstrate an ability to develop resources.

Our purchases over the fiscal year were driven by relative value and growth opportunities. New names included CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation) and Woodside Petroleum. We also added to existing positions in Occidental Petroleum and Weatherford International.

We eliminated holdings in Repsol and Surgutneftegaz—the former because it reached our price target and the latter because of concerns about the company’s corporate governance. We also reduced our existing positions in Peabody Energy, Chevron, and Shell Canada.

 

Vanguard Quantitative Equity Group

 

Portfolio Manager:

James D. Troyer, CFA, Principal

 

Our quantitative investment process evaluates a security’s attractiveness on three dimensions: valuation, sentiment, and balance-sheet characteristics. Our experience is that each of our underlying models performs well over long time frames, but that their effectiveness varies over shorter periods. Over the past year, all three components of our model enjoyed considerable success, with valuation leading the way.

A key characteristic of our strategy is that we do not maintain a “view” on the overall market for energy shares that is reflected in our portfolio. Our goal is positive performance relative to a benchmark, regardless of the overall direction of that benchmark. We apply a rigorous risk-control process to neutralize unintended exposure to market capitalization, volatility, and industry risks beyond those of the benchmark; such differences are “bets” that we feel do not add value over the long term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

By diversifying our model among several uncorrelated components, we further reduce the excess-return volatility that our portfolio can experience versus the benchmark. The result is a portfolio that makes many small bets on individual stocks and attempts to capture the market’s tendency to over- or underreact to new information.

 

During the fiscal year, energy stocks in Norway, China, and Argentina did particularly well. Norsk Hydro, Petroleum Geo-Services, China Petroleum & Chemical, and Tenaris were all successful holdings in our portfolio. Our model picked the South African company Sasol and the Australian firm Santos, both of which were poor performers for the year, but our tight risk control limited the negative effects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

Fund Profile

As of January 31, 2007

 

Portfolio Characteristics

 

 

 

Comparative

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Number of Stocks

98

33

4,939

Median Market Cap

$39.8B

$109.6B

$30.8B

Price/Earnings Ratio

9.4x

10.3x

17.9x

Price/Book Ratio

2.7x

2.7x

2.8x

Yield

 

1.6%

1.7%

Investor Shares

1.6%

 

 

Admiral Shares

1.7%

 

 

Return on Equity

22.4%

22.2%

17.8%

Earnings Growth Rate

35.6%

39.4%

18.5%

Foreign Holdings

42.8%

0.0%

1.1%

Turnover Rate

22%

Expense Ratio

 

Investor Shares

0.25%

 

 

Admiral Shares

0.18%

 

 

Short-Term Reserves3

5%

 

 

Sector Diversification4 (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

Coal & Consumable Fuels

2%

Integrated Oil & Gas

50

Materials

3

Oil & Gas Drilling

5

Oil & Gas Equipment & Services

10

Oil & Gas Exploration & Production

18

Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

4

Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation

1

Utilities

1

Other

1

Short-Term Reserves3

5%

 

Volatility Measures5

 

 

Fund Versus

Fund Versus

 

Comparative Index1

Broad Index2

R-Squared

0.92

0.17

Beta

0.93

0.99

 

Ten Largest Holdings6(% of total net assets)

 

 

 

ExxonMobil Corp.

6.7%

Chevron Corp.

4.9

Total SA

4.2

ConocoPhillips Co.

4.1

Royal Dutch Shell PLC

3.8

Schlumberger Ltd.

3.1

Valero Energy Corp.

3.0

BHP Billiton Ltd. ADR

3.0

ENI SpA

2.9

BP PLC

2.8

Top Ten

38.5%

 

Market Diversification (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

United States

52%

Canada

10

United Kingdom

9

France

4

Australia

4

Norway

4

Italy

3

Russia

3

Brazil

2

China

1

Netherlands

1

South Africa

1

Other

1

Short-Term Reserves3

5%

 

 

Investment Focus

 


 

 

1

S&P Energy Sector Index.

2

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

3

Short-term reserves exclude futures and currency contracts held by the fund.

4

Sector percentages combine U.S. and international holdings.

5

For an explanation of R-squared, beta, and other terms used here, see the Glossary on page 31.

6

“Ten Largest Holdings” excludes any temporary cash investments and equity index products.

 

10

 

Performance Summary

 

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

 

Cumulative Performance: January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

Initial Investment of $25,000


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

Final Value

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

of a $25,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investment

Energy Fund Investor Shares1

2.24%

25.85%

15.88%

$109,139

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

8.35

8.32

55,587

S&P Energy Sector Index

4.28

18.49

13.35

87,499

Average Natural Resources Fund2

0.77

22.10

11.50

74,225

 

 

 

 

 

Final Value

 

 

 

Since

of a $100,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Inception3

Investment

Energy Fund Admiral Shares1

2.32%

25.93%

24.85%

$318,508

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

8.35

8.60

153,780

S&P Energy Sector Index

4.28

18.49

17.37

230,709

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

2

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

3

Performance for the fund and its comparative standards is calculated since share class inception: November 12, 2001.

 

11

 

Fiscal-Year Total Returns (%): January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007


 

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended December 31, 2006

This table presents average annual total returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

 

Inception Date

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investor Shares1

5/23/1984

19.66%

25.75%

16.53%

Admiral Shares1

11/12/2001

19.75

25.82

25.722

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% redemption fee assessed on redemptions of shares held less than one year.

2

Return since inception.

Note: See Financial Highlights tables on pages 18 and 19 for dividend and capital gains information.

 

 

 

12

 

Financial Statements

 

Statement of Net Assets

As of January 31, 2007

 

The fund provides a complete list of its holdings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Common Stocks (93.5%)1

 

 

United States (50.7%)

 

 

Energy Equipment & Services (14.2%)

 

 

Oil & Gas Drilling (5.1%)

 

 

*

Transocean Inc.

2,857,000

221,046

 

GlobalSantaFe Corp.

3,114,400

180,666

*

Nabors Industries, Inc.

2,305,000

69,795

 

ENSCO International, Inc.

241,400

12,280

 

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.

400,300

10,740

 

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.

265,756

6,418

 

Noble Corp.

80,600

6,041

*

Pride International, Inc.

137,100

3,950

 

Rowan Cos., Inc.

110,300

3,628

 

 

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Equipment & Services (9.1%)

 

 

Schlumberger Ltd.

4,975,800

315,914

*

Weatherford International Ltd.

6,243,300

252,104

 

Baker Hughes, Inc.

2,533,100

174,860

 

Halliburton Co.

5,277,500

155,897

 

BJ Services Co.

425,900

11,780

*

SEACOR Holdings Inc.

54,300

5,497

 

 

 

1,430,616

Gas Utilities (1.2%)

 

 

 

Equitable Resources, Inc.

2,688,800

116,291

 

 

 

 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels (35.3%)

 

 

Coal & Consumable Fuels (2.4%)

 

 

CONSOL Energy, Inc.

4,190,200

144,269

 

Peabody Energy Corp.

2,641,800

107,865

 

 

 

 

 

Integrated Oil & Gas (20.9%)

 

 

ExxonMobil Corp.

9,105,400

674,710

 

Chevron Corp.

6,738,028

491,067

 

ConocoPhillips Co.

6,237,618

414,240

 

Marathon Oil Corp.

2,321,600

209,733

 

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

4,360,000

202,130

 

Hess Corp.

2,083,500

112,488

 

13

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

 

Oil & Gas Exploration & Production (7.3%)

 

Noble Energy, Inc.

2,859,000

152,699

 

EOG Resources, Inc.

2,008,703

138,862

 

Devon Energy Corp.

1,764,300

123,660

 

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.

1,431,300

92,834

 

XTO Energy, Inc.

1,519,800

76,704

*

Newfield Exploration Co.

1,708,800

73,154

 

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

373,100

16,323

 

Chesapeake Energy Corp.

481,900

14,269

 

Apache Corp.

153,400

11,194

 

Cimarex Energy Co.

284,300

10,656

 

St. Mary Land &

 

 

 

Exploration Co.

271,700

9,778

*

Forest Oil Corp.

304,400

9,716

*

Denbury Resources, Inc.

118,299

3,277

 

 

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing (4.1%)

 

 

Valero Energy Corp.

5,582,644

303,026

 

Sunoco, Inc.

1,627,100

102,719

 

Tesoro Petroleum Corp.

152,900

12,597

 

 

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation (0.6%)

 

Williams Cos., Inc.

1,864,200

50,315

 

El Paso Corp.

535,000

8,303

 

 

 

3,566,588

Exchange Traded Funds (0.0%)

 

2

Vanguard Energy ETF

25,000

2,102

 

Energy Select Sector

 

 

 

SPDR Fund

6,400

372

 

 

 

2,474

Total United States

 

5,115,969

International (42.8%)

 

 

Argentina (0.1%)

 

 

 

Tenaris SA ADR

185,200

8,791

*

Petrobras Energia

 

 

 

Participaciones SA ADR

370,839

4,246

 

 

 

13,037

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Australia (4.0%)

 

 

 

BHP Billiton Ltd. ADR

7,265,500

297,813

 

Woodside Petroleum Ltd. ADR

3,144,300

92,442

 

Santos Ltd.

1,410,245

10,231

 

 

 

400,486

Brazil (2.2%)

 

 

 

Petroleo Brasileiro ADR

2,018,100

198,339

 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA Pfd.

582,700

12,851

 

Petroleo Brasileiro SA

413,600

10,120

 

 

 

221,310

Canada (10.5%)

 

 

 

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (New York Shares)

4,391,300

219,653

 

Suncor Energy, Inc. (New York Shares)

2,568,500

190,968

 

EnCana Corp. (New York Shares)

3,056,000

146,780

 

Petro Canada (New York Shares)

3,147,200

122,300

 

Canadian Oil Sands Trust

4,221,175

107,532

 

Talisman Energy, Inc.

5,745,858

100,908

*

Western Oil Sands Inc.

3,715,635

99,785

 

EnCana Corp.

401,500

19,201

*

Petro–Canada

409,600

15,882

 

Suncor Energy, Inc.

168,500

12,448

 

Imperial Oil Ltd.

250,500

8,809

 

Shell Canada Ltd. Class A

226,000

8,667

 

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

110,300

5,498

 

TransCanada Corp.

46,200

1,528

*

Nexen Inc.

21,600

1,300

*

Cameco Corp.

14,700

558

 

 

 

1,061,817

China (1.3%)

 

 

 

China Petroleum and

 

 

 

Chemical Corp. ADR

1,068,500

89,380

 

PetroChina Co. Ltd.

13,508,000

16,637

 

China Petroleum &Chemical Corp.

16,168,000

13,500

 

Yanzhou Coal Mining Co.Ltd. H Shares

10,533,800

9,768

 

 

 

129,285

Denmark (0.0%)

 

 

 

D/S Torm A/S

40,750

2,605

 

 

 

 

France (4.3%)

 

 

 

Total SA ADR

5,752,400

391,451

 

Total SA

495,911

33,607

 

Technip SA

173,958

11,158

 

 

 

436,216

Hong Kong (0.3%)

 

 

 

CNOOC Ltd. ADR

289,800

24,856

 

CNOOC Ltd.

5,565,600

4,750

 

 

 

29,606

 

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

 

Value

 

 

 

Shares

($000)

India (0.1%)

 

 

 

* 3 Oil & Natural Gas Corp., Ltd.

 

 

Warrants Exp. 7/14/08

 

351,450

7,253

 

 

 

 

 

Italy (2.9%)

 

 

 

 

ENI SpA ADR

 

4,076,750

262,828

 

ENI SpA

 

955,273

30,697

 

 

 

 

293,525

Netherlands (0.7%)

 

 

 

 

Fugro NV

 

1,420,607

67,373

 

 

 

 

 

Norway (3.8%)

 

 

 

 

Norsk Hydro AS ADR

 

5,871,500

189,649

 

Statoil ASA ADR

 

6,201,900

166,583

 

Norsk Hydro ASA

 

334,200

10,847

*

Petroleum Geo-Services ASA

 

431,800

10,115

 

Statoil ASA

 

325,665

8,717

 

 

 

 

385,911

Russia (2.6%)

 

 

 

 

Lukoil ADR

 

1,950,700

155,308

*

OAO Gazprom-Sponsored ADR

 

2,588,322

112,071

 

 

 

 

267,379

South Africa (0.7%)

 

 

 

 

Sasol Ltd. Sponsored ADR

 

1,798,600

61,260

 

Sasol Ltd.

 

144,200

4,892

 

 

 

 

66,152

Spain (0.2%)

 

 

 

 

Repsol YPF SA

 

447,715

14,724

 

 

 

 

 

United Kingdom (9.1%)

 

 

 

 

BG Group PLC

 

19,976,205

262,938

 

BP PLC ADR

 

3,878,800

246,343

 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC ADR Class A

 

2,611,500

178,235

 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC ADR Class B

 

2,398,426

162,397

 

BP PLC

 

3,217,615

33,906

 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC Class A

 

576,071

19,370

 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC Class B

 

457,239

15,307

 

Royal Dutch Shell PLC Class A (Amsterdam Shares)

 

117,600

3,976

 

 

 

 

922,472

Total International

 

 

4,319,151

Total Common Stocks

 

 

 

(Cost $4,785,682)

 

 

9,435,120

 

 

 

14

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Temporary Cash Investments (5.9%)1

 

Money Market Fund (1.0%)

 

 

4

Vanguard Market Liquidity

 

 

Fund, 5.272%

107,406,962

107,407

 

 

 

 

 

 

Face

 

 

 

Amount

 

 

 

($000)

 

U.S. Agency Obligation (0.1%)

 

5

Federal Home Loan Bank

 

 

6

5.207%, 4/4/07

9,500

9,416

Repurchase Agreement (4.8%)

 

 

Deutsche Bank, 5.270%,

 

 

 

2/1/07 (Dated 1/31/07,

 

 

 

Repurchase Value $482,771,000

 

 

collateralized by Federal

 

 

 

Home Loan Mortgage Corp.,

 

 

4.000%–6.500%, 2/1/20–10/1/36

 

 

and Government National

 

 

 

Mortgage Assn., 7.000%,

 

 

 

12/20/33)

482,700

482,700

Total Temporary Cash Investments

 

(Cost $599,523)

 

599,523

Total Investments (99.4%)

 

 

(Cost $5,385,205)

 

10,034,643

Other Assets and Liabilities (0.6%)

 

Other Assets—Note C

 

113,180

Liabilities

 

(57,202)

 

 

 

55,978

Net Assets (100%)

 

10,090,621

 

At January 31, 2007, net assets consisted of:7

 

Amount

 

($000)

Paid in Capital

5,268,259

Overdistributed Net Investment Income

(6,604)

Accumulated Net Realized Gains

178,399

Unrealized Appreciation

 

Investment Securities

4,649,438

Futures Contracts

1,073

Foreign Currencies

56

Net Assets

10,090,621

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 101,954,180 outstanding $.001

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

6,478,969

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Investor Shares

$63.55

 

 

 

 

Admiral Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 30,261,313 outstanding $.001

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

3,611,652

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Admiral Shares

$119.35

 

 

 

 

 

See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.

*

Non-income-producing security.

1

The fund invests a portion of its cash reserves in equity markets through the use of index futures contracts. After giving effect to futures investments, the fund’s effective common stock and temporary cash investment positions represent 94.5% and 4.9%, respectively, of net assets. See Note D in Notes to Financial Statements.

2

Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the issuer is another member of The Vanguard Group.

3

Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such securities may be sold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At January 31, 2007, the value of this security represented 0.1% of net assets.

4

Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.

5

The issuer operates under a congressional charter; its securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government. If needed, access to additional funding from the U.S. Treasury (beyond the issuer’s line of credit) would require congressional action.

6

Securities with a value of $9,416,000 have been segregated as initial margin for open futures contracts.

7

See Note D in Notes to Financial Statements for the tax-basis components of net assets.

 

 

15

 

Statement of Operations

 

 

 

Year Ended

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

($000)

Investment Income

 

 

Income

 

 

Dividends1

 

160,124

Interest2

 

32,943

Security Lending

 

3,376

Total Income

 

196,443

Expenses

 

 

Investment Advisory Fees—Note B

 

5,691

The Vanguard Group—Note C

 

 

Management and Administrative

 

 

Investor Shares

 

10,814

Admiral Shares

 

3,619

Marketing and Distribution

 

 

Investor Shares

 

1,455

Admiral Shares

 

529

Custodian Fees

 

190

Auditing Fees

 

28

Shareholders’ Reports

 

 

Investor Shares

 

111

Admiral Shares

 

11

Trustees’ Fees and Expenses

 

12

Total Expenses

 

22,460

Net Investment Income

 

173,983

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

 

 

Investment Securities Sold

 

424,691

Futures Contracts

 

8,825

Foreign Currencies

 

(201)

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

 

433,315

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

Investment Securities

 

(449,841)

Futures Contracts

 

(1,166)

Foreign Currencies

 

50

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

(450,957)

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

156,341

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Dividends are net of foreign withholding taxes of $10,313,000.

2

Interest income from an affiliated company of the fund was $9,006,000.

 

16

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

($000)

($000)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

Operations

 

 

Net Investment Income

173,983

116,734

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

433,315

179,898

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

(450,957)

3,268,127

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

156,341

3,564,759

Distributions

 

 

Net Investment Income

 

 

Investor Shares

(101,187)

(72,401)

Admiral Shares

(58,057)

(33,730)

Realized Capital Gain1

 

 

Investor Shares

(143,716)

(103,770)

Admiral Shares

(78,820)

(41,708)

Total Distributions

(381,780)

(251,609)

Capital Share Transactions—Note F

 

 

Investor Shares

(88,347)

(705,544)

Admiral Shares

582,810

1,842,807

Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital Share Transactions

494,463

1,137,263

Total Increase (Decrease)

269,024

4,450,413

Net Assets

 

 

Beginning of Period

9,821,597

5,371,184

End of Period2

10,090,621

9,821,597

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Includes fiscal 2007 and 2006 short-term gain distributions totaling $6,548,000 and $3,116,000, respectively. Short-term gain distributions are treated as ordinary income dividends for tax purposes.

2

Net Assets–End of Period includes undistributed (overdistributed) net investment income of ($6,604,000) and ($4,667,000).

 

 

 

 

17

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

Energy Fund Investor Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$64.50

$40.85

$29.99

$22.85

$24.76

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

1.112

.813

.529

.435

.392

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments1

.405

24.606

11.052

7.839

(.349)

Total from Investment Operations

1.517

25.419

11.581

8.274

.043

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(1.020)

(.740)

(.524)

(.390)

(.360)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(1.447)

(1.029)

(.197)

(.744)

(1.593)

Total Distributions

(2.467)

(1.769)

(.721)

(1.134)

(1.953)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$63.55

$64.50

$40.85

$29.99

$22.85

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return2

2.24%

62.93%

38.90%

36.49%

–0.02%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$6,479

$6,733

$4,822

$2,434

$1,298

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.25%

0.28%

0.32%

0.38%

0.40%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

1.71%

1.57%

1.67%

1.79%

1.56%

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

22%

10%

1%

26%

23%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Includes increases from redemption fees of $.03, $.03, $.02, $.00, and $.01.

2

Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.

 

 

18

 

Energy Fund Admiral Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$121.13

$76.71

$56.30

$42.89

$46.48

 

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

2.180

1.561

1.034

.847

.758

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments1

.757

46.217

20.770

14.721

(.658)

 

Total from Investment Operations

2.937

47.778

21.804

15.568

.100

 

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(2.000)

(1.425)

(1.024)

(.760)

(.698)

 

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(2.717)

(1.933)

(.370)

(1.398)

(2.992)

 

Total Distributions

(4.717)

(3.358)

(1.394)

(2.158)

(3.690)

 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$119.35

$121.13

$76.71

$56.30

$42.89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return2

2.32%

63.00%

39.02%

36.58%

0.02%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$3,612

$3,088

$549

$208

$103

 

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.18%

0.22%

0.26%

0.32%

0.34%

 

Ratio of Net Investment Income to

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

1.78%

1.63%

1.70%

1.85%

1.59%

 

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

22%

10%

1%

26%

23%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Includes increases from redemption fees of $.05, $.03, $.03, $.01, and $.02.

2

Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

 

 

19

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

Vanguard Energy Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund files reports with the SEC under the company name Vanguard Specialized Funds. The fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers, which may subject it to investment risks not normally associated with investing in securities of United States corporations. The fund offers two classes of shares, Investor Shares and Admiral Shares. Investor Shares are available to any investor who meets the fund’s minimum purchase requirements. Admiral Shares are designed for investors who meet certain administrative, service, tenure, and account-size criteria.

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. mutual funds. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued at their fair values calculated according to procedures adopted by the board of trustees. These procedures include obtaining quotations from an independent pricing service, monitoring news to identify significant market- or security-specific events, and evaluating changes in the values of foreign market proxies (for example, ADRs, futures contracts, or exchange-traded funds), between the time the foreign markets close and the fund’s pricing time. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a fund to calculate its net asset value may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value. Temporary cash investments acquired over 60 days to maturity are valued using the latest bid prices or using valuations based on a matrix system (which considers such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, and ratings), both as furnished by independent pricing services. Other temporary cash investments are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.

2. Foreign Currency: Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates on the valuation date as employed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) in the calculation of its indexes. As part of the fund’s fair value procedures, exchange rates may be adjusted if they change significantly before the fund’s pricing time but after the time at which the MSCI rates are determined (generally 11:00 a.m. Eastern time).

Realized gains (losses) and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment securities include the effects of changes in exchange rates since the securities were purchased, combined with the effects of changes in security prices. Fluctuations in the value of other assets and liabilities resulting from changes in exchange rates are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gains (losses) until the asset or liability is settled in cash, when they are recorded as realized foreign currency gains (losses).

3. Futures Contracts: The fund uses index futures contracts to a limited extent, with the objective of maintaining full exposure to the stock market while maintaining liquidity. The fund may purchase or sell futures contracts to achieve a desired level of investment, whether to accommodate portfolio turnover or cash flows from capital share transactions. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are imperfect correlation between changes in market values of stocks held by the fund and the prices of futures contracts, and the possibility of an illiquid market.

 

20

 

Futures contracts are valued based upon their quoted daily settlement prices. The aggregate principal amounts of the contracts are not recorded in the Statement of Net Assets. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded in the Statement of Net Assets as an asset (liability) and in the Statement of Operations as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) until the contracts are closed, when they are recorded as realized futures gains (losses).

4. Repurchase Agreements: The fund may invest in repurchase agreements. Securities pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal; however, in the event of default or bankruptcy by the other party to the agreement, retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings.

5. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements.

6. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

7. Security Lending: The fund may lend its securities to qualified institutional borrowers to earn additional income. Security loans are required to be secured at all times by collateral at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Security lending income represents the income earned on investing cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan.

8. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold. Fees assessed on redemptions of capital shares are credited to paid-in capital.

Each class of shares has equal rights as to assets and earnings, except that each class separately bears certain class-specific expenses related to maintenance of shareholder accounts (included in Management and Administrative expenses) and shareholder reporting. Marketing and distribution expenses are allocated to each class of shares based on a method approved by the board of trustees. Income, other non-class-specific expenses, and gains and losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.

B. Wellington Management Company, LLP, provides investment advisory services to a portion of the fund for a fee calculated at an annual percentage rate of average net assets managed by the advisor.

The Vanguard Group provides investment advisory services to a portion of the fund on an at-cost basis; the fund paid Vanguard advisory fees of $448,000 for the year ended January 31, 2007.

For the year ended January 31, 2007, the aggregate investment advisory fee represented an effective annual rate of 0.06% of the fund’s average net assets.

C. The Vanguard Group furnishes at cost corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services. The costs of such services are allocated to the fund under methods approved by the board of trustees. The fund has committed to provide up to 0.40% of its net assets in capital

 

 

21

 

contributions to Vanguard. At January 31, 2007, the fund had contributed capital of $1,001,000 to Vanguard (included in Other Assets), representing 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 1.00% of Vanguard’s capitalization. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and officers of Vanguard.

D. Distributions are determined on a tax basis and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes. Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Differences in classification may also result from the treatment of short-term gains as ordinary income for tax purposes.

During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund realized net foreign currency losses of $201,000, which decreased distributable net income for tax purposes; accordingly, such losses have been reclassified from overdistributed net investment income to accumulated net realized gains. The fund used a tax accounting practice to treat a portion of the price of capital shares redeemed during the year as distributions from net investment income and realized capital gains. Accordingly, the fund has reclassified $16,475,000 from undistributed net investment income, and $40,265,000 from accumulated net realized gains, to paid-in capital.

For tax purposes, at January 31, 2007, the fund had $23,877,000 of ordinary income and $159,353,000 of long-term capital gains available for distribution.

At January 31, 2007, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $5,386,202,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $4,648,441,000, consisting of unrealized gains of $4,669,156,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $20,715,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase.

At January 31, 2007, the aggregate settlement value of open futures contracts expiring in March 2007 and the related unrealized appreciation (depreciation) were:

 

 

 

 

($000)

 

Number of

Aggregate

Unrealized

 

Long

Settlement

Appreciation

Futures Contracts

Contracts

Value

(Depreciation)

E-mini S&P 500 Index

800

57,720

588

S&P 500 Index

120

43,290

485

 

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on open futures contracts is required to be treated as realized gain (loss) for tax purposes.

E. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund purchased $2,332,973,000 of investment securities and sold $2,080,097,000 of investment securities other than temporary cash investments.

 

22

 

F. Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Amount

Shares

Amount

Shares

 

($000)

(000)

($000)

(000)

Investor Shares

 

 

 

 

Issued

1,793,137

28,223

2,361,160

44,701

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

235,334

3,595

169,002

3,051

Redeemed1

(2,116,818)

(34,259)

(3,235,706)

(61,397)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Investor Shares

(88,347)

(2,441)

(705,544)

(13,645)

Admiral Shares

 

 

 

 

Issued

1,261,595

10,675

2,119,452

21,056

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

124,702

1,014

68,893

653

Redeemed1

(803,487)

(6,921)

(345,538)

(3,374)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Admiral Shares

582,810

4,768

1,842,807

18,335

 

G. In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.” FIN 48 establishes the minimum threshold for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of tax-return positions in financial statements. FIN 48 will be effective for the fund’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Management is in the process of analyzing the fund’s tax positions for purposes of implementing FIN 48; based on the analysis completed to date, management does not believe the adoption of FIN 48 will result in any material impact to the fund’s financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Net of redemption fees of $3,975,000 and $3,440,000, respectively (fund totals).

 

 

 

 

 

 

23

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard Energy Fund:

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of net assets and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vanguard Energy Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Specialized Funds, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at January 31, 2007, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at January 31, 2007 by correspondence with the custodians and brokers and by agreement to the underlying ownership records for Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

March 13, 2007

 

 

 


Special 2006 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard Energy Fund

This information for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The fund distributed $254,116,000 as capital gains dividends (from net long-term capital gains) to shareholders during the fiscal year.

The fund distributed $129,202,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal year.

For corporate shareholders, 33.7% of investment income (dividend income plus short-term gains, if any) qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

 

 

24

 

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

 

This table presents returns for your fund both before and after taxes. The after-tax returns are shown in two ways: (1) assuming that an investor owned the fund during the entire period and paid taxes on the fund’s distributions, and (2) assuming that an investor paid taxes on the fund’s distributions and sold all shares at the end of each period.

Calculations are based on the highest individual federal income tax and capital gains tax rates in effect at the times of the distributions and the hypothetical sales. State and local taxes were not considered. After-tax returns reflect any qualified dividend income, using actual prior-year figures and estimates for 2007. (In the example, returns after the sale of fund shares may be higher than those assuming no sale. This occurs when the sale would have produced a capital loss. The calculation assumes that the investor received a tax deduction for the loss.)

The table shows returns for Investor Shares only; returns for other share classes will differ. Please note that your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. Also note that if you own the fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information does not apply to you. Such accounts are not subject to current taxes.

Finally, keep in mind that a fund’s performance—whether before or after taxes—does not guarantee future results.

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Energy Fund Investor Shares1

 

 

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

One

Five

Ten

 

Year

Years

Years

Returns Before Taxes

2.24%

25.85%

15.88%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

1.61

24.87

14.66

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

2.16

22.63

13.59

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held less than one year.

 

 

25

 

About Your Fund’s Expenses

 

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The table below illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

• Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

• Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Six Months Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

Beginning

Ending

Expenses

 

Account Value

Account Value

Paid During

Energy Fund

7/31/2006

1/31/2007

Period1

Based on Actual Fund Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$994.97

$1.21

Admiral Shares

1,000.00

995.31

0.85

Based on Hypothetical 5% Yearly Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,024.00

$1.22

Admiral Shares

1,000.00

1,024.35

0.87

 

 

 

1

These calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period are 0.24% for Investor Shares and 0.17% for Admiral Shares. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period.

 

26

 

Note that the expenses shown in the table on page 26 are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only; they do not include your fund’s low-balance fee or the 1% fee on redemptions of shares held for less than one year. These fees are fully described in the prospectus. If the fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate fund prospectus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27

 

Notice to Shareholders

 

The board of trustees of Vanguard Energy Fund has adopted a new asset-based advisory fee schedule for one of the fund’s advisors Wellington Management Company, LLP (Wellington Management) effective May 1, 2007. In addition, the board has added a performance adjustment to the fee arrangement with Wellington Management in order to further align the interests of the advisor and the fund’s shareholders. The performance adjustment will increase or decrease the asset-based fee proportionately with the investment performance of the fund’s assets managed by Wellington Management (the Wellington Management Portfolio). The new advisory fee arrangement for Wellington Management is expected to raise the fund’s expense ratio to 0.28% from 0.25% for Investor Shares and to 0.21% from 0.18% for Admiral Shares. For shareholders, such an increase represents an additional $3 in costs annually on a $10,000 investment. This change will not affect the fund’s investment objective, policies, or strategies. The Vanguard Group, Inc., also provides investment advisory services to the fund.

The fund’s trustees regularly evaluate its investment advisory arrangements, focusing on factors such as the advisor’s investment process, style consistency, and performance, as well as the composition and depth of the management and research teams. In deciding to adopt the new fee arrangement, the trustees considered the fund’s performance together with a wide range of information relating to Wellington Management, which has managed the fund since its inception in 1984.

The fund has entered into a new investment advisory agreement with Wellington Management to reflect the new fee arrangement; however, other terms of the existing agreement have not changed. Under the terms of the new agreement, the fund will pay Wellington Management a fee at the end of each fiscal quarter. The fee is calculated by applying an annual percentage rate to the average daily net assets of the Wellington Management Portfolio during the quarter. The quarterly payments to Wellington Management may be increased or decreased by applying the new performance adjustment. The adjustment will be based on the Wellington Management Portfolio’s cumulative total performance over a trailing 36-month period (subject to certain transition rules that will be in place until 36 months have elapsed from the date of the new agreement) as compared with that of a composite index over the same period. The composite index is weighted 50% in the S&P Citigroup BMI World Energy Index and 50% in the S&P Energy Equal Weighted Blend Index.

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, the total advisory fees paid by Vanguard Energy Fund were $5,691,000, or 0.06% of the fund’s average net assets. The Vanguard Group provides advisory services to the fund on an at-cost basis. Of the aggregate fees paid for that fiscal year, the investment advisory expenses incurred by Vanguard were $448,000 (representing an effective annual rate of less than 0.01%). If the new fee arrangement had been in place throughout the fiscal year, the advisory fees paid by the fund would have totaled $8,405,000, or 0.09% of the fund’s average net assets. The average advisory fee paid by funds in the Energy Fund’s Lipper peer group was 0.65% of assets as of December 31, 2006.

Board approval of the investment advisory agreement

Wellington Management is responsible for managing the investment and reinvestment of the Wellington Management Portfolio, which represents a portion of the Energy Fund’s assets. In managing these assets, Wellington Management is responsible for continuously reviewing, supervising, and administering the investment program. The advisor discharges its responsibilities subject to the supervision and oversight of the officers and trustees of the fund.

 

 

28

 

The fund’s trustees retained Wellington Management under the terms of an investment advisory agreement. The board’s decision to revise the current asset-based advisory fee schedule and add a performance adjustment schedule was based upon its most recent evaluation of the advisor’s investment staff, portfolio management process, and performance results. In considering whether to approve the new agreement, the board considered the following factors, among others:

The trustees considered the benefits to shareholders of continuing to retain Wellington Management as advisor to the fund, particularly in light of the nature, extent, and quality of services provided by Wellington Management. The board considered the quality of investment management to the fund over both the short and the long term and the organizational depth and stability of the firm. The trustees concluded that Wellington Management retains a portfolio management team that continues to execute a disciplined process of identifying attractive energy-related companies. The team has advised the fund since its inception in 1984, using a bottom-up approach in which stocks are selected based on the advisor’s estimates of fundamental investment value. Further, the board noted that the advisor’s process emphasizes company fundamentals, management track record, and security valuation. The board concluded that Wellington Management is a stable and financially sound organization. The board also concluded that Wellington Management has consistently managed the Energy Fund in accordance with its mandate.

The board decided that the fee schedule should be adjusted to reflect the fair market value of Wellington Management’s services and the firm’s need to maintain an expanded team to manage a large portfolio in this market segment. Under the new fee arrangement, Wellington Management could build on its organizational depth and stability and could enhance the portfolio management team by hiring and retaining top investment talent.

The trustees also considered the investment performance of the Wellington Management Portfolio compared with those of the fund’s peer group and a relevant market benchmark. The board concluded that short- and long-term performance has been very competitive, with the Wellington Management Portfolio outperforming both the peer group and the S&P Energy Sector Index over the last 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods.

The trustees considered the cost of services to be provided, including consideration of competitive fee rates and expense ratios, and the fact that, after the adjustment, the fund’s advisory fee is expected to remain significantly below the fees of most of its peers.

Further, the trustees considered the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as the fund grows, including a consideration of appropriate breakpoints in the fee schedule. By including asset-based breakpoints in Wellington Management’s fee schedule, the trustees ensure that, if the fund continues to grow, investors will benefit by realizing economies of scale in the form of a lower advisory fee ratio.

The trustees considered all of the circumstances and information provided by both Wellington Management and Vanguard regarding the performance of the Wellington Management Portfolio and the advisor, and concluded that approval of a new advisory fee schedule in the investment advisory agreement is in the best interest of the fund and its shareholders.

 

 

 

29

The advisory agreement will continue for a period of one year from its effective date and is renewable after that for successive one-year periods. The agreement will be reviewed annually by the fund’s trustees, a majority of whom are not “interested persons” of either the fund or Wellington Management as defined in federal securities laws.

Background information on Wellington Management

Wellington Management Company, LLP, a Massachusetts partnership with offices at 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109, is an investment firm that was founded in 1928. As of December 31, 2006, the firm managed approximately $575.5 billion in assets for a variety of clients, including mutual funds, institutions, and separate accounts. The managers primarily responsible for overseeing the fund’s investments are:

Karl E. Bandtel, Senior Vice President of Wellington Management. He has worked in investment management with Wellington Management since 1990 and has co-managed Wellington Management’s portion of the fund since 2005. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin.

James A. Bevilacqua, Senior Vice President of Wellington Management Company. He has worked in investment management with Wellington Management since 1994 and has co-managed Wellington Management’s portion of the fund since 2005. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Wellington Management is owned by its 99 active partners, all of whom are active members of the firm. The managing partners of the firm are Laurie A. Gabriel, Phillip H. Perelmuter, and Perry M. Traquina. Please note that the managing partners are not necessarily those with the largest economic interests in the firm.

 

 

 

 

 

30

Glossary

 

Beta. A measure of the magnitude of a fund’s past share-price fluctuations in relation to the ups and downs of a given market index. The index is assigned a beta of 1.00. Compared with a given index, a fund with a beta of 1.20 typically would have seen its share price rise or fall by 12% when the index rose or fell by 10%. A fund’s beta should be reviewed in conjunction with its R-squared (see definition below). The lower the R-squared, the less correlation there is between the fund and the index, and the less reliable beta is as an indicator of volatility.

Earnings Growth Rate. The average annual rate of growth in earnings over the past five years for the stocks now in a fund.

Expense Ratio. The percentage of a fund’s average net assets used to pay its annual administrative and advisory expenses. These expenses directly reduce returns to investors.

Foreign Holdings. The percentage of a fund represented by stocks or depositary receipts of companies based outside the United States.

Inception Date. The date on which the assets of a fund (or one of its share classes) are first invested in accordance with the fund’s investment objective. For funds with a subscription period, the inception date is the day after that period ends. Investment performance is measured from the inception date.

Median Market Cap. An indicator of the size of companies in which a fund invests; the midpoint of market capitalization (market price x shares outstanding) of a fund’s stocks, weighted by the proportion of the fund’s assets invested in each stock. Stocks representing half of the fund’s assets have market capitalizations above the median, and the rest are below it.

Price/Book Ratio. The share price of a stock divided by its net worth, or book value, per share. For a fund, the weighted average price/book ratio of the stocks it holds.

Price/Earnings Ratio. The ratio of a stock’s current price to its per-share earnings over the past year. For a fund, the weighted average P/E of the stocks it holds. P/E is an indicator of market expectations about corporate prospects; the higher the P/E, the greater the expectations for a company’s future growth.

R-Squared. A measure of how much of a fund’s past returns can be explained by the returns from the market in general, as measured by a given index. If a fund’s total returns were precisely synchronized with an index’s returns, its R-squared would be 1.00. If the fund’s returns bore no relationship to the index’s returns, its R-squared would be 0.

Return on Equity. The annual average rate of return generated by a company during the past five years for each dollar of shareholder’s equity (net income divided by shareholder’s equity). For a fund, the weighted average return on equity for the companies whose stocks it holds.

Short-Term Reserves. The percentage of a fund invested in highly liquid, short-term securities that can be readily converted to cash.

Turnover Rate. An indication of the fund’s trading activity. Funds with high turnover rates incur higher transaction costs and may be more likely to distribute capital gains (which may be taxable to investors). The turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, which have minimal impact on costs.

Yield. A snapshot of a fund’s income from interest and dividends. The yield, expressed as a percentage of the fund’s net asset value, is based on income earned over the past 30 days and is annualized, or projected forward for the coming year. The index yield is based on the current annualized rate of income provided by securities in the index.

 

 

31

The People Who Govern Your Fund

 

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them on an at-cost basis.

 

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals.

 

Our independent board members bring distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service to their task of working with Vanguard officers to establish the policies and oversee the activities of the funds. Among board members’ responsibilities are selecting investment advisors for the funds; monitoring fund operations, performance, and costs; reviewing contracts; nominating and selecting new trustees/directors; and electing Vanguard officers.

 

Each trustee serves a fund until its termination; or until the trustee’s retirement, resignation, or death; or otherwise as specified in the fund’s organizational documents. Any trustee may be removed at a shareholders’ meeting by a vote representing two-thirds of the net asset value of all shares of the fund together with shares of other Vanguard funds organized within the same trust. The table on these two pages shows information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482.

 

 

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Trustee

 

 

John J. Brennan1

 

Born 1954

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman of the Board, Chief

Trustee since May 1987;

Executive Officer, and Director/Trustee of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each

Chairman of the Board and

of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

Chief Executive Officer

 

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Charles D. Ellis

 

Born 1937

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Applecore Partners (pro bono ventures

Trustee since January 2001

in education); Senior Advisor to Greenwich Associates (international business strategy

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

consulting); Successor Trustee of Yale University; Overseer of the Stern School of Business

 

at New York University; Trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

 

 

Rajiv L. Gupta

 

Born 1945

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Trustee since December 20012

of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Board Member of the American Chemistry Council;

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Tyco International, Ltd. (diversified manufacturing and services) (since 2005);

 

Trustee of Drexel University and of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

 

 

Amy Gutmann

 

Born 1949

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: President of the University of

Trustee since June 2006

Pennsylvania since 2004; Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, Annenberg School

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

for Communication, and Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania

 

since 2004; Provost (2001–2004) and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the

 

University Center for Human Values (1990–2004), Princeton University; Director of Carnegie

 

Corporation of New York and of Philadelphia 2016 (since 2005) and of Schuylkill River

 

Development Corporation and Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (since 2004).

 

JoAnn Heffernan Heisen

 

Born 1950

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Corporate Vice President and Chief

Trustee since July 1998

Global Diversity Officer (since January 2006), Vice President and Chief Information

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Officer (1997–2005), and Member of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson

 

(pharmaceuticals/consumer products); Director of the University Medical Center at

 

Princeton and Women’s Research and Education Institute.

 

 

André F. Perold

 

Born 1952

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: George Gund Professor of Finance and

Trustee since December 2004

Banking, Harvard Business School (since 2000); Senior Associate Dean, Director of Faculty

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Recruiting, and Chair of Finance Faculty, Harvard Business School; Director and Chairman

 

of UNX, Inc. (equities trading firm) (since 2003); Director of registered investment

 

companies advised by Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and affiliates (1985–2004),

 

Genbel Securities Limited (South African financial services firm) (1999–2003), Gensec

 

Bank (1999–2003), Sanlam, Ltd. (South African insurance company) (2001–2003), and

 

Stockback, Inc. (credit card firm) (2000–2002).

 

 

Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.

 

Born 1941

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman, President, Chief Executive

Trustee since January 1993

Officer, and Director of NACCO Industries, Inc. (forklift trucks/housewares/ lignite);

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Goodrich Corporation (industrial products/aircraft systems and services).

 

 

J. Lawrence Wilson

 

Born 1936

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Retired Chairman and Chief Executive

Trustee since April 1985

Officer of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Director of Cummins Inc. (diesel engines),

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

MeadWestvaco Corp. (packaging products), and AmerisourceBergen Corp. (pharmaceutical

 

distribution); Trustee of Vanderbilt University and of Culver Educational Foundation.

 

 

Executive Officers1

 

 

 

Heidi Stam

 

Born 1956

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Managing Director of The Vanguard

Secretary since July 2005

Group, Inc., since 2006; General Counsel of The Vanguard Group since 2005; Secretary

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

of The Vanguard Group, and each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard

 

Group, since 2005; Principal of The Vanguard Group (1997-2006).

 

 

Thomas J. Higgins

 

Born 1957

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Principal of The Vanguard Group, Inc.;

Treasurer since July 1998

Treasurer of each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

Vanguard Senior Management Team

 

 

R. Gregory Barton

Kathleen C. Gubanich

Michael S. Miller

Mortimer J. Buckley

Paul A. Heller

Ralph K. Packard

James H. Gately

F. William McNabb, III

George U. Sauter

 

 

Founder

 

 

 

John C. Bogle

 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1974–1996

 

 

1 Officers of the funds are “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

2 December 2002 for Vanguard Equity Income Fund, Vanguard Growth Equity Fund, the Vanguard Municipal Bond Funds, and the Vanguard State Tax-Exempt Funds.

More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, available from The Vanguard Group.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

P.O. Box 2600

 

Valley Forge, PA 19482-2600

 

Connect with Vanguard™ > www.vanguard.com

 

 

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

Vanguard, Admiral, Connect with Vanguard, and the ship

 

logo are trademarks of The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

 

 

 

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

All other marks are the exclusive property of their

 

respective owners.

Text Telephone for the

 

Hearing Impaired > 800-952-3335

All comparative mutual fund data are from Lipper Inc.

 

or Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This material may be used in conjunction

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting

with the offering of shares of any Vanguard

guidelines by visiting our website, www.vanguard.com,

fund only if preceded or accompanied by

and searching for “proxy voting guidelines,” or by calling

the fund’s current prospectus.

Vanguard at 800-662-2739. They are also available from

 

the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may

 

obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for

 

securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30.

 

To get the report, visit either www.vanguard.com

 

or www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

You can review and copy information about your fund

 

at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.

 

To find out more about this public service, call the SEC

 

at 202-551-8090. Information about your fund is also

 

available on the SEC’s website, and you can receive

 

copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a

 

request in either of two ways: via e-mail addressed to

 

publicinfo@sec.gov or via regular mail addressed to the

 

Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange

 

Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2007 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

 

 

 

Q510 032007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Vanguard® Precious Metals

And Mining Fund

 

> Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, Vanguard Precious Metals and

 

Mining Fund returned 17.5%, well ahead of its index benchmark and the average

 

peer fund.

 

>

The broad U.S. stock market returned 14.1%, on the strength of a sustained rally

 

in the second half of the year.

 

>

Concentrated holdings in platinum mining and production firms contributed

 

significantly to the fund’s strong return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Total Returns

1

Chairman’s Letter

2

Advisor’s Report

7

Fund Profile

9

Performance Summary

10

Financial Statements

12

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

22

About Your Fund’s Expenses

23

Glossary

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the cover of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

Your Fund’s Total Returns

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

Total

 

Returns

Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund

17.5%

S&P/Citigroup Custom Metals and Mining Index

13.0

Average Gold-Oriented Fund1

9.6

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.1

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance:

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions Per Share

 

Starting

Ending    

Income

Capital

 

Share Price

Share Price    

Dividends

Gains

Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund

$27.08

$28.64    

$0.490

$2.537

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

 

 

 

1

 


 

Chairman’s Letter

 

Dear Shareholder,

Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund returned 17.5% during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. The fund outpaced its benchmark, the average return of gold-oriented funds, and the broad U.S. stock market. Prices of several metals and minerals climbed to record highs in the first half of the year, and then subsided amid concerns of slowing global economic growth.

Because of increased cash flows, the fund was closed to new investors on February 2, 2006, to ensure the advisor’s ability to manage the fund effectively. As of this writing, the fund remained closed. Existing shareholders are permitted to make additional share purchases in the fund.

Domestic equity markets did well; international markets did even better

In the first half of the fiscal year, returns from large-capitalization stocks were virtually flat, while those of small-caps lost some ground. In the second six months, both large and small stocks rebounded, with small-caps faring slightly better. For the 12 months, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%. Despite the weakness in the housing sector, the economy showed remarkable resilience, and corporate profits rose at a fast clip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Across market capitalizations, value-oriented stocks outpaced their growth-oriented counterparts. International stocks continued to outperform U.S. stocks, as overseas markets—especially European and emerging markets—provided stellar returns. For U.S.-based investors, the dollar’s weakness further enhanced the results of international stocks.

Bond returns were modest as the Fed put rate hikes on hold

In the first six months of the fiscal year, the Federal Reserve Board continued its campaign to keep inflation in check, raising its target for the key federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point on three occasions (in addition to a 0.25 percentage point increase the day before the fiscal year began). Then, at its August meeting, the Fed left the target rate unchanged at 5.25%, where it remained through the end of the fiscal period, as inflation fears diminished.

 

Following the Fed’s pause, the prices of longer-maturity bonds rose faster than those of short-term bonds, reducing their yields more dramatically. Throughout the maturity spectrum, the “yield spread,” or the difference between yields of corporate securities and those of U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturities, became even tighter. Bonds produced coupon-like returns for the period, with the broad taxable bond market returning 4.3%. Corporate bonds generally outperformed U.S. government issues. The Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index, a proxy for money market yields, returned 4.9%.

 

Market Barometer

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Stocks

 

 

 

Russell 1000 Index (Large-caps)

14.5%

11.0%

7.5%

Russell 2000 Index (Small-caps)

10.4

12.6

12.0

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index (Entire market)

14.1

11.5

8.4

MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (International)

19.3

21.3

18.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonds

 

 

 

Lehman Aggregate Bond Index (Broad taxable market)

4.3%

3.4%

4.9%

Lehman Municipal Bond Index

4.3

4.0

5.1

Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index

4.9

3.1

2.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPI

 

 

 

Consumer Price Index

2.1%

3.0%

2.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

The fund’s platinum stocks drove solid performance

It was a volatile year in the metals and mining sector, as global prices for many commodities soared early in the period. Gold and silver prices touched 25-year highs in May, and prices for other materials such as nickel and zinc reached record levels. The Precious Metals and Mining Fund, with its exposure to a diverse collection of minerals and metals, was well-positioned to take advantage of top-performing market segments while limiting the fallout when demand for some materials retreated from peak levels.

The fund is highly concentrated—it had only about 40 stocks at the end of the period. The top-ten holdings represented more than half of the fund’s assets, on average, during the year. Performance often hinges on a few key holdings or a slight tilting of the global supply/demand scale for a particular metal or mineral.

During the year, the fund benefited from its sizable holdings in platinum mining and production companies. Like prices for other materials represented in the fund, prices for platinum hit a high point in May, and then receded in the summer. But platinum prices spiked again in November; three platinum companies, which were among the fund’s largest holdings, posted returns of greater than 40%, and combined they generated more than half of the fund’s total return. Other pockets of strength in the fund included steel producers and agricultural chemical companies.

 

Total Returns

 

 

Ten Years Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Average

Final Value of a $10,000

 

Annual Return

Initial Investment

Precious Metals and Mining Fund

14.9%

$39,943

Spliced Precious Metals and Mining Index1

10.0

25,906

Average Gold-Oriented Fund2

8.3

22,290

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

8.3

22,235

The figures shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

1

S&P/Citigroup World Equity Gold Index through June 30, 2005; S&P/Citigroup Custom Metals and Mining Index thereafter.

2

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

Those investments made up for weaker-performing areas in the portfolio. The fund’s coal stocks decreased –15.3% during the year, and gold-related firms, which accounted for about 17% of the fund’s assets on average during the period, retreated –4.4%.

Over the long term, the fund has outpaced peers

Over the past decade, the Precious Metals and Mining Fund has produced an average annual return of 14.9%, outpacing the average return of gold-oriented funds, as well as the returns for its benchmark index and the broad U.S. market. A hypothetical initial investment of $10,000 in the fund ten years ago would have grown to $39,943 as of January 31. The fund’s impressive performance during that span is a credit to the careful research and skilled portfolio management of London-based M&G Investment Management, the fund’s advisor.

M&G’s task is aided by Vanguard’s low-cost structure, which enables a greater portion of the fund’s total return to go to shareholders. In addition, the fund’s investment mandate is broader than that of its benchmark and most of its peers, which place a greater emphasis on gold. This has helped M&G to achieve greater diversification within the sector and to reduce volatility in a historically volatile market segment.

 

Expense Ratios1

 

 

Your fund compared with its peer group

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

Gold-Oriented

 

Fund

Fund

Precious Metals and Mining Fund

0.35%

1.59%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Fund expense ratio reflects the 12 months ended January 31, 2007. Peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper Inc. and captures information through year-end 2006.

 

 

 

5

 

Don’t become dazzled by the fund’s fine performance

The Precious Metals and Mining Fund has now recorded positive double-digit returns for six consecutive fiscal years, a period in which it has handily outperformed the U.S. stock market. Since January 31, 2001, the fund has posted an average annual return of 32.5%; the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index returned an annualized 4.0% over the same time period.

As an investor in the fund, you’ve probably enjoyed its good times. But if you are a long-time shareholder, you may also remember some rough patches of double-digit negative returns.

Our message is simple: No matter how strong performance has been, investors should not fall in love with any one investment. As a small and very volatile segment of the global market, the stocks in the Precious Metals and Mining Fund have traced a bumpy path. Markets move in unpredictable cycles. Today’s top performers can lose their luster.

With that said, we remain confident that the fund, under the prudent stewardship of M&G Investment Management, can play a valuable role in diversifying a well-balanced investment portfolio.

Thank you for investing with Vanguard.

Sincerely,


John J. Brennan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

February 14, 2007

 

 

 

 

6

Advisor’s Report

The Precious Metals and Mining Fund returned 17.5% during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. The fund outperformed the 13.0% return of its benchmark index and the 9.6% average return of gold-oriented mutual funds.

The investment environment

The price of gold bullion continued to move sharply higher in early 2006, peaking at $711 per ounce in May, before declining to end the period at $640 per ounce. A wide range of other metals and minerals, from platinum to copper and nickel, also reached record levels in May, driven both by ongoing demand for raw materials from industrializing nations such as China and India, but also by pressure from speculative investors looking for higher-returning assets. In May, fears that rising U.S. interest rates would act as a constraint on global economic demand sent the price of many metals sharply lower, although most recovered to a significant degree by the end of the fiscal year. Gold equities were broadly flat over the period as a whole, with the sector’s larger stocks lagging their smaller, more speculative counterparts due to the perception of diminished growth.

The portfolio’s performance

Against this background, our substantial holdings in platinum shares proved highly beneficial, as investors began to appreciate the scarcity of supply contrasted with strongly growing demand, particularly from the automotive industry. United Kingdom platinum producer Lonmin and South African producers Anglo Platinum and Impala Platinum Holdings made very strong contributions. Outside the traditional precious metals arena, newly established positions in German potash miner K+S and Canadian potash miner Agrium added significant value. Both are benefiting from intensifying demand for fertilizers to increase land yields as global populations grow and arable land availability declines. Our shares in Canadian diversified miner Falconbridge continued to benefit as a bidding war between rivals Xstrata and Inco pushed the company’s share price significantly higher. French nickel producer Eramet also delivered strong returns as industr i al nickel demand outpaced a tightly controlled supply. Our lack of exposure to gold industry heavyweight Newmont Mining continued to prove beneficial as the company struggled to effectively combat higher costs in the face of falling production.

On the negative side, our holdings in North American gold producers Centerra Gold and Meridian Gold had an unfavorable impact on the fund’s returns as the gold sector struggled to achieve profitability in spite of the broadly positive pricing environment. Our exposure to U.S. coal groups Peabody Energy and Arch Coal proved detrimental after natural gas prices (which have a major influence on the price of coal) fell sharply in the second half of 2006. In spite of this challenging environment, these companies have continued to deliver robust earnings and have shown an encouraging restraint in

 

 

 

7

 

their supply response. There has also been a small but welcome response from the industry towards developing technologies to reduce carbon emissions. We continue to believe in the growing attraction of coal as a cost-efficient and less politically volatile source of power production than oil and natural gas.

The fund’s positioning

We increased the fund’s exposure to metals and minerals companies with healthy cash flows and positions in strategically important materials. We added to a recently established position in U.K. platinum group Johnson Matthey, which processes the metal for use in auto-catalysts, Canadian diamond miner Aber Diamond, which is diversifying into high-quality diamond retailing, and attractively valued U.K. diversified miner Rio Tinto. Within the precious metals sector, we added to selected holdings such as Centerra Gold and Impala Platinum.

We also established a number of new positions in the fund. Among them is U.S.-based Minerals Technologies, which has a technologically advanced process to supply calcium carbonate for various industrial uses. Also, we purchased additional shares of Northam Platinum, a mid-sized producer of platinum group metals in South Africa, which has seen significant operational improvements and has compelling expansion opportunities.

We sold holdings that had performed particularly well or where the fundamentals underpinning the company had deteriorated. We disposed of Brazilian iron ore producer Companhia Vale do Rio Doce following strong contributions to fund returns. We also exited our positions in Falconbridge and Inco after bid activity left their shares fully valued.

In spite of heightened volatility during the period, the investment environment for the fund remains supportive. The appetite for raw materials from both emerging and developed nations continues to be strong, while supply for selected metals and minerals remains tightly controlled as a result of ongoing consolidation in recent years. The decision to close the fund to new accounts at the start of February 2006 reflected a desire to preserve the fund’s ability to deliver performance. We strongly believe that this, and the decision to expand the fund’s remit to include a broader range of attractively valued mining companies, has been in the best interests of existing shareholders. Looking forward, we will continue to focus on companies holding world-class, low-cost assets that deliver returns regardless of the cycle.

 

Graham E. French, Portfolio Manager

 

M&G Investment Management Ltd.

 

February 16, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

Fund Profile

As of January 31, 2007

 

Portfolio Characteristics

 

 

 

Comparative

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Number of Stocks

41

294

4,939

Median Market Cap

$4.6B

$11.6B

$30.8B

Price/Earnings Ratio

22.2x

16.4x

17.9x

Price/Book Ratio

3.4x

3.4x

2.8x

Return on Equity

17.1%

14.5%

17.8%

Earnings Growth Rate

17.9%

26.8%

18.5%

Foreign Holdings

84.2%

0.0%

1.1%

Turnover Rate

24%

Expense Ratio

0.35%

Short-Term Reserves

2%

 

Market Diversification (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

United Kingdom

19%

South Africa

18

Canada

16

Australia

16

United States

16

France

7

Germany

4

Peru

2

Short-Term Reserves

2%

 

Volatility Measures3

 

 

Fund Versus

Fund Versus

 

Comparative Index1

Broad Index2

R-Squared

0.89

0.32

Beta

0.80

1.69

 

Ten Largest Holdings4 (% of total net assets)

 

 

Lonmin PLC

10.3%

Rio Tinto Ltd.

7.9

Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. ADR

7.9

Anglo Platinum Ltd. ADR

7.2

Aber Diamond Corp.

6.3

Johnson Matthey PLC

4.6

Centerra Gold Inc.

4.2

K+S AG

4.1

Eramet SLN

3.7

CONSOL Energy, Inc.

3.4

Top Ten

59.6%

 

1

S&P/Citigroup Custom Metals and Mining Index.

2

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

3

For an explanation of R-squared, beta, and other terms used here, see the Glossary on page 25.

4

“Ten Largest Holdings” excludes any temporary cash investments and equity index products.

 

9

 

Performance Summary

 

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

 

Cumulative Performance: January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

Initial Investment of $10,000


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

Final Value

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

of a $10,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investment

Precious Metals and Mining Fund1

17.48%

33.00%

14.85%

$39,943

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

8.35

8.32

22,235

Spliced Precious Metals and Mining Index2

13.03

25.77

9.99

25,906

Average Gold-Oriented Fund3

9.56

29.31

8.35

22,290

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

2

S&P/Citigroup World Equity Gold Index through June 30, 2005; S&P/Citigroup Custom Metals and Mining Index thereafter.

3

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

 

10

 

Fiscal-Year Total Returns (%): January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007


 

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended December 31, 2006

This table presents average annual total returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

 

Inception Date

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Precious Metals and Mining Fund2

5/23/1984

34.30%

34.72%

13.92%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

S&P/Citigroup World Equity Gold Index through June 30, 2005; S&P/Citigroup Custom Metals and Mining Index thereafter.

2

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% redemption fee assessed on redemptions of shares held less than one year. Note: See Financial Highlights table on page 16 for dividend and capital gains information.

 

 

11

 

Financial Statements

 

Statement of Net Assets

As of January 31, 2007

 

The fund provides a complete list of its holdings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Common Stocks (98.2%)

 

 

Australia (16.3%)

 

 

 

Rio Tinto Ltd.

2,950,000

177,106

 

Sims Group Ltd.

5,800,000

97,498

1

Iluka Resources Ltd.

17,150,000

83,373

 

CSR Ltd.

28,000,000

78,154

 

BlueScope Steel Ltd.

11,450,000

76,691

1

Centennial Coal Co., Ltd.

15,775,000

34,777

*

St. Barbara Ltd.

21,800,000

8,572

 

Consolidated Minerals Ltd.

2,500,000

4,500

*

Tanami Gold NL

18,170,000

1,773

*

Magnesium International Ltd.

1,678,671

130

 

 

 

562,574

Canada (16.4%)

 

 

1

Aber Diamond Corp.

5,650,000

217,068

* 1

Centerra Gold Inc.

12,865,000

143,974

 

Agrium, Inc.

2,850,000

98,388

 

Barrick Gold Corp.

3,200,000

94,395

 

First Quantum Minerals Ltd.

90,217

4,771

*

Claude Resources, Inc.

2,900,000

4,234

*

SouthernEra Diamonds, Inc.

7,022,900

1,845

 

 

 

564,675

France (6.9%)

 

 

 

Eramet SLN

776,773

126,937

^

Imerys SA

1,160,000

109,876

 

 

 

236,813

Germany (4.1%)

 

 

 

K+S AG

1,305,773

142,541

 

 

 

 

Papua New Guinea (0.0%)

 

 

*

Bougainville Copper Ltd.

2,000,000

1,225

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Peru (1.8%)

 

 

 

Compania de Minas

 

 

 

Buenaventura S.A.u. ADR

2,100,000

60,711

 

 

 

 

South Africa (17.9%)

 

 

 

Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. ADR

9,400,000

270,839

 

Anglo Platinum Ltd. ADR

1,977,400

248,906

 

Northam Platinum Ltd.

7,052,571

49,279

 

Gold Fields Ltd. ADR

2,425,000

40,958

 

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd.ADR

100,000

4,700

 

 

 

614,682

United Kingdom (19.3%)

 

 

 

Lonmin PLC

6,069,413

353,909

 

Johnson Matthey PLC

5,450,000

158,673

 

Rio Tinto PLC

1,775,000

95,453

*^

Peter Hambro Mining PLC

2,352,368

51,951

*

Kenmare Resources PLC

4,550,000

3,858

*

Zambezi Resources Ltd.

4,895,833

1,455

 

 

 

665,299

United States (15.5%)

 

 

 

CONSOL Energy, Inc.

3,430,000

118,095

 

Peabody Energy Corp.

2,700,000

110,241

*

Meridian Gold Inc.

3,200,000

93,504

 

FMC Corp.

1,125,000

87,581

1

Minerals Technologies, Inc.

1,190,659

69,142

 

Arch Coal, Inc.

1,200,000

35,664

 

AMCOL International Corp.

650,400

19,551

 

 

 

533,778

Total Common Stocks

 

 

(Cost $2,075,417)

 

3,382,298

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Precious Metals (0.1%)

 

 

* Platinum Bullion (In Ounces)

2,009

2,363

Total Precious Metals

 

 

(Cost $1,212)

 

2,363

Temporary Cash Investments (2.6%)

 

2 Vanguard Market

 

 

Liquidity Fund, 5.272%

71,776,164

71,776

2 Vanguard Market

 

 

Liquidity Fund,

 

 

5.272%—Note F

17,339,730

17,340

Total Temporary Cash Investments

 

(Cost $89,116)

 

89,116

Total Investments (100.9%)

 

 

(Cost $2,165,745)

 

3,473,777

Other Assets and Liabilities—Net (–0.9%)

(30,243)

Net Assets (100%)

 

 

Applicable to 120,237,076 outstanding

 

$.001 par value shares of beneficial

 

interest (unlimited authorization)

3,443,534

Net Asset Value Per Share

 

$28.64

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

Assets

 

 

Investments in Securities, at Value

$3,473,777

Receivables for Accrued Income

 

4,543

Receivables for Capital Shares Issued

2,441

Other Assets—Note C

 

16,085

Total Assets

 

3,496,846

Liabilities

 

 

Payables for Investment Securities

 

Purchased

 

19,017

Security Lending Collateral Payable

 

to Brokers—Note F

 

17,340

Payables for Capital Shares Redeemed

1,762

Other Liabilities

 

15,193

Total Liabilities

 

53,312

Net Assets

 

$3,443,534

 

At January 31, 2007, net assets consisted of:3

 

Amount

Per

 

($000)

Share

Paid-in Capital

2,124,486

$17.67

Overdistributed Net

 

 

Investment Income

(27,542)

(.23)

Accumulated Net

 

 

Realized Gains

38,500

.32

Unrealized Appreciation

 

 

Investment Securities

1,308,032

10.88

Foreign Currencies

58

Net Assets

3,443,534

$28.64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.

*

Non-income-producing security.

^

Part of security position is on loan to broker-dealers. See Note F in Notes to Financial Statements.

1

Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities of such company. See Note H in Notes to Financial Statements.

2

Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.

3

See Note D in Notes to Financial Statements for the tax-basis components of net assets.

ADR—American Depositary Receipt.

 

 

13

 

Statement of Operations

 

 

 

 

Year Ended

 

January 31, 2007

 

($000)

Investment Income

 

Income

 

Dividends1,2

70,298

Interest2

4,091

Security Lending

737

Total Income

75,126

Expenses

 

Investment Advisory Fees—Note B

 

Basic Fee

4,260

Performance Adjustment

181

The Vanguard Group—Note C

 

Management and Administrative

6,215

Marketing and Distribution

712

Custodian Fees

353

Auditing Fees

20

Shareholders’ Reports

79

Trustees’ Fees and Expenses

4

Total Expenses

11,824

Net Investment Income

63,302

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

 

Investment Securities Sold2

373,627

Foreign Currencies

(606)

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

373,021

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

Investment Securities

81,037

Foreign Currencies

53

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

81,090

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

517,413

 

 

 

 

 

1

Dividends are net of foreign withholding taxes of $2,340,000.

2

Dividend income, interest income, and realized net gain (loss) from affiliated companies of the fund were $8,274,000, $4,091,000, and $9,546, respectively.

 

 

14

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

($000)

($000)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

Operations

 

 

Net Investment Income

63,302

27,914

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

373,021

88,953

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

81,090

943,733

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

517,413

1,060,600

Distributions

 

 

Net Investment Income

(54,699)

(24,676)

Realized Capital Gain1

(284,886)

(57,268)

Total Distributions

(339,585)

(81,944)

Capital Share Transactions—Note G

 

 

Issued

585,297

1,591,746

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

314,309

75,974

Redeemed2

(930,593)

(270,841)

Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital Share Transactions

(30,987)

1,396,879

Total Increase (Decrease)

146,841

2,375,535

Net Assets

 

 

Beginning of Period

3,296,693

921,158

End of Period3

3,443,534

3,296,693

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Includes fiscal 2007 and 2006 short-term gain distributions totaling $127,033,000 and $14,086,000, respectively. Short-term gain distributions are treated as ordinary income dividends for tax purposes.

2

Net of redemption fees of $3,932,000 and $1,463,000.

3

Net Assets—End of Period includes (overdistributed) net investment income of ($27,542,000) and ($29,445,000).

 

 

 

 

15

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$27.08

$16.46

$15.29

$11.25

$9.31

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

.560

.3371

.1851

.194

.25

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)

 

 

 

 

 

on Investments2

4.027

11.080

1.988

4.780

2.18

Total from Investment Operations

4.587

11.417

2.173

4.974

2.43

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(.490)

(.240)

(.144)

(.934)

(.49)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(2.537)

(.557)

(.859)

Total Distributions

(3.027)

(.797)

(1.003)

(.934)

(.49)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$28.64

$27.08

$16.46

$15.29

$11.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return3

17.48%

70.19%

14.20%

44.07%

26.51%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$3,444

$3,297

$921

$608

$537

Ratio of Total Expenses to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

0.35%4

0.40%

0.48%

0.55%

0.60%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

1.88%

1.68%

1.32%

1.61%

2.14%

Portfolio Turnover Rate

24%

20%

36%

15%

43%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding.

2

Includes increases from redemption fees of $.03, $.01, $.01, $.00, and $.02.

3

Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

4

Includes performance-based investment advisory fee increase of 0.01%.

    See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

 

 

 

16

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund files reports with the SEC under the company name Vanguard Specialized Funds. The fund invests in securities of foreign issuers, which may subject it to investment risks not normally associated with investing in securities of United States corporations.

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. mutual funds. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued at their fair values calculated according to procedures adopted by the board of trustees. These procedures include obtaining quotations from an independent pricing service, monitoring news to identify significant market- or security-specific events, and evaluating changes in the values of foreign market proxies (for example, ADRs, futures contracts, or exchange-traded funds), between the time the foreign markets close and the fund’s pricing time. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a fund to calculate its net asset value may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Precious metals are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value.

2. Foreign Currency: Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates on the valuation date as employed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) in the calculation of its indexes. As part of the fund’s fair-value procedures, exchange rates may be adjusted if they change significantly before the fund’s pricing time but after the time at which the MSCI rates are determined (generally 11:00 a.m., Eastern time).

Realized gains (losses) and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment securities include the effects of changes in exchange rates since the securities were purchased, combined with the effects of changes in security prices. Fluctuations in the value of other assets and liabilities resulting from changes in exchange rates are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gains (losses) until the asset or liability is settled in cash, when they are recorded as realized foreign currency gains (losses).

3. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements.

4. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

5. Security Lending: The fund may lend its securities to qualified institutional borrowers to earn additional income. Security loans are required to be secured at all times by collateral at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Security lending income represents the income earned on investing cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan.

 

 

17

 

6. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold. Fees assessed on redemptions of capital shares are credited to paid-in capital.

B. M&G Investment Management Ltd. provides investment advisory services to the fund for a fee calculated at an annual percentage rate of average net assets. The basic fee is subject to quarterly adjustments based on the fund’s performance since January 31, 2006 relative to the S&P/Citigroup Custom Metals and Mining Index. For the year ended January 31, 2007, the investment advisory fee represented an effective annual basic rate of 0.13% of the fund’s average net assets before an increase of $181,000 (0.01%) based on performance.

C. The Vanguard Group furnishes at cost corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services. The costs of such services are allocated to the fund under methods approved by the board of trustees. The fund has committed to provide up to 0.40% of its net assets in capital contributions to Vanguard. At January 31, 2007, the fund had contributed capital of $329,000 to Vanguard (included in Other Assets), representing 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 0.33% of Vanguard’s capitalization. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and officers of Vanguard.

D. Distributions are determined on a tax basis and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes. Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Differences in classification may also result from the treatment of short-term gains as ordinary income for tax purposes.

During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund realized net foreign currency losses of $606,000, which permanently decreased distributable net income for tax purposes; accordingly, such losses have been reclassified from accumulated net realized gains to overdistributed net investment income.

Certain of the fund’s investments are in securities considered to be “passive foreign investment companies,” for which any unrealized appreciation and/or realized gains are required to be included in distributable net income for tax purposes. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund did not realize any gains on the sale of passive foreign investment companies. Unrealized appreciation on passive foreign investment company holdings at January 31, 2007, was $29,932,000, including $30,130,000 which has been distributed and is reflected in the balance of overdistributed net investment income.

The fund used a tax accounting practice to treat a portion of the price of capital shares redeemed during the year as distributions from net investment income and realized capital gains. Accordingly, the fund has reclassified $6,094,000 from overdistributed net investment income, and $35,349,000 from accumulated net realized gains, to paid-in capital.

 

 

 

18

 

During 2001, the fund elected to use a provision of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 to mark-to-market certain appreciated securities held on January 1, 2001; such securities were treated as sold and repurchased, with unrealized gains of $46,006,000 becoming realized, for tax purposes. The mark-to-market created a difference between the cost of investments for financial statement and tax purposes, which will reverse when the securities are sold. Through January 31, 2007, the fund realized gains on the sale of these securities of $5,690,000 for financial statement purposes, which were included in prior year mark-to-market gains for tax purposes. The remaining difference of $40,316,000 is reflected in the balance of accumulated net realized gains; the corresponding difference between the securities’ cost for financial statement and tax purposes is reflected in unrealized appreciation.

For tax purposes at January 31, 2007, the fund had $5,988,000 of ordinary income and $78,219,000 of long-term capital gains available for distribution.

At January 31, 2007, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $2,235,993,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $1,237,784,000, consisting of unrealized gains of $1,259,266,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $21,482,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase or since being marked-to-market for tax purposes.

E. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund purchased $784,407,000 of investment securities and sold $911,788,000 of investment securities other than temporary cash investments.

F. The market value of securities on loan to broker-dealers at January 31, 2007, was $16,834,000, for which the fund received cash collateral of $17,340,000.

G. Capital shares issued and redeemed were:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

Shares

Shares

 

(000)

(000)

Issued

20,497

76,073

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

11,406

3,283

Redeemed

(33,402)

(13,578)

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding

(1,499)

65,778

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19

 

H. Certain of the fund’s investments are in companies that are considered to be affiliated companies of the fund because the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities of the company. Transactions during the year ended January 31, 2007, in securities of these companies were as follows:

 

 

 

 

Current Period Transactions

 

 

Jan. 31, 2006    

 

Proceeds from

 

Jan. 31, 2007

 

Market    

Purchases

Securities

Dividend

Market

 

Value    

at Cost

Sold

Income

Value

 

($000)    

($000)

($000)

($000)

($000)

Aber Diamond Corp.

159,477    

75,362

4,339

217,068

Centennial Coal Co. Ltd.

n/a1    

12,923

1,276

34,777

Centerra Gold Inc.

134,269    

26,204

143,974

Iluka Resources Ltd.

69,268    

34,096

2,546

83,373

Meridian Gold Inc.

156,285    

29,907

90,451

n/a2

Minerals Technologies Inc

n/a1    

67,040

113

69,142

Zambezi Resources Ltd.

1,049    

n/a2

 

520,348    

 

 

8,274

548,334

 

I. In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.” FIN 48 establishes the minimum threshold for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of tax-return positions in financial statements. FIN 48 will be effective for the fund’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Management is in the process of analyzing the fund’s tax positions for purposes of implementing FIN 48; based on the analysis completed to date, management does not believe the adoption of FIN 48 will result in any material impact to the fund’s financial statements

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

At January 31, 2006, the issuer was not an affiliated company of the fund.

2

At January 31, 2007, the security is still held but the issuer is no longer an affiliated company of the fund.

 

 

20

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund:

In our opinion, the accompanying statements of net assets and of assets and liabilities and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Specialized Funds, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at January 31, 2007, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at January 31, 2007 by correspondence with the custodian and by agreement to the underlying ownership records for Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

March 13, 2007

 

 

 

 

 


Special 2006 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund

This information for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The fund distributed $182,432,000 as capital gain dividends (from net long-term capital gains) to shareholders during the fiscal year.

The fund distributed $56,973,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal year.

For corporate shareholders, 1.5% of investment income (dividend income plus short-term gains, if any) qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

The Precious Metals and Mining Fund passed through to shareholders foreign source income of $69,757,000 and foreign taxes of $2,097,000. The pass-through of foreign taxes paid will affect only shareholders on the dividend record date in December 2006. Shareholders received more detailed information along with their Form 1099-DIV in January 2007.

21

 

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

 

This table presents returns for your fund both before and after taxes. The after-tax returns are shown in two ways: (1) assuming that an investor owned the fund during the entire period and paid taxes on the fund’s distributions, and (2) assuming that an investor paid taxes on the fund’s distributions and sold all shares at the end of each period.

Calculations are based on the highest individual federal income tax and capital gains tax rates in effect at the times of the distributions and the hypothetical sales. State and local taxes were not considered. After-tax returns reflect any qualified dividend income, using actual prior-year figures and estimates for 2007. (In the example, returns after the sale of fund shares may be higher than those assuming no sale. This occurs when the sale would have produced a capital loss. The calculation assumes that the investor received a tax deduction for the loss.)

Please note that your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. Also note that if you own the fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information does not apply to you. Such accounts are not subject to current taxes.

Finally, keep in mind that a fund’s performance—whether before or after taxes—does not guarantee future results.

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Precious Metals and Mining Fund1

 

 

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

One

Five

Ten

 

Year

Years

Years

Returns Before Taxes

17.48%

33.00%

14.85%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

14.89

31.09

13.51

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

12.75

28.66

12.52

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

 

 

22

About Your Fund’s Expenses

 

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The table below illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

• Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

• Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Six Months Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

Beginning

Ending

Expenses

 

Account Value

Account Value

Paid During

Precious Metals and Mining Fund

7/31/2006

1/31/2007

Period1

Based on Actual Fund Return

$1,000.00

$1,098.16

$1.85

Based on Hypothetical 5% Yearly Return

1,000.00

1,023.44

1.79

 

 

 

 

 

1

These calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period is 0.35%. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period.

 

 

23

 

Note that the expenses shown in the table on page 23 are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only; they do not include your fund’s low-balance fee or the 1% fee on redemptions of shares held for less than one year. These fees are fully described in the prospectus. If the fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate fund prospectus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24

 

Glossary

 

Beta. A measure of the magnitude of a fund’s past share-price fluctuations in relation to the ups and downs of a given market index. The index is assigned a beta of 1.00. Compared with a given index, a fund with a beta of 1.20 typically would have seen its share price rise or fall by 12% when the index rose or fell by 10%. A fund’s beta should be reviewed in conjunction with its R-squared (see definition below). The lower the R-squared, the less correlation there is between the fund and the index, and the less reliable beta is as an indicator of volatility.

Earnings Growth Rate. The average annual rate of growth in earnings over the past five years for the stocks now in a fund.

Expense Ratio. The percentage of a fund’s average net assets used to pay its annual administrative and advisory expenses. These expenses directly reduce returns to investors.

Foreign Holdings. The percentage of a fund represented by stocks or depositary receipts of companies based outside the United States.

Inception Date. The date on which the assets of a fund (or one of its share classes) are first invested in accordance with the fund’s investment objective. For funds with a subscription period, the inception date is the day after that period ends. Investment performance is measured from the inception date.

Median Market Cap. An indicator of the size of companies in which a fund invests; the midpoint of market capitalization (market price x shares outstanding) of a fund’s stocks, weighted by the proportion of the fund’s assets invested in each stock. Stocks representing half of the fund’s assets have market capitalizations above the median, and the rest are below it.

Price/Book Ratio. The share price of a stock divided by its net worth, or book value, per share. For a fund, the weighted average price/book ratio of the stocks it holds.

Price/Earnings Ratio. The ratio of a stock’s current price to its per-share earnings over the past year. For a fund, the weighted average P/E of the stocks it holds. P/E is an indicator of market expectations about corporate prospects; the higher the P/E, the greater the expectations for a company’s future growth.

R-Squared. A measure of how much of a fund’s past returns can be explained by the returns from the market in general, as measured by a given index. If a fund’s total returns were precisely synchronized with an index’s returns, its R-squared would be 1.00. If the fund’s returns bore no relationship to the index’s returns, its R-squared would be 0.

Return on Equity. The annual average rate of return generated by a company during the past five years for each dollar of shareholder’s equity (net income divided by shareholder’s equity). For a fund, the weighted average return on equity for the companies whose stocks it holds.

Short-Term Reserves. The percentage of a fund invested in highly liquid, short-term securities that can be readily converted to cash.

Turnover Rate. An indication of the fund’s trading activity. Funds with high turnover rates incur higher transaction costs and may be more likely to distribute capital gains (which may be taxable to investors). The turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, which have minimal impact on costs.

 

 

25

The People Who Govern Your Fund

 

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them on an at-cost basis.

 

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals.

 

Our independent board members bring distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service to their task of working with Vanguard officers to establish the policies and oversee the activities of the funds. Among board members’ responsibilities are selecting investment advisors for the funds; monitoring fund operations, performance, and costs; reviewing contracts; nominating and selecting new trustees/directors; and electing Vanguard officers.

 

Each trustee serves a fund until its termination; or until the trustee’s retirement, resignation, or death; or otherwise as specified in the fund’s organizational documents. Any trustee may be removed at a shareholders’ meeting by a vote representing two-thirds of the net asset value of all shares of the fund together with shares of other Vanguard funds organized within the same trust. The table on these two pages shows information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482.

 

 

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Trustee

 

 

John J. Brennan1

 

Born 1954

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman of the Board, Chief

Trustee since May 1987;

Executive Officer, and Director/Trustee of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each

Chairman of the Board and

of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

Chief Executive Officer

 

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Charles D. Ellis

 

Born 1937

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Applecore Partners (pro bono ventures

Trustee since January 2001

in education); Senior Advisor to Greenwich Associates (international business strategy

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

consulting); Successor Trustee of Yale University; Overseer of the Stern School of Business

 

at New York University; Trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

 

 

Rajiv L. Gupta

 

Born 1945

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Trustee since December 20012

of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Board Member of the American Chemistry Council;

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Tyco International, Ltd. (diversified manufacturing and services) (since 2005);

 

Trustee of Drexel University and of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

 

 

Amy Gutmann

 

Born 1949

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: President of the University of

Trustee since June 2006

Pennsylvania since 2004; Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, Annenberg School

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

for Communication, and Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania

 

since 2004; Provost (2001–2004) and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the

 

University Center for Human Values (1990–2004), Princeton University; Director of Carnegie

 

Corporation of New York and of Philadelphia 2016 (since 2005) and of Schuylkill River

 

Development Corporation and Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (since 2004).

 

JoAnn Heffernan Heisen

 

Born 1950

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Corporate Vice President and Chief

Trustee since July 1998

Global Diversity Officer (since January 2006), Vice President and Chief Information

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Officer (1997–2005), and Member of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson

 

(pharmaceuticals/consumer products); Director of the University Medical Center at

 

Princeton and Women’s Research and Education Institute.

 

 

André F. Perold

 

Born 1952

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: George Gund Professor of Finance and

Trustee since December 2004

Banking, Harvard Business School (since 2000); Senior Associate Dean, Director of Faculty

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Recruiting, and Chair of Finance Faculty, Harvard Business School; Director and Chairman

 

of UNX, Inc. (equities trading firm) (since 2003); Director of registered investment

 

companies advised by Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and affiliates (1985–2004),

 

Genbel Securities Limited (South African financial services firm) (1999–2003), Gensec

 

Bank (1999–2003), Sanlam, Ltd. (South African insurance company) (2001–2003), and

 

Stockback, Inc. (credit card firm) (2000–2002).

 

 

Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.

 

Born 1941

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman, President, Chief Executive

Trustee since January 1993

Officer, and Director of NACCO Industries, Inc. (forklift trucks/housewares/ lignite);

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Goodrich Corporation (industrial products/aircraft systems and services).

 

 

J. Lawrence Wilson

 

Born 1936

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Retired Chairman and Chief Executive

Trustee since April 1985

Officer of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Director of Cummins Inc. (diesel engines),

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

MeadWestvaco Corp. (packaging products), and AmerisourceBergen Corp. (pharmaceutical

 

distribution); Trustee of Vanderbilt University and of Culver Educational Foundation.

 

 

Executive Officers1

 

 

 

Heidi Stam

 

Born 1956

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Managing Director of The Vanguard

Secretary since July 2005

Group, Inc., since 2006; General Counsel of The Vanguard Group since 2005; Secretary

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

of The Vanguard Group, and each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard

 

Group, since 2005; Principal of The Vanguard Group (1997-2006).

 

 

Thomas J. Higgins

 

Born 1957

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Principal of The Vanguard Group, Inc.;

Treasurer since July 1998

Treasurer of each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

Vanguard Senior Management Team

 

 

R. Gregory Barton

Kathleen C. Gubanich

Michael S. Miller

Mortimer J. Buckley

Paul A. Heller

Ralph K. Packard

James H. Gately

F. William McNabb, III

George U. Sauter

 

 

Founder

 

 

 

John C. Bogle

 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1974–1996

 

 

1 Officers of the funds are “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

2 December 2002 for Vanguard Equity Income Fund, Vanguard Growth Equity Fund, the Vanguard Municipal Bond Funds, and the Vanguard State Tax-Exempt Funds.

More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, available from The Vanguard Group.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

P.O. Box 2600

 

Valley Forge, PA 19482-2600

 

Connect with Vanguard™ > www.vanguard.com

 

 

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

Vanguard, Connect with Vanguard, and the ship logo

 

are trademarks of The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

 

 

 

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

All other marks are the exclusive property of their

 

respective owners.

Text Telephone for the

 

Hearing Impaired > 800-952-3335

All comparative mutual fund data are from Lipper Inc.

 

or Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This material may be used in conjunction

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting

with the offering of shares of any Vanguard

guidelines by visiting our website, www.vanguard.com,

fund only if preceded or accompanied by

and searching for “proxy voting guidelines,” or by calling

the fund’s current prospectus.

Vanguard at 800-662-2739. They are also available from

 

the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may

 

obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for

 

securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30.

 

To get the report, visit either www.vanguard.com

 

or www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

You can review and copy information about your fund

 

at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.

 

To find out more about this public service, call the SEC

 

at 202-551-8090. Information about your fund is also

 

available on the SEC’s website, and you can receive

 

copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a

 

request in either of two ways: via e-mail addressed to

 

publicinfo@sec.gov or via regular mail addressed to the

 

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Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2007 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

 

 

 

Q530 032007

 

 

 

 

 

 


Vanguard® Health Care Fund

 

 

 

 

 

>Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


> The Investor Shares of Vanguard Health Care Fund posted a return of 10.8% for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007.

 

> The fund’s return was slightly behind that of its benchmark index, but was ahead of the average return for health/biotechnology funds by a wide margin.

 

> During the 12-month period, the health care sector was one of the weaker performers of the stock market, and the fund’s U.S.-based biotechnology stocks in particular performed poorly.

 

 

 

See page 27 for a Notice to Shareholders concerning the fund’s investment advisors.

 

 

Contents

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Total Returns

1

Chairman’s Letter

2

Advisor’s Report

7

Fund Profile

9

Performance Summary

10

Financial Statements

12

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

24

About Your Fund’s Expenses

25

Notice to Shareholders

27

Glossary

29

 

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the cover of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

 


Your Fund’s Total Returns

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

Total

 

Returns

Vanguard Health Care Fund

 

Investor Shares

10.8%

Admiral™ Shares1

11.0   

S&P Health Sector Index

11.4   

Average Health/Biotechnology Fund2

4.3   

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.1   

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

January 31, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Distributions Per Share

 

Starting

Ending

Income

Capital

 

Share Price

Share Price

Dividends

Gains

Vanguard Health Care Fund

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$143.39

$149.69

$2.100

$6.660

Admiral Shares

60.52

63.19

0.938

2.811

 

 

1 A lower-cost class of shares available to many longtime shareholders and to those with significant investments in the fund.

2 Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

1

 



 

Chairman’s Letter

 

Dear Shareholder,

 

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, health care stocks were one of the stock market’s weaker-performing sectors. However, with its broad diversification across health care industries and its exposure to international pharmaceutical stocks, Vanguard Health Care Fund produced a solid return, advancing 10.8%. The fund ended the year behind the broad U.S. stock market, which returned 14.1%, but its performance far outpaced the average return of 4.3% for health/ biotechnology funds.

 

Domestic equity markets did well; markets abroad did even better

 

In the first half of the fiscal year, returns from large-capitalization stocks were virtually flat, while those of small-caps lost some ground. In the second six months, both large and small stocks rebounded, with small-caps faring slightly better. For the 12 months, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%. Despite the weakness in the housing sector, the economy showed remarkable resilience, and corporate profits rose at a fast clip.

 

Across market capitalizations, value-oriented stocks outpaced their growth-oriented counterparts. International stocks continued to outperform U.S. stocks, as overseas markets—especially European and emerging markets—produced stellar returns. For U.S.-based investors, the dollar’s weakness further enhanced the results of international stocks.

 

2

 


Bond returns were modest as the Fed put rate hikes on hold

 

In the first six months of the fiscal year, the Federal Reserve Board continued its campaign to keep inflation in check, raising its target for the key federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point on three occasions (in addition to a 0.25-percentage-point increase the day before the fiscal year began). Then, at its August meeting, the Fed left the target rate unchanged at 5.25%, where it remained through the end of the fiscal period, as inflation fears diminished.

 

Following the Fed’s pause, the prices of longer-maturity bonds rose faster than those of short-term bonds, reducing their yields more dramatically. Throughout the maturity spectrum, the “yield spread,” or the difference between yields of corporate securities and those of U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturities, became even tighter. Bonds produced coupon-like returns for the period, with the broad taxable bond market returning 4.3%. Corporate bonds generally outperformed U.S. government issues. The Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index, a proxy for money market yields, returned 4.9%.

 

A comparatively tough year for the health care sector

 

Following a strong 2005 performance, the stocks of many health care firms stumbled during the 2006 fiscal year. Nonetheless, Vanguard Health Care Fund closed the 12-month period with a return of 10.8%. Because this fund

 

Market Barometer

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Stocks

 

 

 

Russell 1000 Index (Large-caps)

14.5%

11.0%

7.5%

Russell 2000 Index (Small-caps)

10.4   

12.6   

12.0   

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

(Entire market)

14.1   

11.5   

8.4   

MSCI All Country World Index ex USA

(International)

19.3   

21.3   

18.0   

 

 

 

 

Bonds

 

 

 

Lehman Aggregate Bond Index

(Broad taxable market)

4.3%

3.4%

4.9%

Lehman Municipal Bond Index

4.3   

4.0   

5.1   

Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index

4.9   

3.1   

2.4   

 

 

 

 

CPI

 

 

 

Consumer Price Index

2.1%

3.0%

2.7%

 

 

3

 


has performed so well for such an extended period, a one-year return of 10.8% may seem comparatively modest, more so in a year when the overall stock market delivered outsized returns of 14.1%. But, the fund’s performance against its peers in a tough environment was excellent.

 

The fund’s customary diversification across health care industries was an important plus during the period. By spreading its investments broadly across the major health care subsectors, which include health care equipment and pharmaceuticals, the investment advisor was able to offset weaknesses among biotechnology and managed-care companies with stronger performances from the pharmaceuticals giants and drugstores, including CVS. The fund also earned strong returns from a number of nontraditional health care stocks and chemicals companies with a diversified mix of health care and industrial products.

 

During the fiscal year, a number of the fund’s top-ten holdings were also its strongest performers. Pharmaceutical firms Schering-Plough, Roche Holdings AG, and Forest Laboratories were all solid performers. The fund also benefited from its holdings outside of the health care sector, in materials and consumer staples. On the other hand, stocks in the managed-care and biotechnology subsectors produced small returns for the fiscal year. Notable weak spots included biotech giants Genzyme and Amgen. The fund also sustained sizable losses in

 

Expense Ratios1

 

 

 

Your fund compared with its peer group

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Health/

 

Investor

Admiral

Biotechnology

 

Shares

Shares

Fund

Health Care Fund

0.25%

0.17%

1.79%

 

1 Fund expense ratio reflects the 12 months ended January 31, 2007. Peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper Inc. and captures information through year-end 2006.

 

4

 


top-ten holdings Sanofi-Aventis and Eli Lilly as the pharmaceuticals big hitters have wrestled with regulatory challenges.

 

As you know, Vanguard Health Care Fund was closed to new investors on March 23, 2005, after experiencing significant growth in assets. The fund remains closed to new investors, although existing shareholders may continue to invest in the fund.

 

For the long term, the fund’s performance has been strong

 

We have long counseled that long-term performance, not a single year’s result, is the best gauge of how well a fund meets its mandate. Over the past ten years, Vanguard Health Care Fund has produced an average annual return of 16.2%, considerably ahead of its comparative benchmarks and well ahead of the broad stock market.

 

The table below shows the fund’s average annual return for the ten years ended January 31, 2007, along with the returns of its comparative measures. The table shows what would have happened to a hypothetical $25,000 investment made in each at the start of the decade. In your fund, the investment would have grown to $112,616, more than four times the original sum. That’s more than double the value of the same stake invested in the broad stock market, and over $48,000 more than the result for the average health/biotechnology fund.

 

Total Returns

 

 

Ten Years Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Average

Final Value of a $25,000

 

Annual Return

Initial Investment

Health Care Fund Investor Shares

16.2%

$112,616

S&P Health Sector Index

8.9   

58,429

Average Health/Biotechnology Fund1

9.9   

64,373

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

8.3   

55,587

 

The figures shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

1 Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

5

 


Wellington Management Company, LLP, your fund’s advisor, has guided the fund’s performance over the years through its stock-picking talents. In addition, Vanguard’s low costs allow more of the fund’s gains to stay in shareholders’ pockets. For a comparison of your fund’s cost with the average cost of its competitors, see the table on page 4.

 

Diversification is key to success in investing

 

In these missives, we routinely stress to investors that neither under- nor outperformance in the short term is all that meaningful. On the contrary, we always encourage our shareholders to evaluate their investments from a longer-term perspective. Through the years, we have steadfastly counseled investors to stick with a carefully considered, balanced portfolio of stock, bond, and money market mutual funds suited to their unique circumstances.

 

As an investor, you can emulate some of the strategies that have worked well for the Health Care Fund in the past. Just as the fund is diversified within its sector, you can make sure that your own portfolio is diversified both across and within the major asset classes.

 

As part of such a balanced portfolio, Vanguard Health Care Fund can play an important role in helping you to move toward your financial goals.

 

Thank you for investing with Vanguard.

 

Sincerely,

 


 

John J. Brennan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

February 12, 2007

 

6

 


Advisor’s Report

 

Vanguard Health Care Fund advanced 10.8% during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. This compared with the 14.5% return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the 11.4% result of the S&P Health Sector Index, and the 4.3% return of the average health/biotechnology fund.

 

The investment environment

 

Health care stocks lagged the overall stock market during the period, even though absolute performance was strong. Within the portfolio, international pharmaceutical and international biotech stocks were quite strong, faring much better than their domestic counterparts; medical products stocks especially outperformed. The Health Care Fund outpaced its competitive fund group by having greater exposure to these better-performing categories.

 

Our successes

 

Our international holdings AstraZeneca, Roche Holdings, Bayer AG, Daiichi Sankyo, and Takeda Pharmaceutical were particularly robust during the period, driven by vigorous earnings growth, improved fundamentals, and solid sales growth. Our health services and medical products holdings, including drug retailer CVS and diversified pharmaceuticals company Abbott Laboratories, also contributed to the positive overall results.

 

Portfolio Changes

 

Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Additions

Comments

St. Jude Medical

Market-share gainer.

Merck

Good new product flow.

Health Management Associates

Added based on weakness.

 

 

 

 

Reductions

Comments

Pfizer

Weakening fundamentals.

Gilead Sciences

Reduced, as stock reached an attractive price.

 

 

 

 

Eliminations

Comments

Serono

Acquired by Merck KGaA.

 

 

7

 


Our shortfalls

 

U.S. biotech companies Amgen and Genzyme were weak during the period. Biotech stocks are driven by drug development. Insurance reimbursement issues and challenges to drug pipelines were reflected in the stocks’ lackluster performance. Health care service providers Coventry Health Care and Cardinal Health also struggled during the 12 months.

 

The fund’s positioning

 

The broad market’s solid performance during the fiscal year created a high hurdle for continued gains in 2007. We expect an overall difficult environment for stocks; however, we believe the health care sector can potentially benefit from being a defensive sector. In other words, we will continue to invest the Health Care Fund with a long-term focus, while maintaining appropriate diversification and attention to valuations.

 

Edward P. Owens,

Senior Vice President and

Portfolio Manager

 

Wellington Management Company, LLP

 

February 12, 2007

 

 

8

 


Fund Profile

As of January 31, 2007

 

 

Portfolio Characteristics

 

 

 

 

Comparative

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Number of Stocks

82

55

4,939

Median Market Cap

$35.2B

$61.5B

$30.8B

Price/Earnings Ratio

22.6x

21.1x

17.9x

Price/Book Ratio

3.7x

3.7x

2.8x

Yield

 

1.5%

1.7%

Investor Shares

1.1%

 

 

Admiral Shares

1.2%

 

 

Return on Equity

17.9%

21.4%

17.8%

Earnings Growth Rate

12.7%

12.7%

18.5%

Foreign Holdings

27.7%

0.0%

1.1%

Turnover Rate

8%

Expense Ratio

 

Investor Shares

0.25%

 

 

Admiral Shares

0.17%

 

 

Short-Term Reserves

8%

 

Volatility Measures3

 

 

Fund Versus

Fund Versus

 

Comparative Index1

Broad Index2

R-Squared

0.82

0.27

Beta

0.71

0.48

 

Sector Diversification4 (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

Biotechnology

10%

Consumer Staples

4   

Health Care Distributors

6   

Health Care Equipment

8   

Health Care Facilities

1   

Health Care Services

2   

Health Care Technology

2   

Managed Health Care

6   

Materials

3   

Pharmaceuticals

50   

Short-Term Reserves

8%

 

 


Ten Largest Holdings5 (% of total net assets)

 

 

Schering-Plough Corp.

5.2%

Eli Lilly & Co.

4.6   

Roche Holdings AG

4.2   

Forest Laboratories, Inc.

4.1   

Sanofi-Aventis

3.9   

AstraZeneca Group PLC

3.7   

McKesson Corp.

3.0   

Cardinal Health, Inc.

2.9   

Novartis AG (Registered)

2.8   

Abbott Laboratories

2.7   

Top Ten

37.1%

 

Market Diversification (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

United States

65%

Japan

10   

Switzerland

7   

France

4   

United Kingdom

4   

Germany

1   

Others

1   

Short-Term Reserves

8%

 

Investment Focus

 


 

1 S&P Health Sector Index.

2 Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

3 For an explanation of R-squared, beta, and other terms used here, see the Glossary on page 29.

4 Sector percentages combine U.S. and international holdings.

5 “Ten Largest Holdings” excludes any temporary cash investments and equity index

 

 

9

 


Performance Summary

 

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

 

Cumulative Performance: January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

Initial Investment of $25,000

 


 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

Final Value

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

of a $25,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investment

Health Care Fund

Investor Shares1

10.85%

10.42%

16.24%

$112,616

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000

Index

14.14   

8.35   

8.32   

55,587

S&P Health Sector Index

11.36   

2.89   

8.86   

58,429

Average Health/

Biotechnology Fund2

4.28   

4.80   

9.92   

64,373

 

 

 

 

 

Final Value

 

 

 

Since

of a $100,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Inception3

Investment

Health Care Fund

Admiral Shares1

10.96%

10.52%

10.32%

$166,957

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000

Index

14.14   

8.35   

8.60   

153,780

S&P Health Sector Index

11.36   

2.89   

2.60   

114,334

 

1 Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held less than one year.

2 Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

3 November 12, 2001.

 

10

 


Fiscal-Year Total Returns (%): January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

 


 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended December 31, 2006

This table presents average annual total returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

 

Inception Date

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investor Shares1

5/23/1984

10.87%

9.47%

16.37%

Admiral Shares1

11/12/2001

10.96   

9.57   

9.902    

 

 

1 Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held less than one year.

2 Return since inception.

Note: See Financial Highlights tables on pages 17 and 18 for dividend and capital gains information.

 

11

 


Financial Statements

 

Statement of Net Assets

As of January 31, 2007

 

The fund provides a complete list of its holdings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Common Stocks (92.6%)

 

 

United States (64.9%)

 

 

Biotechnology (10.2%)

 

 

*

Amgen, Inc.

9,989,355

702,951

*

Genentech, Inc.

5,250,000

458,692

*

Genzyme Corp.

6,919,340

454,808

*

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

6,249,848

401,990

*

MedImmune Inc.

8,550,000

296,343

*

Vertex

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

4,009,400

141,732

*

Cephalon, Inc.

1,902,000

137,724

*

Biogen Idec Inc.

2,000,000

96,680

*

Millennium

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

7,641,300

84,818

*

Human Genome

 

 

 

Sciences, Inc.

1,738,500

20,480

*

Amylin

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

300,000

11,634

 

 

 

2,807,852

Chemicals (0.7%)

 

 

 

Sigma-Aldrich Corp.

4,800,000

182,160

 

 

 

 

Food & Staples Retailing (2.8%)

 

 

 

CVS Corp.

20,600,000

693,190

 

Walgreen Co.

1,500,000

67,950

 

 

 

761,140

Health Care Equipment & Supplies (8.2%)

 

 

Medtronic, Inc.

11,414,900

610,126

 

Becton, Dickinson & Co.

7,300,000

561,662

 

 


 

*

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

9,300,900

397,706

 

Baxter International, Inc.

5,300,000

263,198

 

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

2,776,600

179,146

 

DENTSPLY

 

 

 

International Inc.

2,885,400

88,986

*

Hospira, Inc.

2,045,070

75,218

 

Biomet, Inc.

900,000

38,124

 

STERIS Corp.

850,000

21,964

 

Bausch & Lomb, Inc.

200,000

11,136

 

 

 

2,247,266

Health Care Providers & Services (15.5%)

 

 

1

McKesson Corp.

14,800,000

825,100

 

Cardinal Health, Inc.

11,036,708

788,242

* 1

Human a Inc.

8,433,000

468,032

 

Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

5,135,400

269,506

*

WellPoint Inc.

3,402,400

266,680

 

CIGNA Corp.

1,900,000

251,560

 

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

4,800,000

250,848

*

Coventry Health Care Inc.

4,750,000

244,862

1

Health Management

 

 

 

Associates Class A

12,386,900

240,925

*

Laboratory Corp. of

 

 

 

America Holdings

2,767,360

203,235

*

Health Net Inc.

3,000,000

146,130

 

Universal Health Services

 

 

 

Class B

2,460,400

142,531

1

Owens & Minor, Inc.

 

 

 

Holding Co.

2,200,000

73,590

*

Medco Health

 

 

 

Solutions, Inc.

1,000,000

59,210

 

Aetna Inc.

600,000

25,296

 

 

 

4,255,747

Heath Care Technology (1.6%)

 

 

 

IMS Health, Inc.

8,347,400

240,906

* 1

Cerner Corp.

4,200,000

188,706

 

 

 

429,612

Household Products (0.5%)

 

 

 

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

1,500,000

102,450

 

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

676,300

46,935

 

 

 

149,385

Insurance (0.1%)

 

 

 

UnumProvident Corp.

1,252,500

27,555

 

 

 

 

Life Science Tools & Services (0.3%)

 

 

* 1

PAREXEL International Corp.

1,570,200

51,424

*

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

950,000

39,995

 

 

 

91,419

 

12


 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Machinery (0.3%)

 

 

Pall Corp.

2,404,600

83,584

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals (24.7%)

 

 

Schering-Plough Corp.

57,170,000

1,429,250

Eli Lilly & Co.

23,329,900

1,262,614

* 1 Forest Laboratories, Inc.

20,001,500

1,122,284

Abbott Laboratories

14,000,000

742,000

Pfizer Inc.

17,411,570

456,880

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

15,100,000

434,729

Wyeth

8,250,000

407,633

Merck & Co., Inc.

6,000,000

268,500

Allergan, Inc.

2,100,000

245,091

Johnson & Johnson

3,300,000

220,440

1 Perrigo Co.

5,322,320

91,970

* Watson

 

 

Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

2,200,000

59,884

* Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.

900,000

48,168

 

 

6,789,443

Total United States

 

17,825,163

International (27.7%)

 

 

Belgium (0.5%)

 

 

^UCB SA

1,933,593

127,895

 

 

 

Canada (0.1%)

 

 

* Axcan Pharma Inc.

1,356,900

20,565

 

 

 

Denmark (0.3%)

 

 

Novo Nordisk A/S B Shares

700,000

60,222

 

 

 

France (4.1%)

 

 

^Sanofi-Aventis

12,189,415

1,070,958

^Ipsen Promesses

1,400,000

63,558

 

 

1,134,516

Germany (1.4%)

 

 

^Bayer AG

6,044,656

357,922

Fresenius Medical Care AG

220,650

29,480

 

 


 

 

 

387,402

Japan (9.9%)

 

 

Takeda

 

 

Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

10,400,000

678,755

Astellas Pharma Inc.

14,565,700

620,119

Eisai Co., Ltd.

9,453,700

484,870

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

13,538,300

376,885

Chugai

 

 

Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

8,834,500

198,505

Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

9,876,000

175,289

Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd.

6,850,000

92,532

Ono

 

 

Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

1,113,000

54,460

Olympus Corp.

1,000,000

31,951

 

 

2,713,366

Netherlands (0.5%)

 

 

 

Akzo Nobel NV

2,400,000

150,761

 

 

 

 

Switzerland (6.9%)

 

 

 

Roche Holdings AG

6,123,977

1,149,609

 

Novartis AG (Registered)

13,219,880

759,687

 

 

 

1,909,296

United Kingdom (4.0%)

 

 

 

AstraZeneca Group PLC

14,781,500

824,476

 

AstraZeneca Group PLC

 

 

 

ADR

3,496,672

195,639

 

GlaxoSmithKline PLC ADR

1,642,381

88,902

 

 

 

1,109,017

Total International

 

7,613,040

Total Common Stocks

 

 

(Cost $14,693,741)

 

25,438,203

Temporary Cash Investments (8.3%)

 

Money Market Fund (0.7%)

 

 

2

Vanguard Market

 

 

 

Liquidity Fund,

 

 

 

5.272%–Note G

201,747,881

201,748

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Face

 

 

 

Amount

 

 

 

($000)

 

Commercial Paper (1.5%)

 

 

 

General Electric

 

 

 

Capital Services

 

 

 

5.287%, 2/26/07

210,000

209,236

 

General Electric

 

 

 

Capital Services

 

 

 

5.277%, 2/27/07

210,000

209,205

 

 

 

418,441

Repurchase Agreements (6.1%)

 

 

Banc of America

 

 

 

5.270%, 2/1/07 (Dated

 

 

 

1/31/07, Repurchase Value

 

 

$274,140,000 collateralized

 

 

by Federal National

 

 

 

Mortgage Assn.,

 

 

 

5.000%, 10/1/35)

274,100

274,100

 

Credit Suisse First Boston LLC

 

 

5.270%, 2/1/07 (Dated

 

 

 

1/31/07, Repurchase Value

 

 

$425,161,000 collateralized

 

 

by Federal National

 

 

 

Mortgage Assn.,

 

 

 

4.500%–6.500%,

 

 

 

5/1/08–2/1/37)

425,100

425,100

 

13


 

 

Face

Market

 

Amount

Value

 

($000)

($000)

Deutsche Bank

 

 

5.270%, 2/1/07 (Dated

 

 

1/31/07, Repurchase Value

 

 

$452,266,000 collateralized

 

 

by Federal Home Loan

 

 

Mortgage Corp.,

 

 

5.000%–7.000%,

 

 

8/1/21–10/1/36 and

 

 

Government National

 

 

Mortgage Assn.,

 

 

6.000%–6.500%,

 

 

7/15/17–11/15/36)

452,200

452,200

SBC Warburg Dillon Read

 

 

5.280%, 2/1/07 (Dated

 

 

1/31/07, Repurchase Value

 

 

$519,675,000 collateralized

 

 

by Federal Home Loan

 

 

Mortgage Corp.,

 

 

4.000%–10.500%,

 

 

2/1/07–11/1/36 and

 

 

Federal National

 

 

Mortgage Assn.,

 

 

4.500%–8.000%,

 

 

11/1/07–1/1/37)

519,600

519,600

 

 

1,671,000

Total Temporary Cash Investments

 

(Cost $2,291,191)

 

2,291,189

Total Investments (100.9%)

 

 

(Cost $16,984,932)

 

27,729,392

Other Assets and Liabilities—

 

 

Net (–0.9%)

 

(248,532)

Net Assets (100%)

 

27,480,860

 

 

 

Market

 

Value*

 

($000)

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

Assets

 

Investments in Securities, at Value

27,729,392

Other Assets—Note C

44,207

Total Assets

27,773,599

Liabilities

 

Security Lending Collateral

 

Payable to Brokers—Note G

201,748

Payables for Capital Shares Redeemed

15,717

Other Liabilities

75,274

Total Liabilities

292,739

Net Assets

27,480,860

 

 

 

 

 

 


At January 31, 2007, net assets consisted of:3

 

Amount

 

($000)

Paid-in Capital

16,361,033

Overdistributed Net Investment Income

(12,818)

Accumulated Net Realized Gains

388,174

Unrealized Appreciation

 

Investment Securities

10,744,460

Foreign Currencies

11

Net Assets

27,480,860

 

 

Investor Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 111,309,419 outstanding

 

$.001 par value shares of beneficial

 

interest (unlimited authorization)

16,662,157

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Investor Shares

$149.69

 

 

 

 

Admiral Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 171,220,996 outstanding

 

$.001 par value shares of beneficial

 

interest (unlimited authorization)

10,818,703

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Admiral Shares

$63.19

 

 

• See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.

*

Non-income-producing security.

^ Part of security position is on loan to broker-dealers. See Note G in Notes to Financial Statements.

1 Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities of such company. See Note I in Notes to Financial Statements.

2 Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.

3 See Note E in Notes to Financial Statements for the tax-basis components of net assets. ADR—American Depositary Receipt.

 

14

 


Statement of Operations

 

 

Year Ended

 

January 31, 2007

 

($000)

Investment Income

 

Income

 

Dividends1,2

296,854

Interest

115,978

Security Lending

4,954

Total Income

417,786

Expenses

 

Investment Advisory Fees—Note B

17,069

The Vanguard Group—Note C

 

Management and Administrative

 

Investor Shares

26,571

Admiral Shares

8,532

Marketing and Distribution

 

Investor Shares

2,507

Admiral Shares

1,270

Custodian Fees

1,904

Auditing Fees

27

Shareholders’ Reports

 

Investor Shares

266

Admiral Shares

29

Trustees’ Fees and Expenses

32

Total Expenses

58,207

Expenses Paid Indirectly—Note D

(284)

Net Expenses

57,923

Net Investment Income

359,863

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

 

Investment Securities Sold2

1,022,377

Foreign Currencies

489

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

1,022,866

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

Investment Securities

1,359,411

Foreign Currencies

106

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

1,359,517

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from

Operations

2,742,246

 

1 Dividends are net of foreign withholding taxes of $12,914,000.

2 Dividend income and realized net gain (loss) from affiliated companies of the fund were $6,767,000 and $79,931,000, respectively.

 

15

 


Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

($000)

($000)

Increase (Decrease) In Net Assets

 

 

Operations

 

 

Net Investment Income

359,863

318,037

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

1,022,866

1,288,545

Change in Unrealized Appreciation

(Depreciation)

1,359,517

3,083,665

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

Resulting from Operations

2,742,246

4,690,247

Distributions

 

 

Net Investment Income

 

 

Investor Shares

(231,097)

(184,582)

Admiral Shares

(155,419)

(94,323)

Realized Capital Gain1

 

 

Investor Shares

(747,621)

(644,500)

Admiral Shares

(459,182)

(257,326)

Total Distributions

(1,593,319)

(1,180,731)

Capital Share Transactions—Note H

 

 

Investor Shares

(1,240,502)

(4,688,888)

Admiral Shares

1,251,373

5,594,230

Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital

Share Transactions

10,871

905,342

Total Increase (Decrease)

1,159,798

4,414,858

Net Assets

 

 

Beginning of Period

26,321,062

21,906,204

End of Period2

27,480,860

26,321,062

 

1 Includes fiscal 2007 and 2006 short-term gain distributions totaling $27,064,000 and $69,889,000, respectively. Short-term gain distributions are treated as ordinary income dividends for tax purposes.

Net Assets—End of Period includes undistributed (overdistributed) net investment income of ($12,818,000) and $26,914,000.

 

16

 


Financial Highlights

 

Health Care Fund Investor Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout

Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of

Period

$143.39

$123.84

$124.29

$94.35

$115.01

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

1.953

1.753

1.272

.960

.947

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain

(Loss) on Investments

13.107

24.424

3.385

30.078

(14.124)

Total from Investment Operations

15.060

26.177

4.657

31.038

(13.177)

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment

Income

(2.100)

(1.542)

(1.112)

(.995)

(.955)

Distributions from Realized Capital

Gains

(6.660)

(5.085)

(3.995)

(.103)

(6.528)

Total Distributions

(8.760)

(6.627)

(5.107)

(1.098)

(7.483)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$149.69

$143.39

$123.84

$124.29

$94.35

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return1

10.85%

21.49%

3.76%

32.99%

–11.65%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$16,662

$17,198

$19,087

$18,340

$13,506

Ratio of Total Expenses to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

0.25%

0.25%

0.22%

0.28%

0.29%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

1.33%

1.29%

1.02%

0.91%

0.86%

Portfolio Turnover Rate

8%

14%

13%

13%

25%

 

 

1 Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions after March 23, 2005, of shares held for less than one year, or the 1% fee assessed until March 23, 2005, on shares purchased on or after April 19, 1999, and held for less than five years.

 

17

 


Health Care Fund Admiral Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout

Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of

Period

$60.52

$52.25

$52.44

$39.80

$48.52

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

.877

.779

.576

.447

.436

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain

(Loss)

 

 

 

 

 

on Investments

5.542

10.328

1.431

12.696

(5.963)

Total from Investment Operations

6.419

11.107

2.007

13.143

(5.527)

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment

Income

(.938)

(.690)

(.511)

(.460)

(.438)

Distributions from Realized Capital

Gains

(2.811)

(2.147)

(1.686)

(.043)

(2.755)

Total Distributions

(3.749)

(2.837)

(2.197)

(.503)

(3.193)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$63.19

$60.52

$52.25

$52.44

$39.80

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return1

10.96%

21.62%

3.84%

33.12%

–11.58%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$10,819

$9,123

$2,819

$2,492

$1,620

Ratio of Total Expenses to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

0.17%

0.14%

0.15%

0.19%

0.22%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

1.41%

1.40%

1.10%

0.98%

0.93%

Portfolio Turnover Rate

8%

14%

13%

13%

25%

 

1 Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions after March 23, 2005, of shares held for less than one year, or the 1% fee previously assessed on shares held for less than five years.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

 

18

 


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Vanguard Health Care Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund files reports with the SEC under the company name Vanguard Specialized Funds. The fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers, which may subject it to investment risks not normally associated with investing in securities of United States corporations. The fund offers two classes of shares, Investor Shares and Admiral Shares. Investor Shares are available to any investor who meets the fund’s minimum purchase requirements. Admiral Shares are designed for investors who meet certain administrative, service, tenure, and account-size criteria.

 

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. mutual funds. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

 

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued at their fair values calculated according to procedures adopted by the board of trustees. These procedures include obtaining quotations from an independent pricing service, monitoring news to identify significant market- or security-specific events, and evaluating changes in the values of foreign market proxies (for example, ADRs, futures contracts, or exchange-traded funds), between the time the foreign markets close and the fund’s pricing time. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a fund to calculate its net asset value may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value. Temporary cash investments acquired over 60 days to maturity are valued using the latest bid prices or using valuations based on a matrix system (which considers such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, and ratings), both as furnished by independent pricing services. Other temporary cash investments are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.

 

2. Foreign Currency: Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates on the valuation date as employed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) in the calculation of its indexes. As part of the fund’s fair-value procedures, exchange rates may be adjusted if they change significantly before the fund’s pricing time but after the time at which the MSCI rates are determined (generally 11:00 a.m. Eastern time).

Realized gains (losses) and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment securities include the effects of changes in exchange rates since the securities were purchased, combined with the effects of changes in security prices. Fluctuations in the value of other assets and liabilities resulting from changes in exchange rates are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gains (losses) until the asset or liability is settled in cash, when they are

recorded as realized foreign currency gains (losses).

 

3. Repurchase Agreements: The fund may invest in repurchase agreements. Securities pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal; however, in the event of default or bankruptcy by the other party to the agreement, retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings.

 

19

 


4. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements.

 

5. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

 

6. Security Lending: The fund may lend its securities to qualified institutional borrowers to earn additional income. Security loans are required to be secured at all times by collateral at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Security lending income represents the income earned on investing cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan.

 

7. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income is accrued daily. Premiums and discounts on debt securities purchased are amortized and accreted, respectively, to interest income over the lives of the respective securities. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold. Fees assessed on redemptions of capital shares are credited to paid-in capital.

 

Each class of shares has equal rights as to assets and earnings, except that each class separately bears certain class-specific expenses related to maintenance of shareholder accounts (included in Management and Administrative expenses) and shareholder reporting. Marketing and distribution expenses are allocated to each class of shares based on a method approved by the board of trustees. Income, other non-class-specific expenses, and gains and losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.

 

B. Wellington Management Company, LLP, provides investment advisory services to the fund for a fee calculated at an annual percentage rate of average net assets. For the year ended January 31, 2007, the investment advisory fee represented an effective annual rate of 0.06% of the fund’s average net assets.

 

C. The Vanguard Group furnishes at cost corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services. The costs of such services are allocated to the fund under methods approved by the board of trustees. The fund has committed to provide up to 0.40% of its net assets in capital contributions to Vanguard. At January 31, 2007, the fund had contributed capital of $2,606,000 to Vanguard (included in Other Assets), representing 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 2.61% of Vanguard’s capitalization. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and officers of Vanguard.

 

D. The fund has asked its investment advisor to direct certain security trades, subject to obtaining the best price and execution, to brokers who have agreed to rebate to the fund part of the commissions generated. Such rebates are used solely to reduce the fund’s management and administrative expenses. The fund’s custodian bank has also agreed to reduce its fees when the fund maintains cash on deposit in the non-interest-bearing custody account. For the year ended January 31, 2007, these arrangements reduced the fund’s management and administrative expenses by $200,000 and custodian fees by $84,000.

 

20

 


E. Distributions are determined on a tax basis and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes. Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Differences in classification may also result from the treatment of short-term gains as ordinary income for tax purposes.

 

During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund realized net foreign currency gains of $489,000, which increased distributable net income for tax purposes; accordingly such gains have been reclassified from accumulated net realized gains to overdistributed net investment income. The fund used a tax accounting practice to treat a portion of the price of capital shares redeemed during the year as distributions from net investment income and realized capital gains. Accordingly, the fund has reclassified $13,568,000 from overdistributed net investment income, and $38,228,000 from accumulated net realized gains, to paid-in capital.

 

For tax purposes, at January 31, 2007, the fund had $47,134,000 of ordinary income and $367,247,000 of long-term capital gains available for distribution.

 

At January 31, 2007, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $16,984,932,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $10,744,460,000, consisting of unrealized gains of $10,821,218,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $76,758,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase.

 

F. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund purchased $1,848,941,000 of investment securities and sold $2,537,646,000 of investment securities other than temporary cash investments.

 

G. The market value of securities on loan to broker-dealers at January 31, 2007, was $194,275,000, for which the fund received cash collateral of $201,748,000.

 

H. Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

2007

 

 

2006

 

Amount

Shares

 

Amount

Shares

 

($000)

(000)

 

($000)

(000)

Investor Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

753,042

5,236

 

1,232,491

9,231

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

937,568

6,521

 

792,348

5,873

Redeemed1

(2,931,112)

(20,390)

 

(6,713,727)

(49,290)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Investor

Shares

(1,240,502)

(8,633)

 

(4,688,888)

(34,186)

Admiral Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

1,638,889

26,900

 

5,619,324

97,256

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

560,409

9,227

 

319,494

5,498

Redeemed1

(947,925)

(15,636)

 

(344,588)

(5,983)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Admiral

Shares

1,251,373

20,491

 

5,594,230

96,771

 

1 Net of redemption fees of $745,000 and $1,560,000 (fund totals).

 

21

 


I. Certain of the fund’s investments are in companies that are considered to be affiliated companies of the fund because the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities of the company. Transactions during the period in these companies were as follows:

 

 

 

Current Period Transactions

 

 

Jan. 31, 2006

 

Proceeds from

 

Jan. 31, 2007

 

Market

Purchases

Securities

Dividend

Market

 

Value

at Cost

Sold

Income

Value

 

($000)

($000)

($000)

($000)

($000)

Cephalon, Inc.

238,843

88,942

n/a1

Cerner Corp.

207,000

18,929

188,706

Forest Laboratories,

Inc.

925,669

4,252

4,895

1,122,284

Health Management

Associates

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

250,381

941

240,925

Humana Inc.

545,291

78,804

468,032

McKesson Corp.

816,200

29,849

3,588

825,100

Owens & Minor, Inc.

Holding Co.

68,860

1,320

73,590

PAREXEL International

Corp.

38,281

51,424

Perrigo Co.

83,081

918

91,970

 

2,923,225

 

 

6,767

3,062,031

 

J. In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.” FIN 48 establishes the minimum threshold for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of tax-return positions in financial statements. FIN 48 will be effective for the fund’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Management is in the process of analyzing the fund’s tax positions for purposes of implementing FIN 48; based on the analysis completed to date, management does not believe the adoption of FIN 48 will result in any material impact to the fund’s financial statements.

 

 

1 At January 31, 2007, the security was still held, but the issuer was no longer an affiliated company of the fund.

 

22

 


Report of Independent Registered

Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard Health Care Fund:

 

In our opinion, the accompanying statements of net assets and of assets and liabilities and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vanguard Health Care Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Specialized Funds, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at January 31, 2007, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at January 31, 2007 by correspondence with the custodians and brokers and by agreement to the underlying ownership records for Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

March 13, 2007

 

 


Special 2006 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard Health Care Fund

 

This information for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

The fund distributed $1,216,760,000 as capital gain dividends (from net long-term capital gains) to shareholders during the fiscal year.

 

The fund distributed $281,884,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal year.

 

For corporate shareholders, 43.1% of investment income (dividend income plus short-term gains, if any) qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

 

23

 


Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

 

This table presents returns for your fund both before and after taxes. The after-tax returns are shown in two ways: (1) assuming that an investor owned the fund during the entire period and paid taxes on the fund’s distributions, and (2) assuming that an investor paid taxes on the fund’s distributions and sold all shares at the end of each period.

 

Calculations are based on the highest individual federal income tax and capital gains tax rates in effect at the times of the distributions and the hypothetical sales. State and local taxes were not considered. After-tax returns reflect any qualified dividend income, using actual prior-year figures and estimates for 2007. (In the example, returns after the sale of fund shares may be higher than those assuming no sale. This occurs when the sale would have produced a capital loss. The calculation assumes that the investor received a tax deduction for the loss.)

 

The table shows returns for Investor Shares only; returns for other share classes will differ. Please note that your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. Also note that if you own the fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information does not apply to you. Such accounts are not subject to current taxes.

 

Finally, keep in mind that a fund’s performance—whether before or after taxes—does not guarantee future results.

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Health Care Fund Investor Shares1

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

One

Five

Ten

 

Year

Years

Years

Returns Before Taxes

10.85%

10.42%

16.24%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

9.76   

9.54   

14.75   

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of

Fund Shares

8.15   

8.80   

13.92   

 

 

1 Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held less than one year.

 

24

 


About Your Fund’s Expenses

 

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

 

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

 

The table below illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

 

• Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

 

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

 

• Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Six Months Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

Beginning

Ending

Expenses

 

Account Value

Account Value

Paid During

Health Care Fund

7/31/2006

1/31/2007

Period1

Based on Actual Fund Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,066.29

$1.30

Admiral Shares

1,000.00

1,066.78

0.89

Based on Hypothetical 5% Yearly Return

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,023.95

$1.28

Admiral Shares

1,000.00

1,024.35

0.87

1 These calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period are 0.25% for Investor Shares, and 0.17% for Admiral Shares. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period.

 

25

 


Note that the expenses shown in the table on page 25 are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only; they do not include your fund’s low-balance fee or the 1% redemption fee that applies to shares held for less than one year. These fees are fully described in the prospectus. If the fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

 

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

 

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate fund prospectus.

 

 

 

26

 


Notice to Shareholders

 

The board of trustees of Vanguard Health Care Fund has adopted a new advisory fee schedule for the fund, effective May 1, 2007. The new advisory fee schedule is expected to raise the fund’s expense ratio to 0.28% from 0.25% for Investor Shares and to 0.20% from 0.17% for Admiral Shares. For shareholders, the increase represents an additional $3 in costs on a $10,000 investment. This change will not affect the fund’s investment objective, policies, or strategies. The fund’s trustees regularly evaluate its investment advisory arrangements, focusing on factors such as the advisor’s investment process, style consistency, and performance, as well as the composition and depth of the management and research teams. In deciding to adopt the new fee schedule, the trustees considered the fund’s performance together with a wide range of information relating to Wellington Management Company, LLP (Wellington Management), which has managed the fund since its inception in 1984.

 

The fund has entered into a new investment advisory agreement with Wellington Management to reflect the new fee schedule; however, other terms of the existing agreement have not changed. Under the terms of the agreement, the fund will pay Wellington Management a fee at the end of each fiscal quarter. The fee is calculated by applying an annual percentage rate to the fund’s average daily net assets for the quarter.

 

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, the total advisory fees paid by Vanguard Health Care Fund were $17,069,000, or 0.06% of the fund’s average net assets. If the new fee schedule had been in place throughout the 2007 fiscal year, the advisory fees paid by the fund would have been $24,650,000, or 0.09% of the fund’s average net assets. The average advisory fee paid by funds in Vanguard Health Care Fund’s Lipper peer group was 0.78% of assets, as of December 31, 2006.

 

Board approval of the investment advisory agreement

Wellington Management is responsible for managing the investment and reinvestment of the fund’s assets and for continuously reviewing, supervising, and administering the fund’s investment program. The advisor discharges its responsibilities subject to the supervision and oversight of the officers and trustees of the fund.

 

The fund’s trustees retained Wellington Management under the terms of an investment advisory agreement. The board’s decision to revise the current advisory fee schedule was based upon its most recent evaluation of the advisor’s investment staff, portfolio management process, and performance results. In considering whether to approve the new agreement, the board engaged in arms-length discussions with Wellington Management and considered the following factors, among others:

 

The trustees considered the benefits to shareholders of continuing to retain Wellington Management as advisor to the fund, particularly in light of the nature, extent, and quality of services provided by Wellington Management. The board considered the quality of investment management to the fund over both the short and long term and the organizational depth and stability of the firm. Specifically, the board noted that the fund’s investment manager, Edward

P. Owens, has managed the fund since its inception. Further, the board noted that Wellington Management utilizes intensive fundamental analysis to identify companies with high-quality balance sheets, strong management, and the potential for new products that will lead to above-average growth in revenue and earnings. The board concluded that the existing advisory fee schedule should be adjusted to reflect the fair market value of Wellington Management’s services and the firm’s need to maintain an expanded portfolio management team to manage a large fund in this market segment. The new fee arrangement will enable Wellington Management to enhance the organizational depth and stability of the fund’s portfolio management team by retaining top investment talent and by hiring new investment professionals on an as-needed basis.

 

 

 

27

 


The trustees considered the fund’s investment performance compared with those of the fund’s peer group and a relevant benchmark. The board concluded that short- and long-term performance has been consistently competitive versus the fund’s benchmark, the S&P Health Sector Index. The board also concluded that short- and long-term performance has been above average versus that of the fund’s peer group (as defined by Lipper).

 

The trustees considered the cost of services to be provided, including consideration of competitive fee rates and the fact that, after the adjustment, the fund’s advisory fee will remain significantly below those of most of its peers.

 

The trustees considered the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as the fund grows, including a consideration of appropriate breakpoints in the fee schedule. By including asset-based breakpoints in the fee schedule, the trustees ensure that if the fund continues to grow, investors will benefit by realizing economies of scale in the form of a lower advisory fee ratio.

 

The trustees considered all of the circumstances and information provided by both Wellington Management and Vanguard regarding the performance of the fund and concluded that approval of the investment advisory agreement is in the best interest of the fund and its shareholders.

 

The advisory agreement will continue for a period of one year from its effective date and is renewable after that for successive one-year periods. The agreement will be reviewed annually by the fund’s trustees, a majority of whom are not “interested persons” of either the fund or Wellington Management as defined in federal securities laws.

 

Background information on Wellington Management

Wellington Management Company, LLP, a Massachusetts partnership with offices at 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109, is an investment firm that was founded in 1928. As of December 31, 2006, the firm managed approximately $575.5 billion in assets for a variety of clients, including mutual funds, institutions, and separate accounts. The manager primarily responsible for overseeing the fund’s investments is Edward P. Owens, CFA, Senior Vice President, Partner, and Global Industry Analyst of Wellington Management. He has worked in investment management with Wellington Management since 1974 and has managed the fund since its inception in 1984. He holds a B.S. from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Wellington Management is owned by its 99 active partners, all of whom are active members of the firm. The managing partners of the firm are Laurie A. Gabriel, Phillip H. Perelmuter, and Perry M. Traquina. Please note that the managing partners are not necessarily those with the largest economic interests in the firm.

 

 

28

 


Glossary

 

Beta. A measure of the magnitude of a fund’s past share-price fluctuations in relation to the ups and downs of a given market index. The index is assigned a beta of 1.00. Compared with a given index, a fund with a beta of 1.20 typically would have seen its share price rise or fall by 12% when the index rose or fell by 10%. A fund’s beta should be reviewed in conjunction with its R-squared (see definition below). The lower the R-squared, the less correlation there is between the fund and the index, and the less reliable beta is as an indicator of volatility.

 

Earnings Growth Rate. The average annual rate of growth in earnings over the past five years for the stocks now in a fund.

 

Expense Ratio. The percentage of a fund’s average net assets used to pay its annual administrative and advisory expenses. These expenses directly reduce returns to investors.

 

Foreign Holdings. The percentage of a fund represented by stocks or depositary receipts of companies based outside the United States.

Inception Date. The date on which the assets of a fund (or one of its share classes) are first invested in accordance with the fund’s investment objective. For funds with a subscription period, the inception date is the day after that period ends. Investment performance is measured from the inception date.

 

Median Market Cap. An indicator of the size of companies in which a fund invests; the midpoint of market capitalization (market price x shares outstanding) of a fund’s stocks, weighted by the proportion of the fund’s assets invested in each stock. Stocks representing half of the fund’s assets have market capitalizations above the median, and the rest are below it.

 

Price/Book Ratio. The share price of a stock divided by its net worth, or book value, per share. For a fund, the weighted average price/book ratio of the stocks it holds.

 

Price/Earnings Ratio. The ratio of a stock’s current price to its per-share earnings over the past year. For a fund, the weighted average P/E of the stocks it holds. P/E is an indicator of market expectations about corporate prospects; the higher the P/E, the greater the expectations for a company’s future growth.

 

R-Squared. A measure of how much of a fund’s past returns can be explained by the returns from the market in general, as measured by a given index. If a fund’s total returns were precisely synchronized with an index’s returns, its R-squared would be 1.00. If the fund’s returns bore no relationship to the index’s returns, its R-squared would be 0.

 

Return on Equity. The annual average rate of return generated by a company during the past five years for each dollar of shareholder’s equity (net income divided by shareholder’s equity). For a fund, the weighted average return on equity for the companies whose stocks it holds.

 

Short-Term Reserves. The percentage of a fund invested in highly liquid, short-term securities that can be readily converted to cash.

 

Turnover Rate. An indication of the fund’s trading activity. Funds with high turnover rates incur higher transaction costs and may be more likely to distribute capital gains (which may be taxable to investors). The turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, which have minimal impact on costs.

 

Yield. A snapshot of a fund’s income from interest and dividends. The yield, expressed as a percentage of the fund’s net asset value, is based on income earned over the past 30 days and is annualized, or projected forward for the coming year. The index yield is based on the current annualized rate of income provided by securities in the index.

 

 

29

 


 

 

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The People Who Govern Your Fund

 

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them on an at-cost basis.

 

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals.

 

Our independent board members bring distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service to their task of working with Vanguard officers to establish the policies and oversee the activities of the funds. Among board members’ responsibilities are selecting investment advisors for the funds; monitoring fund operations, performance, and costs; reviewing contracts; nominating and selecting new trustees/directors; and electing Vanguard officers.

 

Each trustee serves a fund until its termination; or until the trustee’s retirement, resignation, or death; or otherwise as specified in the fund’s organizational documents. Any trustee may be removed at a shareholders’ meeting by a vote representing two-thirds of the net asset value of all shares of the fund together with shares of other Vanguard funds organized within the same trust. The table on these two pages shows information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482.

 

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Trustee

 

 

John J. Brennan1

 

Born 1954

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman

Trustee since May 1987;

of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Director/Trustee of

Chairman of the Board and

The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each of the investment

Chief Executive Officer

companies served by The Vanguard Group.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Charles D. Ellis

 

Born 1937

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Applecore

Trustee since January 2001

Partners (pro bono ventures in education); Senior Advisor to

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Greenwich Associates (international business strategy

 

consulting); Successor Trustee of Yale University; Overseer of

 

the Stern School of Business at New York University; Trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

 

 

 

 

 


Rajiv L. Gupta

 

Born 1945

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman

Trustee since December 20012

and Chief Executive Officer of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Board Member

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

of the American Chemistry Council;Director of Tyco

 

International, Ltd. (diversified manufacturing and services)

 

since 2005;Trustee of Drexel University and of the Chemical

 

Heritage Foundation.

 

 

Amy Gutmann

 

Born 1949

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: President

Trustee since June 2006

of the University of Pennsylvania since 2004; Professor in the

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

School of Arts and Sciences, Annenberg School for

 

Communication, and Graduate School of Education of the

 

University of Pennsylvania since 2004; Provost (2001–2004)

 

and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the

 

University Center for Human Values (1990–2004), Princeton

 

University; Director of Carnegie Corporation of New York since

 

2005 and of Schuylkill River Development Corporation and

 

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce since 2004.

 

 

JoAnn Heffernan Heisen

 

Born 1950

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Corporate

Trustee since July 1998

Vice President and Chief Global Diversity Officer since 2006,

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Vice President and Chief Information Officer (1997–2005),

 

and Member of the Executive Committee of Johnson &

 

Johnson (pharmaceuticals/consumer products); Director of the

 

University Medical Center at Princeton and Women’s Research and Education Institute.

 

 

 

André F. Perold

 

Born 1952

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: George

Trustee since December 2004

Gund Professor of Finance and Banking, Harvard Business

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

School; Senior Associate Dean, Director of Faculty Recruiting,

 

and Chair of Finance Faculty, Harvard Business School;

 

Director and Chairman of UNX, Inc. (equities trading firm)

 

since 2003; Chair of the Investment Committee of HighVista

 

Strategies LLC (private investment firm) since 2005; Director of

 

registered investment companies advised by Merrill Lynch

 

Investment Managers and affiliates (1985–2004), Genbel

 

Securities Limited (South African financial services firm) (1999–

 

2003), Gensec Bank (1999–2003), Sanlam, Ltd. (South African

 

insurance company) (2001–2003), and Stockback, Inc. (credit

 

card firm) (2000–2002).

 

 

Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.

 

Born 1941

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman,

Trustee since January 1993

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of NACCO

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Industries, Inc. (forklift trucks/housewares/lignite); Director of

 

Goodrich Corporation (industrial products/aircraft systems

 

and services).

 

 


 

 

J. Lawrence Wilson

 

Born 1936

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Retired

Trustee since April 1985

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rohm and Haas Co.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

(chemicals); Director of Cummins Inc. (diesel engines),

 

MeadWestvaco Corp. (packaging products), and

 

AmerisourceBergen Corp. (pharmaceutical distribution);

 

Trustee of Vanderbilt University and of Culver Educational Foundation.

 

 

Executive Officers1

 

 

 

Heidi Stam

 

Born 1956

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Managing

Secretary since July 2005

Director of The Vanguard Group, Inc., since 2006; General

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Counsel of The Vanguard Group since 2005; Secretary of The

 

Vanguard Group, and of each of the investment companies

 

served by The Vanguard Group, since 2005; Principal of The

 

Vanguard Group (1997–2006).

 

 

Thomas J. Higgins

 

Born 1957

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Principal

Treasurer since July 1998

of The Vanguard Group, Inc.;Treasurer of each of the

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

 

 

 

Vanguard Senior Management Team

 

 

 

 

 

R. Gregory Barton

Kathleen C. Gubanich

Michael S. Miller

Mortimer J. Buckley

Paul A. Heller

Ralph K. Packard

James H. Gately

F. William McNabb, III

George U. Sauter

 

 

 

Founder

 

 

 

 

 

John C. Bogle

 

 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1974–1996

 

 

 

1 Officers of the funds are “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

2 December 2002 for Vanguard Equity Income Fund, Vanguard Growth Equity Fund, the Vanguard Municipal Bond Funds, and the Vanguard State Tax-Exempt Funds.

More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, available from The Vanguard Group.

 

 



 

P.O. Box 2600

Valley Forge, PA 19482-2600

 

 

Connect with Vanguard® > www.vanguard.com

 

 

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

Vanguard, Admiral, Connect with Vanguard, and

 

the ship logo are trademarks of The Vanguard

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

Group, Inc.

 

 

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

All other marks are the exclusive property of their

 

respective owners.

Text Telephone for the

 

Hearing Impaired > 800-952-3335

All comparative mutual fund data are from Lipper

 

Inc. or Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

 

 

This material may be used in conjunction with

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy

the offering of shares of any Vanguard fund

voting guidelines by visiting our website,

only if preceded or accompanied by the

www.vanguard.com, and searching for “proxy

fund’s current prospectus.

voting guidelines,” or by calling Vanguard at

 

800-662-2739. They are also available from the

 

SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may

 

obtain a free report on how your fund voted the

 

proxies for securities it owned during the 12

 

months ended June 30. To get the report, visit

 

either www.vanguard.com or www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

You can review and copy information about your

 

fund at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in

 

Washington, D.C. To find out more about this

 

public service, call the SEC at 202-551-8090.

 

Information about your fund is also available on the

 

SEC’s website, and you can receive copies of

 

this information, for a fee, by sending a request in

 

either of two ways: via e-mail addressed to

 

publicinfo@sec.gov or via regular mail addressed

 

to the Public Reference Section, Securities and

 

Exchange Commission, Washington,

 

DC 20549-0102.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2007 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

 

 

 

Q520 032007

 

 


 

 

 

 


 

 

Vanguard® REIT Index Fund

 

 

> Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, Vanguard REIT Index Fund

 

returned more than 36%, outpacing the broad U.S. stock market by a wide

 

margin.

 

>

The fund’s result was in line with those of its target indexes, and

 

outperformed the return of the average real estate fund.

 

>

During a strong year for commercial real estate, the fund benefited from

 

solid returns in every segment of the real estate market.

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Total Returns

1

Chairman’s Letter

2

Fund Profile

7

Performance Summary

8

Financial Statements

11

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

24

About Your Fund’s Expenses

25

Glossary

27

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the cover of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

Your Fund’s Total Returns

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

Total

 

Returns

Vanguard REIT Index Fund

 

Investor Shares

36.3%

Admiral™ Shares1

36.5

Institutional Shares2

36.5

ETF Shares3

 

Market Price

36.4

Net Asset Value

36.5

Target REIT Composite4

36.5

MSCI® US REIT Index

37.2

Average Real Estate Fund5

35.3

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.1

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions Per Share

 

 

Starting

Ending

 

 

 

 

Share

 

Share

Income

Capital

Return of

 

Price

 

Price

Dividends

Gains

Capital

Vanguard REIT Index Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$21.29

$

27.76

$0.534

$0.413

$0.113

Admiral Shares

90.82

 

118.46

2.341

1.761

0.489

Institutional Shares

14.06

 

18.33

0.368

0.273

0.076

ETF Shares

64.07

 

83.55

1.665

1.242

0.347

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

A lower-cost class of shares available to many longtime shareholders and to those with significant investments in the fund.

2

This class of shares also carries low expenses and is available for a minimum investment of $5 million.

3

Vanguard ETF Shares are traded on the American Stock Exchange and are available only through brokers. The table shows the ETF returns based on both the AMEX market price and the net asset value for a share. U.S. Pat. No. 6,879,964 B2.

4

The Target REIT Composite consists of the MSCI US REIT Index adjusted to include a 2% cash position (Lipper Money Market Average).

5

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

1

 


 

Chairman’s Letter

 

Dear Shareholder,

Vanguard REIT Index Fund’s four share classes each returned more than 36% during the fiscal year ended January 31, outpacing by a wide margin the 14.1% return of the broad U.S. stock market. The fund’s performance was in line with the results of its target indexes and was slightly above the return of the average real estate fund.

Real estate investment trusts have been especially strong performers during the past five years, and Vanguard REIT Index Fund has outperformed the overall stock market by a wide margin. In the past 12 months, the fund benefited from strong returns in every sector of the commercial real estate industry.

The table on page 1 presents the total returns of the fund’s four share classes and its comparative standards. If you own the fund in a taxable account, you may wish to see page 24 for a report on the fund’s after-tax returns.

Domestic equity markets did well; markets abroad did even better

In the first half of the fiscal year, returns from large-capitalization stocks were virtually flat, while those of small-caps lost some ground. In the second six months, both large and small stocks rebounded, with small-caps faring slightly better. For the 12 months, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%. Despite the weakness in the housing sector, the economy showed remarkable resilience, and corporate profits rose at a fast clip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Across market capitalizations, value-oriented stocks outpaced their growth-oriented counterparts. International stocks continued to outperform U.S. stocks, as overseas markets—especially European and emerging markets—produced stellar returns. For U.S.-based investors, the dollar’s weakness further enhanced the results of international stocks.

Bond returns were modest as the Fed put rate hikes on hold

In the first six months of the fiscal year, the Federal Reserve Board continued its campaign to keep inflation in check, raising its target for the key federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point on three occasions (in addition to a 0.25 percentage point increase the day before the fiscal year began). Then, at its August meeting, the

Fed left the target rate unchanged at 5.25%, where it remained through the end of the fiscal period, as inflation fears diminished.

Following the Fed’s pause, the prices of longer-maturity bonds rose faster than those of short-term bonds, reducing their yields more dramatically. Throughout the maturity spectrum, the “yield spread,” or the difference between yields of corporate securities and those of U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturities, became even tighter. Bonds produced coupon-like returns for the period, with the broad taxable bond market returning 4.3%. Corporate bonds generally outperformed U.S. government issues. The Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index, a proxy for money market yields, returned 4.9%.

 

Market Barometer

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Stocks

 

 

 

Russell 1000 Index (Large-caps)

14.5%

11.0%

7.5%

Russell 2000 Index (Small-caps)

10.4

12.6

12.0

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index (Entire market)

14.1

11.5

8.4

MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (International)

19.3

21.3

18.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonds

 

 

 

Lehman Aggregate Bond Index (Broad taxable market)

4.3%

3.4%

4.9%

Lehman Municipal Bond Index

4.3

4.0

5.1

Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index

4.9

3.1

2.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPI

 

 

 

Consumer Price Index

2.1%

3.0%

2.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

The commercial real estate market thrived across every segment

Unlike the housing sector, commercial real estate thrived throughout the year. Despite rising interest rates during the fiscal year’s first half, the long-running rally for REITs continued, contributing to Vanguard REIT Index Fund’s advance of more than 36% for the 12 months.

The fund’s Investor Shares finished just 0.2 percentage point behind the Target REIT Composite. The fund’s return was 0.9 percentage point below that of the MSCI US REIT Index, a margin consistent with the fund’s real-world operating costs and its modest weighting in cash.

Although the REIT Index Fund seeks to track a highly concentrated segment of the stock market, its strong 12-month return was broadly based across the office, retail, and residential segments of the real estate industry. Some of the fund’s largest holdings were also its best performers, including Vornado Realty Trust, a manager of retail and office properties; Simon Property Group, which develops and manages retail malls; and Boston Properties, an office-building developer and manager. Overall, only a handful of the fund’s 100-plus stock holdings had negative returns for the fiscal year.

The fund earned very strong returns from Equity Office Properties Trust (+81%), an office space manager and one of the fund’s top holdings. Through the later months of the fund’s fiscal year, Equity Office Properties was the target of a prolonged and often frenzied bidding

 

Total Returns

 

 

Ten Years Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Average

Final Value of a $10,000

 

Annual Return

Initial Investment

REIT Index Fund Investor Shares

15.1%

$40,801

Target REIT Composite

15.0

40,629

MSCI US REIT Index

15.3

41,500

Average Real Estate Fund1

15.1

40,841

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index

8.3

22,235

 

The figures shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

 

1

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

 

 

4

 

battle, which drove up the price of the firm’s stock. A testament to the market’s large appetite for commercial real estate, the saga ended with Blackstone Group’s purchase of Equity Office Properties on February 7, 2007.

Real estate’s outperformance has helped the fund to prosper

Vanguard REIT Index Fund celebrated its tenth anniversary on May 13, 2006. As the table on page 4 shows, during the past decade the fund has closely tracked the results of its comparative standards, and its performance has been on a par with the average return of competing real estate funds.

The fund’s inception was, by coincidence, well timed. During the past ten years, exceptional returns for real estate have generated investment returns for REITs, overall, that are nearly twice those of the broad stock market. Vanguard REIT Index Fund has helped shareholders capture just about all of this outstanding return. Vanguard Quantitative Equity Group, the fund’s advisor, has developed and refined proprietary index tracking and trading methodologies that, along with the fund’s low costs, give the fund an edge over higher-cost competitors.

Although Vanguard REIT Index Fund’s ten-year performance has been gratifying, it’s important to recognize that there will inevitably be periods when the fund does not perform as well. Real estate’s outperformance can’t persist forever, and it would be entirely consistent with the performance characteristics of other segments of the stock market—that is

 

 

Expense Ratios1

 

 

 

 

 

Your fund compared with its peer group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investor

Admiral

Institutional

ETF

Average Real

 

Shares

Shares

Shares

Shares

Estate Fund

REIT Index Fund

0.21%

0.14%

0.10%

0.12%

1.55%

 

 

 

 

 

1

Fund expense ratios reflect the 12 months ended January 31, 2007. Peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper Inc. and captures information through year-end 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

to say, alternating patterns of strong and weak performance—if the real estate sector experienced a less sanguine stretch ahead.

REITs’ role in your portfolio

As the performance of REITs has surged, investor interest in them has swelled. Thus, a word of caution is in order: Chasing what’s hot today can prove to be a bitter disappointment in the future.

In these missives, we routinely stress to investors that neither under- nor outperformance in the short term is all that meaningful. On the contrary, we always encourage our shareholders to evaluate their investments from a longer-term perspective. Through the years, we have steadfastly counseled investors to stick with a carefully considered, balanced portfolio of stock, bond, and money market mutual funds suited to their unique circumstances.

An important strategy for weathering the market’s uncertainties over the long term is to maintain a diversified, well-planned investment strategy. Vanguard REIT Index Fund is a low-cost and efficient means of investing in real estate securities, and it can add significant diversification benefits to a portfolio of traditional stock and bond funds.

Thank you for investing with Vanguard.

Sincerely,


John J. Brennan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

February 12, 2007

 

 

 

Vanguard REIT Index Fund ETF Shares

 

 

 

 

Premium/Discount: September 23, 20041–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market Price Above or

Market Price Below

 

Equal to Net Asset Value

 

Net Asset Value

 

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Basis Point Differential2

of Days

of Total Days

of Days

of Total Days

0–24.9

284

47.81%

301

50.67%

25–49.9

5

0.84

3

0.51

50–74.9

0

0.00

0

0.00

75–100.0

0

0.00

0

0.00

>100.0

1

0.17

0

0.00

Total

290

48.82%

304

51.18%

 

 

1

Inception.

2

One basis point equals 1/100th of a percentage point.

 

6

 

Fund Profile

 

 

 

As of January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portfolio Characteristics

 

 

 

Comparative

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Number of Stocks

103

101

4,939

Median Market Cap

$8.1B

$8.2B

$30.8B

Price/Earnings Ratio

50.4x

50.9x

17.9x

Price/Book Ratio

3.2x

3.2x

2.8x

Yield

 

3.4%

1.7%

Investor Shares

3.3%3

 

 

Admiral Shares

3.3%3

 

 

Institutional Shares

3.4%3

 

 

ETF Shares

3.3%3

 

 

Return on Equity

8.1%

8.0%

17.8%

Earnings Growth Rate

–3.8%

–4.0%

18.5%

Foreign Holdings

0.0%

0.0%

1.1%

Turnover Rate

11%

Expense Ratio

 

Investor Shares

0.21%

 

 

Admiral Shares

0.14%

 

 

Institutional Shares

0.10%

 

 

ETF Shares

0.12%

 

 

Short-Term Reserves

2%

 

Fund Allocation by REIT Type (% of portfolio)

 

 

Retail

26%

Office

20

Specialized

19

Residential

18

Diversified

8

Industrial

7

Short-Term Reserves

2%

 

Volatility Measures4

 

 

Fund Versus

Fund Versus

 

Target Index5

Broad Index2

R-Squared

1.00

0.31

Beta

1.00

1.20

 

Ten Largest Holdings6 (% of total net assets)

 

 

Simon Property Group, Inc. REIT

6.4%

Equity Office Properties Trust REIT

4.9

Vornado Realty Trust REIT

4.2

Equity Residential REIT

4.2

ProLogis REIT

4.1

Public Storage, Inc. REIT

3.5

Boston Properties, Inc. REIT

3.5

Archstone-Smith Trust REIT

3.4

General Growth Properties Inc. REIT

3.4

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. REIT

3.3

Top Ten

40.9%

 

Investment Focus

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

MSCI US REIT Index.

2

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

3

This yield may include some payments that represent a return of capital, capital gains distributions, or both by the underlying REITs. These amounts are determined by each REIT at the end of its fiscal year.

4

For an explanation of R-squared, beta, and other terms used here, see the Glossary on page 27.

5

The Target REIT Composite consists of the MSCI US REIT Index adjusted to include a 2% cash position (Lipper Money Market Average).

6

“Ten Largest Holdings” excludes any temporary cash investments and equity index products.

 

7

 

Performance Summary

 

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

 

Cumulative Performance: January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

Initial Investment of $10,000


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

Final Value

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

of a $10,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investment

REIT Index Fund Investor Shares1

36.32%

24.79%

15.10%

$40,801

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

8.35

8.32

22,235

Target REIT Composite2

36.50

24.86

15.05

40,629

MSCI US REIT Index

37.23

25.35

15.29

41,500

Average Real Estate Fund3

35.28

24.82

15.11

40,841

 

 

 

 

 

Final Value

 

 

 

Since

of a $100,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Inception4

Investment

REIT Index Fund Admiral Shares1

36.46%

24.86%

25.04%

$320,985

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

8.35

8.60

153,780

Target REIT Composite

36.50

24.86

25.05

321,198

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

2

The Target REIT Composite consists of the MSCI US REIT Index adjusted to include a 2% cash position (Lipper Money Market Average).

3

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

4

Inception date November 12, 2001, for Admiral Shares.

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

Final Value of

 

 

Since

a $5,000,000

 

One Year

Inception1

Investment

REIT Index Fund Institutional Shares2

36.45%

28.20%

$10,975,379

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

12.86

7,331,778

Target REIT Composite

36.50

28.17

10,967,291

 

 

 

 

Final Value of

 

 

Since

a $10,000

 

One Year

Inception1

Investment

Vanguard REIT ETF Shares Net Asset Value

36.48%

32.00%

$19,232

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14

15.24

13,968

Target REIT Composite

36.50

32.00

19,232

 

Cumulative Returns ETF Shares: September 23, 2004–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cumulative

 

 

Since

 

One Year

Inception

Vanguard REIT ETF Shares Market Price

36.44%

92.33%

Vanguard REIT ETF Shares Net Asset Value

36.48

92.32

Target REIT Composite

36.50

92.32

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception dates are December 2, 2003, for Institutional Shares and September 23, 2004, for ETF Shares.

2

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

 

9

 

Fiscal-Year Total Returns (%): January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007


 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended December 31, 2006

This table presents average annual total returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

 

Inception Date

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investor Shares2

5/13/1996

35.07%

22.70%

14.18%

Admiral Shares2

11/12/2001

35.16

22.77

23.523

Institutional Shares2

12/2/2003

35.15

25.703

ETF Shares

9/23/2004

 

 

 

Market Price

 

35.13

28.593

Net Asset Value

 

35.20

28.663

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

The Target REIT Composite consists of the MSCI US REIT Index adjusted to include a 2% cash position (Lipper Money Market Average).

2

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

3

Return since inception.

Note: See Financial Highlights tables on pages 16–19 for dividend and capital gains information.

 

 

10

Financial Statements

 

Statement of Net Assets

As of January 31, 2007

 

The fund provides a complete list of its holdings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Real Estate Investment Trusts (97.9%)

 

Diversified REITs (7.8%)

 

 

Vornado Realty Trust REIT

4,470,987

547,025

Liberty Property Trust REIT

2,950,462

152,657

Colonial Properties Trust REIT

1,430,611

70,315

Crescent Real Estate, Inc. REIT

3,194,165

64,075

Washington REIT

1,474,854

63,050

Spirit Finance Corp. REIT

3,523,042

44,109

PS Business Parks, Inc. REIT

523,339

39,360

Investors Real Estate Trust REIT

1,473,438

15,265

Capital Lease Funding, Inc. REIT

1,111,703

12,462

 

 

1,008,318

Industrial REITs (6.5%)

 

 

ProLogis REIT

8,033,570

522,182

AMB Property Corp. REIT

2,896,807

176,271

First Industrial Realty Trust REIT

1,468,489

69,401

EastGroup Properties, Inc. REIT

769,159

42,104

First Potomac REIT

786,253

23,611

 

 

833,569

Office REITs (20.0%)

 

 

Equity Office Properties Trust REIT

11,475,309

637,453

Boston Properties, Inc.REIT

3,558,842

448,734

SL Green Realty Corp. REIT

1,915,342

280,751

Duke Realty Corp. REIT

4,427,865

195,357

Mack-Cali Realty Corp. REIT

2,045,068

113,788

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. REIT

953,923

103,367

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Brandywine Realty Trust REIT

2,950,605

102,858

Kilroy Realty Corp. REIT

1,061,617

92,191

HRPT Properties Trust REIT

6,882,320

89,608

Corporate Office Properties Trust, Inc. REIT

1,320,209

70,341

Highwood Properties, Inc. REIT

1,508,007

65,900

BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. REIT

2,137,705

63,768

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. REIT

1,599,110

57,472

Maguire Properties, Inc. REIT

1,231,441

53,506

Cousins Properties, Inc. REIT

1,251,453

48,982

American Financial Realty Trust REIT

4,209,013

47,057

Lexington Realty Trust REIT

2,140,682

45,554

^Franklin Street Properties Corp. REIT

1,665,863

34,233

Parkway Properties Inc. REIT

507,442

27,833

 

 

2,578,753

Residential REITs (18.3%)

 

 

Equity Residential REIT

9,536,069

536,690

Archstone-Smith Trust REIT

7,021,920

443,856

Avalonbay Communities, Inc. REIT

2,576,229

382,209

Apartment Investment & Management Co.Class A REIT

3,191,298

199,871

Camden Property Trust REIT

1,848,091

144,890

United Dominion Realty Trust REIT

4,412,175

144,675

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

BRE Properties Inc.Class A REIT

1,690,216

117,318

Essex Property Trust, Inc. REIT

720,554

104,005

Home Properties, Inc. REIT

1,088,282

69,966

Post Properties, Inc. REIT

1,416,637

68,707

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. REIT

748,722

45,013

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. REIT

735,014

40,595

American Campus Communities, Inc. REIT

726,316

23,148

Sun Communities, Inc. REIT

533,121

16,852

GMH Communities Trust REIT

1,350,056

13,244

Education Realty Trust, Inc. REIT

869,029

13,062

 

 

2,364,101

Retail REITs (26.2%)

 

 

Simon Property Group, Inc. REIT

7,248,467

829,152

General Growth Properties Inc. REIT

7,117,597

437,875

Kimco Realty Corp. REIT

7,369,701

365,537

Developers Diversified Realty Corp. REIT

3,596,484

241,396

The Macerich Co. REIT

2,353,568

224,836

Regency Centers Corp.REIT

2,253,201

196,254

Federal Realty Investment Trust REIT

1,805,144

168,637

Weingarten Realty Investors REIT

2,646,118

131,009

Taubman Co. REIT

1,730,145

100,816

New Plan Excel Realty Trust REIT

3,434,948

100,026

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. REIT

2,012,787

94,460

Realty Income Corp. REIT

3,272,460

94,181

Pennsylvania REIT

1,141,203

48,729

^National Retail Properties REIT

1,810,028

42,988

Inland Real Estate Corp. REIT

2,108,253

42,629

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. REIT

1,016,089

41,253

Equity One, Inc. REIT

1,329,198

36,872

^Mills Corp. REIT

1,669,710

36,149

Glimcher Realty Trust REIT

1,204,984

34,053

Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc. REIT

1,410,792

23,631

Acadia Realty Trust REIT

833,085

21,402

Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust REIT

542,987

20,340

Saul Centers, Inc. REIT

337,620

18,204

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Getty Realty Holding Corp. REIT

567,416

17,675

Urstadt Biddle Properties Class A REIT

678,765

13,188

Urstadt Biddle Properties REIT

18,944

341

 

 

3,381,633

Specialized REITs (19.1%)

 

 

Public Storage, Inc. REIT

4,126,427

448,790

Host Hotels &Resorts Inc. REIT

16,205,219

428,952

Health Care Properties Investors REIT

6,578,838

271,377

Ventas, Inc. REIT

3,068,215

141,905

Hospitality Properties Trust REIT

2,828,029

138,008

^Health Care Inc. REIT

2,364,901

110,701

Nationwide Health Properties, Inc. REIT

2,624,707

87,455

Healthcare Realty Trust Inc. REIT

1,567,037

66,411

Senior Housing Properties Trust REIT

2,519,174

65,448

LaSalle Hotel Properties REIT

1,310,130

62,375

Entertainment Properties Trust REIT

867,317

56,254

DiamondRock Hospitality Co. REIT

2,883,341

54,351

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. REIT

1,901,500

53,793

Strategic Hotels and Resorts, Inc. REIT

2,467,433

53,099

FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc. REIT

1,930,731

42,611

Sovran Self Storage, Inc. REIT

659,812

39,589

Extra Space Storage Inc. REIT

1,948,029

38,454

Trustreet Properties, Inc. REIT

2,102,585

35,618

U-Store-It Trust REIT

1,593,748

35,015

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. REIT

1,929,394

34,980

Highland Hospitality Corp.REIT

2,001,706

31,787

Equity Inns, Inc. REIT

1,793,572

29,594

Ashford Hospitality Trust REIT

2,133,411

26,262

National Health Investors REIT

773,142

24,818

Innkeepers USA Trust REIT

1,480,851

24,271

Medical Properties Trust Inc. REIT

1,317,511

20,593

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

 

LTC Properties, Inc. REIT

649,642

18,320

 

Universal Health Realty

 

 

 

Income REIT

367,037

14,843

 

 

 

2,455,674

Total Real Estate Investment Trusts

 

(Cost $7,550,541)

 

12,622,048

Temporary Cash Investments (2.1%)

 

1

Vanguard Market Liquidity

 

 

 

Fund, 5.272%

226,868,437

226,868

1

Vanguard Market Liquidity

 

 

 

Fund, 5.272%—Note E

47,691,600

47,692

Total Temporary Cash Investments

 

(Cost $274,560)

 

274,560

Total Investments (100.0%)

 

 

(Cost $7,825,101)

 

12,896,608

Other Assets and Liabilities (0.0%)

 

Other Assets—Note B

 

167,511

Liabilities—Note E

 

(172,227)

 

 

 

(4,716)

Net Assets (100%)

 

12,891,892

 

At January 31, 2007, net assets consisted of:2

 

Amount

 

($000)

Paid-in Capital

7,833,384

Overdistributed Net Investment Income

(10,041)

Overdistributed Net Realized Gains

(2,958)

Unrealized Appreciation

5,071,507

Net Assets

12,891,892

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 245,924,183 outstanding $.001

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

6,827,356

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Investor Shares

$27.76

 

 

 

 

Admiral Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 28,630,761 outstanding $.001

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

3,391,674

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Admiral Shares

$118.46

 

 

 

 

Institutional Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 52,367,284 outstanding $.001

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

960,116

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Institutional Shares

$18.33

 

 

 

 

 

 

ETF Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 20,500,050 outstanding $.001

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

1,712,746

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

ETF Shares

$83.55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.

^

Part of security position is on loan to broker-dealers. See Note E in Notes to Financial Statements.

1

Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.

2

See Note C in Notes to Financial Statements for the tax-basis components of net assets.

13

 

Statement of Operations

 

 

 

 

Year Ended

 

January 31, 2007

 

($000)

Investment Income

 

Income

 

Dividends

232,616

Interest1

10,418

Security Lending

199

Total Income

243,233

Expenses

 

The Vanguard Group—Note B

 

Investment Advisory Services

244

Management and Administrative

 

Investor Shares

9,500

Admiral Shares

2,881

Institutional Shares

492

ETF Shares

1,136

Marketing and Distribution

 

Investor Shares

1,063

Admiral Shares

400

Institutional Shares

158

ETF Shares

274

Custodian Fees

161

Auditing Fees

25

Shareholders’ Reports

 

Investor Shares

187

Admiral Shares

8

Institutional Shares

3

ETF Shares

12

Trustees’ Fees and Expenses

12

Total Expenses

16,556

Net Investment Income

226,677

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

 

Investment Securities Sold

499,772

Capital Gain Distributions Received

117,789

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

617,561

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of Investment Securities

2,406,468

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

3,250,706

 

 

 

 

1

Interest income from an affiliated company of the fund was $10,343,000.

 

 

 

14

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

($000)

($000)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

Operations

 

 

Net Investment Income

226,677

198,039

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

617,561

180,856

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

2,406,468

1,448,924

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

3,250,706

1,827,819

Distributions

 

 

Net Investment Income

 

 

Investor Shares

(121,669)

(130,616)

Admiral Shares

(59,953)

(45,987)

Institutional Shares

(17,265)

(13,886)

ETF Shares

(30,789)

(10,432)

Realized Capital Gain1

 

 

Investor Shares

(94,471)

(121,441)

Admiral Shares

(46,021)

(42,265)

Institutional Shares

(13,057)

(12,188)

ETF Shares

(23,098)

(9,525)

Return of Capital

 

 

Investor Shares

(25,625)

(15,207)

Admiral Shares

(12,511)

(5,302)

Institutional Shares

(3,585)

(1,595)

ETF Shares

(6,407)

(1,201)

Total Distributions

(454,451)

(409,645)

Capital Share Transactions—Note F

 

 

Investor Shares

596,373

(571,751)

Admiral Shares

650,765

815,202

Institutional Shares

182,463

184,704

ETF Shares

471,824

602,492

Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital Share Transactions

1,901,425

1,030,647

Total Increase (Decrease)

4,697,680

2,448,821

Net Assets

 

 

Beginning of Period

8,194,212

5,745,391

End of Period2

12,891,892

8,194,212

 

 

 

 

1

Includes fiscal 2007 and 2006 short-term gain distributions totaling $6,611,000 and $5,807,000, respectively. Short-term gain distributions are treated as ordinary income dividends for tax purposes.

2

Net Assets–End of Period includes undistributed (overdistributed) net investment income of ($10,041,000) and ($7,042,000).

 

15

 

Financial Highlights

 

REIT Index Fund Investor Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$21.29

$17.20

$15.83

$11.52

$12.10

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

.530

.562

.563

.579

.606

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments1

7.000

4.692

1.759

4.511

(.426)

Total from Investment Operations

7.530

5.254

2.322

5.090

.180

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(.534)

(.568)

(.565)

(.678)

(.667)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(.413)

(.530)

(.387)

Return of Capital

(.113)

(.066)

(.102)

(.093)

Total Distributions

(1.060)

(1.164)

(.952)

(.780)

(.760)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$27.76

$21.29

$17.20

$15.83

$11.52

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return2

36.32%

31.43%

14.78%

45.39%

1.20%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$6,827

$4,727

$4,311

$3,383

$1,734

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.21%

0.21%

0.21%

0.24%

0.27%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

2.27%

2.91%

3.44%

4.10%

4.90%

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

11%

17%

13%

7%

12%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Includes increases from redemption fees of $0.00, $0.01, $0.01, $0.00, and $0.01.

2

Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including ETF Creation Units.

 

 

16

 

REIT Index Fund Admiral Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$90.82

$73.40

$67.56

$49.14

$51.65

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

2.328

2.460

2.437

2.508

2.619

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments1

29.903

19.993

7.494

19.279

(1.854)

Total from Investment Operations

32.231

22.453

9.931

21.787

.765

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(2.341)

(2.488)

(2.439)

(2.931)

(2.878)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(1.761)

(2.258)

(1.652)

Return of Capital

(.489)

(.287)

(.436)

(.397)

Total Distributions

(4.591)

(5.033)

(4.091)

(3.367)

(3.275)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$118.46

$90.82

$73.40

$67.56

$49.14

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return2

36.46%

31.49%

14.82%

45.57%

1.19%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$3,392

$2,025

$938

$733

$320

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.14%

0.14%

0.16%

0.18%

0.21%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

2.34%

2.98%

3.49%

4.16%

4.99%

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

11%

17%

13%

7%

12%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Includes increases from redemption fees of $0.02, $0.02, $0.04, $0.01, and $0.03.

2

Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including ETF Creation Units.

 

17

 

REIT Index Fund Institutional Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec. 2,

 

 

 

 

20031 to

 

Year Ended January 31,

Jan. 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$14.06

$11.36

$10.46

$10.00

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

.366

.385

.381

.065

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

4.621

3.099

1.156

.575

Total from Investment Operations

4.987

3.484

1.537

.640

Distributions

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(.368)

(.389)

(.381)

(.157)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(.273)

(.350)

(.256)

Return of Capital

(.076)

(.045)

(.023)

Total Distributions

(.717)

(.784)

(.637)

(.180)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$18.33

$14.06

$11.36

$10.46

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return2

36.45%

31.58%

14.81%

6.49%

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$960

$571

$297

$63

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.10%

0.10%

0.13%

0.15%*

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

2.38%

3.02%

3.52%

4.19%*

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

11%

17%

13%

7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

Total returns do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including ETF Creation Units.

*

Annualized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

18

 

REIT Index Fund ETF Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept. 23,

 

Year Ended

20041 to

 

January 31,

Jan. 31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$64.07

$51.77

$49.41

Investment Operations

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

1.654

1.745

.665

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments2

21.080

14.116

2.965

Total from Investment Operations

22.734

15.861

3.630

Distributions

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(1.665)

(1.764)

(.682)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

(1.242)

(1.594)

(.588)

Return of Capital

(.347)

(.203)

Total Distributions

(3.254)

(3.561)

(1.270)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$83.55

$64.07

$51.77

 

 

 

 

Total Return

36.48%

31.54%

7.13%

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$1,713

$871

$198

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.12%

0.12%

0.18%*

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

2.36%

3.00%

3.47%*

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

11%

17%

13%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

Includes increases from redemption fees of $0.01, $0.01, and $0.00.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including ETF Creation Units.

*

Annualized.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

 

 

 

19

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

Vanguard REIT Index Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund files reports with the SEC under the company name Vanguard Specialized Funds. The fund offers four classes of shares: Investor Shares, Admiral Shares, Institutional Shares, and ETF Shares. Investor Shares are available to any investor who meets the fund’s minimum purchase requirements. Admiral Shares are designed for investors who meet certain administrative, service, tenure, and account-size criteria. Institutional Shares are designed for investors who meet certain administrative and service criteria and invest a minimum of $5 million. ETF Shares are listed for trading on the American Stock Exchange; they can be purchased and sold through a broker.

 

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. mutual funds. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

 

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been materially affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued by methods deemed by the board of trustees to represent fair value. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value.

 

2. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements.

 

3. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Quarterly income dividends declared by the fund are reallocated at fiscal year-end to ordinary income, capital gain, and return of capital to reflect their tax character.

 

4. Security Lending: The fund may lend its securities to qualified institutional borrowers to earn additional income. Security loans are required to be secured at all times by collateral at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Security lending income represents the income earned on investing cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan.

 

5. Other: Distributions received from REITs are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Each REIT reports annually the tax character of its distributions. Dividend income, capital gain distributions received, and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) reflect the amounts of taxable income, capital gain, and return of capital reported by the REITs, and management’s estimates of such amounts for REIT distributions for which actual information has not been reported. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold. Fees assessed on redemptions of capital shares are credited to paid-in capital.

 

20

 

Each class of shares has equal rights as to assets and earnings, except that each class separately bears certain class-specific expenses related to maintenance of shareholder accounts (included in Management and Administrative expenses) and shareholder reporting. Marketing and distribution expenses are allocated to each class of shares based on a method approved by the board of trustees. Income, other non-class-specific expenses, and gains and losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.

 

B. The Vanguard Group furnishes at cost investment advisory, corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services. The costs of such services are allocated to the fund under methods approved by the board of trustees. The fund has committed to provide up to 0.40% of its net assets in capital contributions to Vanguard. At January 31, 2007, the fund had contributed capital of $1,109,000 to Vanguard (included in Other Assets), representing 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 1.11% of Vanguard’s capitalization. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and officers of Vanguard.

 

C. Distributions are determined on a tax basis and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes. Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Differences in classification may also result from the treatment of short-term gains as ordinary income for tax purposes.

During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund realized $443,872,000 of net capital gains resulting from in-kind redemptions—in which shareholders exchanged fund shares for securities held by the fund rather than for cash. Because such gains are not taxable to the fund, and are not distributed to shareholders, they have been reclassified from overdistributed net realized gains to paid-in capital.

 

For tax purposes, at January 31, 2007, the fund had no ordinary income and no long-term capital gains available for distribution.

 

At January 31, 2007, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $7,828,059,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $5,068,549,000, consisting of unrealized gains of $5,112,690,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $44,141,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase.

D. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund purchased $3,753,651,000 of investment securities and sold $2,050,926,000 of investment securities other than temporary cash investments.

E. The market value of securities on loan to broker-dealers at January 31, 2007, was $46,175,000, for which the fund received cash collateral of $47,692,000.

 

 

 

 

 

21

 

F. Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:

 

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Amount

Shares

Amount

Shares

 

($000)

(000)

($000)

(000)

Investor Shares

 

 

 

 

Issued

1,731,399

72,687

1,162,085

60,470

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

224,270

9,464

244,346

12,743

Redeemed1

(1,359,296)

(58,310)

(1,978,182)

(101,814)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Investor Shares

596,373

23,841

(571,751)

(28,601)

Admiral Shares

 

 

 

 

Issued

1,081,669

10,634

1,295,720

15,370

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

99,808

984

77,443

933

Redeemed1

(530,712)

(5,288)

(557,961)

(6,787)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Admiral Shares

650,765

6,330

815,202

9,516

Institutional Shares

 

 

 

 

Issued

286,029

18,678

283,189

21,978

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

29,962

1,909

24,652

1,932

Redeemed1

(133,528)

(8,807)

(123,137)

(9,506)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Institutional Shares

182,463

11,780

184,704

14,404

ETF Shares

 

 

 

 

Issued

1,432,154

20,104

657,191

10,668

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

Redeemed1

(960,330)

(13,200)

(54,699)

(900)

Net Increase (Decrease)—ETF Shares

471,824

6,904

602,492

9,768

 

G. In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”),”Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.” FIN 48 establishes the minimum threshold for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of tax-return positions in financial statements. FIN 48 will be effective for the fund’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Management is in the process of analyzing the fund’s tax positions for purposes of implementing FIN 48; based on the analysis completed to date, management does not believe the adoption of FIN 48 will result in any material impact to the fund’s financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Net of redemption fees of $1,769,000 and $2,336,000 (fund totals).

 

 

22

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard REIT Index Fund:

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of net assets and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vanguard REIT Index Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Specialized Funds, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at January 31, 2007, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at January 31, 2007 by correspondence with the custodian and by agreement to the underlying ownership records for Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

March 9, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 


Special 2006 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard REIT Index Fund

This information for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The fund distributed $170,036,000 as capital gain dividends (from net long-term capital gains) to shareholders during the fiscal year. Of the $170,036,000 capital gain dividends, the fund designates $136,870,000 as a 15% rate gain distribution and $33,166,000 as a 25% rate gain distribution.

The fund distributed $8,407,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal year.

 

23

 

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

 

This table presents returns for your fund both before and after taxes. The after-tax returns are shown in two ways: (1) assuming that an investor owned the fund during the entire period and paid taxes on the fund’s distributions, and (2) assuming that an investor paid taxes on the fund’s distributions and sold all shares at the end of each period.

Calculations are based on the highest individual federal income tax and capital gains tax rates in effect at the times of the distributions and the hypothetical sales. State and local taxes were not considered. After-tax returns reflect any qualified dividend income, using actual prior-year figures and estimates for 2007. (In the example, returns after the sale of fund shares may be higher than those assuming no sale. This occurs when the sale would have produced a capital loss. The calculation assumes that the investor received a tax deduction for the loss.)

The table shows returns for Investor Shares only; returns for other share classes will differ. Please note that your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. Also note that if you own the fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information does not apply to you. Such accounts are not subject to current taxes.

Finally, keep in mind that a fund’s performance—whether before or after taxes—does not guarantee future results.

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns: REIT Index Fund Investor Shares1

 

 

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

One

Five

Ten

 

Year

Years

Years

Returns Before Taxes

36.32%

24.79%

15.10%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

34.87

22.78

12.92

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

23.81

20.68

11.93

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figures do not reflect the 1% fee assessed on redemptions of shares held for less than one year.

 

 

24

About Your Fund’s Expenses

 

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The table below illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

• Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

• Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Six Months Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

Beginning

Ending

Expenses

 

Account Value

Account Value

Paid During

REIT Index Fund

7/31/2006

1/31/2007

Period1

Based on Actual Fund Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,251.08

$1.13

Admiral Shares

1,000.00

1,251.46

0.74

Institutional Shares

1,000.00

1,251.35

0.51

ETF Shares

1,000.00

1,251.54

0.62

Based on Hypothetical 5% Yearly Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,024.20

$1.02

Admiral Shares

1,000.00

1,024.55

0.66

Institutional Shares

1,000.00

1,024.75

0.46

ETF Shares

1,000.00

1,024.65

0.56

 

 

1

These calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period are 0.20% for Investor Shares, 0.13% for Admiral Shares, 0.09% for Institutional Shares, and 0.11% for ETF Shares. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period.

 

25

 

Note that the expenses shown in the table on page 25 are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only; they do not include your fund’s low-balance fee or the 1% redemption fee that applies to shares held for less than one year. These fees are fully described in the prospectus. If these fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate fund prospectus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26

 

Glossary

 

Beta. A measure of the magnitude of a fund’s past share-price fluctuations in relation to the ups and downs of a given market index. The index is assigned a beta of 1.00. Compared with a given index, a fund with a beta of 1.20 typically would have seen its share price rise or fall by 12% when the index rose or fell by 10%. A fund’s beta should be reviewed in conjunction with its R-squared (see definition below). The lower the R-squared, the less correlation there is between the fund and the index, and the less reliable beta is as an indicator of volatility.

Earnings Growth Rate. The average annual rate of growth in earnings over the past five years for the stocks now in a fund.

Expense Ratio. The percentage of a fund’s average net assets used to pay its annual administrative and advisory expenses. These expenses directly reduce returns to investors.

Foreign Holdings. The percentage of a fund represented by stocks or depositary receipts of companies based outside the United States.

Median Market Cap. An indicator of the size of companies in which a fund invests; the midpoint of market capitalization (market price x shares outstanding) of a fund’s stocks, weighted by the proportion of the fund’s assets invested in each stock. Stocks representing half of the fund’s assets have market capitalizations above the median, and the rest are below it.

Price/Book Ratio. The share price of a stock divided by its net worth, or book value, per share. For a fund, the weighted average price/book ratio of the stocks it holds.

Price/Earnings Ratio. The ratio of a stock’s current price to its per-share earnings over the past year. For a fund, the weighted average P/E of the stocks it holds. P/E is an indicator of market expectations about corporate prospects; the higher the P/E, the greater the expectations for a company’s future growth.

R-Squared. A measure of how much of a fund’s past returns can be explained by the returns from the market in general, as measured by a given index. If a fund’s total returns were precisely synchronized with an index’s returns, its R-squared would be 1.00. If the fund’s returns bore no relationship to the index’s returns, its R-squared would be 0.

Return on Equity. The annual average rate of return generated by a company during the past five years for each dollar of shareholder’s equity (net income divided by shareholder’s equity). For a fund, the weighted average return on equity for the companies whose stocks it holds.

Short-Term Reserves. The percentage of a fund invested in highly liquid, short-term securities that can be readily converted to cash.

Turnover Rate. An indication of the fund’s trading activity. Funds with high turnover rates incur higher transaction costs and may be more likely to distribute capital gains (which may be taxable to investors). The turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, which have minimal impact on costs.

Yield. A snapshot of the level of dividends, interest, capital gains distributions, and return-of-capital distributions received by the fund. The index yield is based on the current annualized rate of dividends and other distributions provided by securities in the index.

 

 

27

The People Who Govern Your Fund

 

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them on an at-cost basis.

 

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals.

 

Our independent board members bring distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service to their task of working with Vanguard officers to establish the policies and oversee the activities of the funds. Among board members’ responsibilities are selecting investment advisors for the funds; monitoring fund operations, performance, and costs; reviewing contracts; nominating and selecting new trustees/directors; and electing Vanguard officers.

 

Each trustee serves a fund until its termination; or until the trustee’s retirement, resignation, or death; or otherwise as specified in the fund’s organizational documents. Any trustee may be removed at a shareholders’ meeting by a vote representing two-thirds of the net asset value of all shares of the fund together with shares of other Vanguard funds organized within the same trust. The table on these two pages shows information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482.

 

 

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Trustee

 

 

John J. Brennan1

 

Born 1954

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman of the Board, Chief

Trustee since May 1987;

Executive Officer, and Director/Trustee of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each

Chairman of the Board and

of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

Chief Executive Officer

 

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Charles D. Ellis

 

Born 1937

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Applecore Partners (pro bono ventures

Trustee since January 2001

in education); Senior Advisor to Greenwich Associates (international business strategy

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

consulting); Successor Trustee of Yale University; Overseer of the Stern School of Business

 

at New York University; Trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

 

 

Rajiv L. Gupta

 

Born 1945

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Trustee since December 20012

of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Board Member of the American Chemistry Council;

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Tyco International, Ltd. (diversified manufacturing and services) (since 2005);

 

Trustee of Drexel University and of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

 

 

Amy Gutmann

 

Born 1949

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: President of the University of

Trustee since June 2006

Pennsylvania since 2004; Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, Annenberg School

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

for Communication, and Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania

 

since 2004; Provost (2001–2004) and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the

 

University Center for Human Values (1990–2004), Princeton University; Director of Carnegie

 

Corporation of New York and of Philadelphia 2016 (since 2005) and of Schuylkill River

 

Development Corporation and Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (since 2004).

 

JoAnn Heffernan Heisen

 

Born 1950

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Corporate Vice President and Chief

Trustee since July 1998

Global Diversity Officer (since January 2006), Vice President and Chief Information

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Officer (1997–2005), and Member of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson

 

(pharmaceuticals/consumer products); Director of the University Medical Center at

 

Princeton and Women’s Research and Education Institute.

 

 

André F. Perold

 

Born 1952

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: George Gund Professor of Finance and

Trustee since December 2004

Banking, Harvard Business School (since 2000); Senior Associate Dean, Director of Faculty

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Recruiting, and Chair of Finance Faculty, Harvard Business School; Director and Chairman

 

of UNX, Inc. (equities trading firm) (since 2003); Director of registered investment

 

companies advised by Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and affiliates (1985–2004),

 

Genbel Securities Limited (South African financial services firm) (1999–2003), Gensec

 

Bank (1999–2003), Sanlam, Ltd. (South African insurance company) (2001–2003), and

 

Stockback, Inc. (credit card firm) (2000–2002).

 

 

Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.

 

Born 1941

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman, President, Chief Executive

Trustee since January 1993

Officer, and Director of NACCO Industries, Inc. (forklift trucks/housewares/ lignite);

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Goodrich Corporation (industrial products/aircraft systems and services).

 

 

J. Lawrence Wilson

 

Born 1936

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Retired Chairman and Chief Executive

Trustee since April 1985

Officer of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Director of Cummins Inc. (diesel engines),

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

MeadWestvaco Corp. (packaging products), and AmerisourceBergen Corp. (pharmaceutical

 

distribution); Trustee of Vanderbilt University and of Culver Educational Foundation.

 

 

Executive Officers1

 

 

 

Heidi Stam

 

Born 1956

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Managing Director of The Vanguard

Secretary since July 2005

Group, Inc., since 2006; General Counsel of The Vanguard Group since 2005; Secretary

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

of The Vanguard Group, and each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard

 

Group, since 2005; Principal of The Vanguard Group (1997-2006).

 

 

Thomas J. Higgins

 

Born 1957

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Principal of The Vanguard Group, Inc.;

Treasurer since July 1998

Treasurer of each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

Vanguard Senior Management Team

 

 

R. Gregory Barton

Kathleen C. Gubanich

Michael S. Miller

Mortimer J. Buckley

Paul A. Heller

Ralph K. Packard

James H. Gately

F. William McNabb, III

George U. Sauter

 

 

Founder

 

 

 

John C. Bogle

 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1974–1996

 

 

1 Officers of the funds are “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

2 December 2002 for Vanguard Equity Income Fund, Vanguard Growth Equity Fund, the Vanguard Municipal Bond Funds, and the Vanguard State Tax-Exempt Funds.

More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, available from The Vanguard Group.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

P.O. Box 2600

 

Valley Forge, PA 19482-2600

 

Connect with Vanguard™ > www.vanguard.com

 

 

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

Vanguard, Admiral, Connect with Vanguard, Vanguard ETF

 

and the ship logo are trademarks of The Vanguard Group,

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

Inc.

 

 

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

All other marks are the exclusive property of their

 

respective owners.

Text Telephone for the

 

Hearing Impaired > 800-952-3335

All comparative mutual fund data are from Lipper Inc.

 

or Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This material may be used in conjunction

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting

with the offering of shares of any Vanguard

guidelines by visiting our website, www.vanguard.com,

fund only if preceded or accompanied by

and searching for “proxy voting guidelines,” or by calling

the fund’s current prospectus.

Vanguard at 800-662-2739. They are also available from

 

the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may

 

obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for

 

securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30.

 

To get the report, visit either www.vanguard.com

 

or www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

You can review and copy information about your fund

 

at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.

 

To find out more about this public service, call the SEC

 

at 202-551-8090. Information about your fund is also

 

available on the SEC’s website, and you can receive

 

copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a

 

request in either of two ways: via e-mail addressed to

 

publicinfo@sec.gov or via regular mail addressed to the

 

Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange

 

Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2007 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

 

 

 

Q1230 032007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Vanguard® Dividend Growth Fund

 

 

 

 

> Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


> Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund returned 17.8% during the 12 months ended January 31, 2007.

 

> The fund outpaced both its primary benchmark index and the average return of its peer group, benefiting from the strong performance of its holdings in several sectors, particularly industrials and consumer-oriented stocks.

 

> The U.S. stock market produced healthy gains, shrugging off fears of inflation and concern over the housing industry.

 

 

Contents

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Total Returns

1

Chairman’s Letter

2

Advisor’s Report

7

Fund Profile

9

Performance Summary

10

Financial Statements

12

Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

21

About Your Fund’s Expenses

22

Glossary

24

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the cover of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

 


Your Fund’s Total Returns

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

Total

 

Returns

Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund

17.8%

Russell 1000 Index

14.5   

Average Large-Cap Core Fund1

12.3   

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.1   

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

January 31, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Distributions Per Share

 

Starting

Ending

Income

Capital

 

Share Price

Share Price

Dividends

Gains

Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund

$12.75

$14.74

$0.26

$0.00

 

 

1 Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

1

 



 

Chairman’s Letter

 

Dear Shareholder,

 

Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund returned 17.8% for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. The fund made the most of a strong market for dividend-paying stocks, with especially strong selections among industrial and consumer-oriented companies. The fund’s performance outpaced the 12.3% return of the average large-cap core mutual fund and the 14.5% return of the Russell 1000 Index, the fund’s primary unmanaged benchmark.

 

If you own your fund in a taxable account, you may wish to see page 21 for a report on the fund’s after-tax returns.

 

Domestic equity markets did well; markets abroad did even better

In the first half of the fiscal year, returns from large-capitalization stocks were virtually flat, while those of small-caps lost some ground. In the second six months, both large and small stocks rebounded, with small-caps faring slightly better. For the 12 months, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%. Despite the weakness in the housing sector, the economy showed remarkable resilience, and corporate profits rose at a fast clip.

 

Across market capitalizations, value-oriented stocks outpaced their growth-oriented counterparts. International stocks continued to outperform U.S. stocks, as overseas markets—especially European and emerging markets—produced stellar

 

2

 


returns. For U.S.-based investors, the dollar’s weakness further enhanced the results of international stocks.

 

Bond returns were modest as the Fed put rate hikes on hold

In the first six months of the fiscal year, the Federal Reserve Board continued its campaign to keep inflation in check, raising its target for the key federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point on three occasions (in addition to a 0.25-percentage-point increase the day before the fiscal year began). Then, at its August meeting, the Fed left the target rate unchanged at 5.25%, where it remained through the end of the fiscal period, as inflation fears diminished.

 

Following the Fed’s pause, the prices of longer-maturity bonds rose faster than those of short-term bonds, reducing their yields more dramatically. Throughout the maturity spectrum, the “yield spread,” or the difference between yields of corporate securities and those of U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturities, became even tighter. Bonds produced coupon-like returns for the period, with the broad taxable bond market returning 4.3%. Corporate bonds generally outperformed U.S. government issues. The Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index, a proxy for money market yields, returned 4.9%.

 

Market Barometer

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Stocks

 

 

 

Russell 1000 Index (Large-caps)

14.5%

11.0%

7.5%

Russell 2000 Index (Small-caps)

10.4   

12.6   

12.0   

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

(Entire market)

14.1   

11.5   

8.4   

MSCI All Country World Index ex

USA (International)

19.3   

21.3   

18.0   

 

 

 

 

Bonds

 

 

 

Lehman Aggregate Bond Index

(Broad taxable market)

4.3%

3.4%

4.9%

Lehman Municipal Bond Index

4.3   

4.0   

5.1   

Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index

4.9   

3.1   

2.4   

 

 

 

 

CPI

 

 

 

Consumer Price Index

2.1%

3.0%

2.7%

 

 

3

 


Fund performance was bolstered by stock-picking in several sectors

The Dividend Growth Fund focuses primarily on the stocks of larger, high-quality, dividend-paying companies, but it takes a different approach from that of many income-oriented portfolios. Wellington Management Company, your fund’s advisor, is less concerned with what a company’s dividend is now than with what it is likely to be down the road.

 

Wellington seeks to identify companies that will increase their earnings over time and that have made a commitment to use some of the cash they generate to raise their dividend payouts. The strategy was particularly successful during the past 12 months: All but two of the companies in the portfolio at the fiscal year-end had raised their dividends. Notable examples included McDonald’s, which announced that it would raise its annual dividend by 49%, and Prudential, which said it would raise its annual dividend by 22%.

 

The Dividend Growth Fund’s strong performance over the 12 months was broadly based across sectors, led in particular by its industrials and consumer-oriented holdings. Aerospace contractors Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, benefiting from higher government spending, were at the forefront of the industrials group, which made the largest contribution to the fund’s total return.

 

The resilience of the U.S. consumer was evident in the returns provided by companies like CBS, Walt Disney, and

 

Total Returns

 

 

Ten Years Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Average

Final Value of a $10,000

 

Annual Return

Initial Investment

Dividend Growth Fund

6.8%

$19,375

Dividend Growth Spliced Index

6.4   

18,582

Dividend Growth Spliced Average1

5.2   

16,612

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

8.3   

22,235

 

The figures shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

1 Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

Note: The footnotes on page 10 describe the composition of the spliced index and peer-group average.

 

4

 


Nike. Their gains helped to offset the drag from Carnival, the world’s largest cruise operator and the largest individual detractor from the fund’s return.

 

Supermarket giant Safeway, which advanced on the strength of upgrades to existing stores and the opening of new ones, was another strong performer.

 

Other bright spots included a handful of strongly performing pharmaceuticals firms; AT&T, which rallied on news of its agreement to merge with BellSouth; and ExxonMobil, the fund’s largest holding on average over the period. At the end of the calendar year, the energy giant again set a record for the largest annual profit by a U.S. company; it had done the same thing in 2005.

 

Shortfalls were conspicuous by their absence. The fund earned double-digit returns in every sector. In comparison with the benchmark index, the fund’s weak spots were mostly errors of omission. Financial stocks, for example, represent a much smaller portion of the fund than the index, and as a group they made a proportionately smaller contribution to the fund’s overall return. Bank of America and Citigroup provided strong returns for the fund, but in general, financial companies, particularly the high-flying capital markets firms, did not present the potential for dividend growth and the attractive valuations that the fund seeks.

 

For more details about the fund’s positioning and performance during the fiscal year, see the Advisor’s Report on page 7.

 

Expense Ratios1

 

 

Your fund compared with its peer group

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

Large-Cap

 

Fund

Core Fund

Dividend Growth Fund

0.38%

1.35%

 

1 Fund expense ratio reflects the 12 months ended January 31, 2007. Peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper Inc. and captures information through year-end 2006.

 

5

 


The fund has chalked up a respectable long-term record

It has been a little over four years now since your fund adopted its dividend-growth strategy, after spending its earlier years as a utility fund. During this time, the fund has benefited significantly from the guidance of its advisor, Wellington Management Company. The Dividend Growth Fund is concentrated in a relatively small number of holdings—at the end of the fiscal year, it contained 60 stocks—magnifying the impact of Wellington’s talent and expertise in selecting securities and positioning the portfolio. Since the end of 2002, the Dividend Growth Fund has produced an annualized return of 15.6%, in line with the return of its benchmark and superior to the 12.9% average return of its peer group.

 

The long-term performance table on page 4 compares the fund’s ten-year results with those of spliced measures of its former and present benchmarks and peer averages, and shows what would have happened to a hypothetical $10,000 investment made at the start of the period. Because of the fund’s December 2002 change in strategy, however, the information is not especially meaningful.

 

One thing that has remained constant over the ten years is the significant cost advantage your fund enjoys over its rivals, which helps to keep more of its return in your pocket. During the fiscal year, the fund’s expense ratio was nearly a percentage point less than the average for its peers.

 

Diversification and balance are key to a patient approach

As the new calendar year begins, there is much talk about what to expect from the economy and the financial markets in 2007. For the individual investor, following along as the pundits discuss inflation, the housing industry, or, say, the dollar’s decline (or rise) can be entertaining, but not particularly rewarding.

 

Our counsel, as always, is to tune out the noise so that you can stay focused on a carefully considered, long-range investment plan, one that is built on a balanced foundation of mutual funds that provide broad exposure to stocks, bonds, and short-term investments. We believe that the Dividend Growth Fund, with its low-cost advantage and its focus on finding companies that are likely to increase their earnings and dividends in the years ahead, can be a valuable part of a diversified long-term portfolio that will help you reach your financial goals.

 

Thank you for entrusting your assets to Vanguard.

 

Sincerely,

 


 

John J. Brennan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

February 16, 2007

 

 

6

 


Advisor’s Report

 

Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund advanced 17.8% for the 12-month period ended January 31, 2007. This performance compared favorably to the 14.5% return achieved by the Russell 1000 Index and the 12.3% gain of the average large-cap core fund.

 

The investment environment

The last 12 months have been quite eventful for equity markets. Questions about the health of the global economy and the Middle East turmoil abound. The emergence of the large private equity fund and its growing influence are particularly noteworthy. Continuing growth in private equity capital has spawned a furious takeover environment.

 

This trend toward privatization has been made possible, in some part, by the low interest rates and tight credit spreads that have defined the global financial landscape. Both the cost of money and the implied cost of risk remain low by historical standards. Even though these dynamics have resulted in some distortions in the market, we remain dedicated to our approach of focusing on companies we think are best positioned to generate long-term dividend growth.

 

The fund’s successes

The Dividend Growth Fund’s holdings in industrials, health care, and energy stocks boosted performance during the period.

Among the portfolio’s top contributors were Lockheed Martin, Schering-Plough, Nokia, Safeway, Chevron, and CBS.

 

Only two companies held in the portfolio at the end of the fiscal year failed to increase their dividends during the period. Several holdings raised dividends by more than 30%, including Cardinal Health, CBS, and Linear Technology. Over the period, the average dividend increase in the fund exceeded 15%.

 

The fund’s shortfalls

Among those individual holdings that detracted from the fund’s performance during the 12 months, one of the most noteworthy was UPS. The company’s stock underperformed in large part because of investors’ concern about the economic environment and how this uncertainty might affect the company’s revenue, especially in the domestic package business. We remain highly confident in UPS’s long-term prospects for solid dividend growth and strong share-price appreciation. UPS raised its dividend payment by more than 15% during our fiscal year.

 

The fund’s positioning and strategy

Our primary aim is to identify companies that we believe will steadily and reliably increase their dividend payments. We carefully build the portfolio one stock at a time, giving central consideration to

 

7

 


each company’s dividend growth prospects. Our industry weightings are a consequence of this process. The fund currently has significant positions in health care, industrials, and both consumer sectors while having less exposure to the utilities, telecommunication services, and materials sectors.

 

Donald J. Kilbride

Vice President and Portfolio Manager

Wellington Management Company, LLP

February 12, 2007

 

 

8

 


Fund Profile

As of January 31, 2007

 

Portfolio Characteristics

 

 

 

 

Comparative

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Number of Stocks

60

983

4,939

Median Market Cap

$64.5B

$42.8B

$30.8B

Price/Earnings Ratio

15.9x

17.4x

17.9x

Price/Book Ratio

3.2x

2.9x

2.8x

Yield

1.7%

1.8%

1.7%

Return on Equity

21.8%

18.8%

17.8%

Earnings Growth Rate

17.0%

18.6%

18.5%

Foreign Holdings

5.0%

0.0%

1.1%

Turnover Rate

41%

Expense Ratio

0.38%

Short-Term Reserves

2%

 

Sector Diversification (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

Comparative

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Consumer Discretionary

14%

11%

13%

Consumer Staples

13   

9   

8   

Energy

11   

9   

9   

Financials

13   

22   

23   

Health Care

16   

12   

12   

Industrials

15   

11   

11   

Information Technology

12   

15   

15   

Materials

1   

3   

3   

Telecommunication

 

 

 

Services

2   

4   

3   

Utilities

1   

4   

3   

Short-Term Reserves

2%

—   

—   

 

Volatility Measures3

 

 

Fund Versus

Fund Versus

 

Comparative Index1

Broad Index2

R-Squared

0.85

0.81

Beta

0.79

0.71

 

 


Ten Largest Holdings4 (% of total net assets)

 

 

 

ExxonMobil Corp.

integrated

 

 

oil and gas

3.3%

Total SA ADR

integrated

 

 

oil and gas

2.8   

Chevron Corp.

integrated

 

 

oil and gas

2.8   

Cardinal Health, Inc.

health care

 

 

distributors

2.6   

Medtronic, Inc.

health care

 

 

equipment

2.6   

Microsoft Corp.

systems software

2.5   

Citigroup, Inc.

diversified

 

 

financial services

2.5   

Eli Lilly & Co.

pharmaceuticals

2.5   

General Electric Co.

industrial

 

 

conglomerates

2.4   

Schering-Plough Corp.

pharmaceuticals

2.3   

Top Ten

 

26.3%

 

 

Investment Focus

 


 

1 Russell 1000 Index.

2 Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

3 For an explanation of R-squared, beta, and other terms used here, see the Glossary on page 24.

4 “Ten Largest Holdings” excludes any temporary cash investments and equity index products.

 

9

 


Performance Summary

 

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

 

Cumulative Performance: January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

Initial Investment of $10,000

 


 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

Final Value

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

of a $10,000

 

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Investment

Dividend Growth Fund1

17.84%

7.56%

6.84%

$19,375

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

14.14   

8.35   

8.32   

22,235

Russell 1000 Index

14.48   

7.51   

8.23   

22,047

Dividend Growth Spliced Index2

14.48   

4.72   

6.39   

18,582

Dividend Growth Spliced Average3

12.34   

4.37   

5.21   

16,612

 

 

1 Prior to December 6, 2002, the fund was known as Utilities Income Fund.

2 Prior to December 6, 2002, the comparative benchmark was known as the Utilities Composite Index. The index weightings have been: 40% S&P Utilities Index, 40% S&P Telephone Index, and 20% Lehman Utility Bond Index through April 30, 1999; 63.75% S&P Utilities Index, 21.25% S&P Telephone Index, and 15% Lehman Utility Bond Index through March 31, 2000; 75% S&P Utilities Index, 25% S&P Telephone Index through December 31, 2001; 75% S&P Utilities Index, 25% S&P Integrated Telecommunication Services Index through December 6, 2002; and Russell 1000 Index thereafter.

3 Based on the average utility fund through December 6, 2002, and the average large-cap core fund thereafter. Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

 

10

 


 

Fiscal-Year Total Returns (%): January 31, 1997–January 31, 2007

 


 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended December 31, 2006

This table presents average annual total returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

 

Inception Date

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Dividend Growth Fund

5/15/1992

19.58%

6.56%

6.87%

 

 

 

1 Prior to December 6, 2002, the fund was known as Utilities Income Fund.

2 Prior to December 6, 2002, the comparative benchmark was known as the Utilities Composite Index. The index weightings have been: 40% S&P Utilities Index, 40% S&P Telephone Index, and 20% Lehman Utility Bond Index through April 30, 1999; 63.75% S&P Utilities Index, 21.25% S&P Telephone Index, and 15% Lehman Utility Bond Index through March 31, 2000; 75% S&P Utilities Index, 25% S&P Telephone Index through December 31, 2001; 75% S&P Utilities Index, 25% S&P Integrated Telecommunication Services Index through December 6, 2002; and Russell 1000 Index thereafter.

Note: See Financial Highlights table on page 16 for dividend and capital gains information.

 

 

11

 


Financial Statements

 

Statement of Net Assets

As of January 31, 2007

 

The fund provides a complete list of its holdings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Common Stocks (98.3%)

 

 

Consumer Discretionary (14.0%)

 

NIKE, Inc. Class B

280,900

27,756

CBS Corp.

807,600

25,173

Home Depot, Inc.

528,600

21,535

TJX Cos., Inc.

721,600

21,338

McDonald’s Corp.

438,000

19,425

The Walt Disney Co.

460,800

16,206

The Gap, Inc.

624,100

11,964

Staples, Inc.

463,600

11,924

The McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc.

175,300

11,759

Carnival Corp.

137,000

7,064

 

 

174,144

Consumer Staples (13.4%)

 

 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

534,700

25,500

PepsiCo, Inc.

338,800

22,103

Safeway, Inc.

535,300

19,287

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

269,000

18,668

The Procter & Gamble Co.

285,400

18,514

The Coca-Cola Co.

368,000

17,620

Altria Group, Inc.

197,200

17,233

General Mills, Inc.

251,000

14,367

Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc.

251,200

12,804

 

 

166,096

Energy (11.1%)

 

 

ExxonMobil Corp.

557,100

41,281

Total SA ADR

515,400

35,073

Chevron Corp.

471,900

34,392

ConocoPhillips Co.

417,600

27,733

 

 


 

 

 

138,479

Financials (12.7%)

 

 

Citigroup, Inc.

572,100

31,540

Prudential Financial, Inc.

314,200

28,005

Bank of America Corp.

520,900

27,389

American International

 

 

Group, Inc.

334,400

22,890

State Street Corp.

267,600

19,013

ACE Ltd.

321,700

18,588

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

104,500

9,777

 

 

157,202

Health Care (16.0%)

 

 

Cardinal Health, Inc.

451,400

32,239

Medtronic, Inc.

598,300

31,979

Eli Lilly & Co.

581,700

31,482

Schering-Plough Corp.

1,163,900

29,097

Johnson & Johnson

309,300

20,661

Abbott Laboratories

357,300

18,937

Wyeth

371,500

18,356

AstraZeneca Group PLC ADR

283,400

15,856

 

 

198,607

Industrials (15.2%)

 

 

General Electric Co.

819,500

29,543

United Parcel Service, Inc.

318,800

23,043

Avery Dennison Corp.

304,800

20,836

Lockheed Martin Corp.

201,700

19,603

General Dynamics Corp.

240,600

18,803

Emerson Electric Co.

418,000

18,797

Honeywell International Inc.

283,400

12,948

The Boeing Co.

132,300

11,849

Pitney Bowes, Inc.

236,000

11,297

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

218,900

11,162

United Technologies Corp.

161,200

10,965

 

 

188,846

Information Technology (11.8%)

 

Microsoft Corp.

1,022,800

31,563

Automatic Data

 

 

Processing, Inc.

578,700

27,616

Linear Technology Corp.

735,900

22,776

International Business

 

 

Machines Corp.

212,800

21,099

Paychex, Inc.

467,600

18,709

Motorola, Inc.

681,700

13,532

Nokia Corp. ADR

531,800

11,753

 

 


 

 

 

147,048

Materials (1.6%)

 

 

Weyerhaeuser Co.

165,200

12,390

Alcoa Inc.

222,900

7,200

 

 

19,590

 

 

12

 


 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Telecommunication Services (1.8%)

 

AT&T Inc.

601,100

22,619

 

 

 

Utilities (0.7%)

 

 

Exelon Corp.

146,800

8,807

Total Common Stocks

 

 

(Cost $945,679)

 

1,221,438

 

Face

 

 

Amount

 

 

($000)

 

Temporary Cash Investments (1.7%)

 

Repurchase Agreement

 

 

Credit Suisse First

 

 

Boston LLC 5.270%,

 

 

2/1/07 (Dated 1/31/07,

 

 

Repurchase Value

 

 

$21,503,000, collateralized

 

 

by Federal National

 

 

Mortgage Assn.,

 

 

5.500%–6.500%,

 

 

6/1/08–2/1/37)

 

 

(Cost $21,500)

21,500

21,500

Total Investments (100.0%)

 

 

(Cost $967,179)

 

1,242,938

Other Assets and Liabilities (0.0%)

 

Other Assets—Note C

 

8,130

Liabilities

 

(8,352)

 

 

(222)

Net Assets (100%)

 

 

Applicable to 84,324,320 outstanding

 

$.001 par value shares of beneficial

 

interest (unlimited authorization)

1,242,716

Net Asset Value Per Share

 

$14.74

 

 

At January 31, 2007, net assets consisted of:1

 

Amount

Per

 

($000)

Share

Paid-in Capital

1,024,564

$12.16

Overdistributed Net

 

 

Investment Income

(560)

(.01)

Accumulated Net

 

 

Realized Losses

(57,047)

(.68)

Unrealized Appreciation

275,759

3.27

Net Assets

1,242,716

$14.74

 

 

• See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.

1 See Note E in Notes to Financial Statements for the tax-basis components of net assets.

ADR—American Depositary Receipt.

 

 

13

 


Statement of Operations

 

 

Year Ended

 

January 31, 2007

 

($000)

Investment Income

 

Income

 

Dividends

23,609

Interest

866

Security Lending

154

Total Income

24,629

Expenses

 

Investment Advisory Fees—Note B

 

Basic Fee

1,319

Performance Adjustment

146

The Vanguard Group—Note C

 

Management and Administrative

2,341

Marketing and Distribution

181

Custodian Fees

10

Auditing Fees

19

Shareholders’ Reports

35

Trustees’ Fees and Expenses

2

Total Expenses

4,053

Expenses Paid Indirectly—Note D

(81)

Net Expenses

3,972

Net Investment Income

20,657

Realized Net Gain (Loss) on Investment Securities Sold

81,236

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of

Investment Securities

78,627

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from

Operations

180,520

 

 

14

 


Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

($000)

($000)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

Operations

 

 

Net Investment Income

20,657

18,128

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

81,236

28,292

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

78,627

41,590

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting

from Operations

180,520

88,010

Distributions

 

 

Net Investment Income

(20,673)

(19,180)

Realized Capital Gain

Total Distributions

(20,673)

(19,180)

Capital Share Transactions—Note G

 

 

Issued

221,674

144,674

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

17,716

16,255

Redeemed

(151,063)

(200,711)

Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital Share

Transactions

88,327

(39,782)

Total Increase (Decrease)

248,174

29,048

Net Assets

 

 

Beginning of Period

994,542

965,494

End of Period1

1,242,716

994,542

 

 

Net Assets—End of Period includes undistributed (overdistributed) net investment income of ($560,000) and ($544,000).

 

 

15

 


Financial Highlights

 

 

Year Ended January31,

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$12.75

$11.89

$11.33

$8.48

$11.47

Investment Operations

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

.26

.22

.231

.18

.37

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain

 

 

 

 

 

(Loss) on Investments

1.99

.88

.55

2.86

(2.98)

Total from Investment Operations

2.25

1.10

.78

3.04

(2.61)

Distributions

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(.26)

(.24)

(.22)

(.19)

(.38)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

Total Distributions

(.26)

(.24)

(.22)

(.19)

(.38)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$14.74

$12.75

$11.89

$11.33

$8.48

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Return

17.84%

9.34%

6.92%

36.08%

–23.22%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$1,243

$995

$965

$818

$550

Ratio of Total Expenses to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

0.38%2

0.37%2

0.37%2

0.40%

0.34%

Ratio of Net Investment Income to

 

 

 

 

 

Average Net Assets

1.93%

1.85%

2.04%1

1.84%

3.57%

Portfolio Turnover Rate

41%

16%

20%

23%

104%3

 

 

1 Net investment income per share and the ratio of net investment income to average net assets include $.03 and 0.28%, respectively, resulting from a special dividend from Microsoft Corp. in November 2004.

2 Includes performance-based investment advisory fee increases (decreases) of 0.01%, 0.01%, and 0.01%.

3 Includes activity related to a change in the fund’s investment objective.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

 

16

 


Notes to Financial Statements

 

Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund files reports with the SEC under the company name Vanguard Specialized Funds.

 

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. mutual funds. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

 

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been materially affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued by methods deemed by the board of trustees to represent fair value. Temporary cash investments acquired over 60 days to maturity are valued using the latest bid prices or using valuations based on a matrix system (which considers such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, and ratings), both as furnished by independent pricing services. Other temporary cash investments are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.

 

2. Repurchase Agreements: The fund may invest in repurchase agreements. Securities pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal; however, in the event of default or bankruptcy by the other party to the agreement, retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings.

 

3. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements.

 

4. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

 

5. Security Lending: The fund may lend its securities to qualified institutional borrowers to earn additional income. Security loans are required to be secured at all times by collateral at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Security lending income represents the income earned on investing cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan.

 

6. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income is accrued daily. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold.

 

B. Wellington Management Company, LLP, provides investment advisory services to the fund for a fee calculated at an annual percentage rate of average net assets. The basic fee is subject to quarterly adjustments based on the fund’s performance for the preceding three years relative to the Russell 1000 Index. For the year ended January 31, 2007, the investment advisory fee represented an effective annual basic rate of 0.12% of the fund’s average net assets before an increase of $146,000 (0.01%) based on performance.

 

 

17

 


C. The Vanguard Group furnishes at cost corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services. The costs of such services are allocated to the fund under methods approved by the board of trustees. The fund has committed to provide up to 0.40% of its net assets in capital contributions to Vanguard. At January 31, 2007, the fund had contributed capital of $118,000 to Vanguard (included in Other Assets), representing 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 0.12% of Vanguard’s capitalization. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and officers of Vanguard.

 

D. The fund has asked its investment advisor to direct certain security trades, subject to obtaining the best price and execution, to brokers who have agreed to rebate to the fund part of the commissions generated. Such rebates are used solely to reduce the fund’s management and administrative expenses. The fund’s custodian bank has also agreed to reduce its fees when the fund maintains cash on deposit in the non-interest-bearing custody account. For the year ended January 31, 2007, these arrangements reduced the fund’s management and administrative expenses by $74,000 and custodian fees by $7,000. The total expense reduction represented an effective annual rate of 0.01% of the fund’s average net assets.

 

E. Distributions are determined on a tax basis and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes. Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Differences in classification may also result from the treatment of short-term gains as ordinary income for tax purposes.

 

For tax purposes, at January 31, 2007, the fund had $1,100,000 of ordinary income available for distributions. The fund had available realized losses of $56,731,000 to offset future net capital gains of $56,731,000 through January 31, 2012.

 

At January 31, 2007, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $967,179,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $275,759,000 consisting of unrealized gains of $279,239,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $3,480,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase.

 

F. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the fund purchased $507,295,000 of investment securities and sold $436,126,000 of investment securities other than temporary cash investments.

 

18

 


G. Capital shares issued and redeemed were:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

2007

2006

 

Shares

Shares

 

(000)

(000)

Issued

16,265

11,818

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

1,305

1,327

Redeemed

(11,242)

(16,377)

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding

6,328

(3,232)

 

H. In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.” FIN 48 establishes the minimum threshold for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of tax-return positions in financial statements. FIN 48 will be effective for the fund’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Management is in the process of analyzing the fund’s tax positions for purposes of implementing FIN 48; based on the analysis completed to date, management does not believe the adoption of FIN 48 will result in any material impact to the fund’s financial statements.

 

19

 


Report of Independent Registered

Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund:

 

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of net assets and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Specialized Funds, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at January 31, 2007, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at January 31, 2007 by correspondence with the custodians and broker, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

March 13, 2007

 

 

Special 2007 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund

 

This information for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

The fund distributed $20,673,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal year.

 

For corporate shareholders, 100.0% of investment income (dividend income plus short-term gains, if any) qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

 

 

20

 


Your Fund’s After-Tax Returns

 

This table presents returns for your fund both before and after taxes. The after-tax returns are shown in two ways: (1) assuming that an investor owned the fund during the entire period and paid taxes on the fund’s distributions, and (2) assuming that an investor paid taxes on the fund’s distributions and sold all shares at the end of each period.

 

Calculations are based on the highest individual federal income tax and capital gains tax rates in effect at the times of the distributions and the hypothetical sales. State and local taxes were not considered. After-tax returns reflect any qualified dividend income, using actual prior-year figures and estimates for 2007. (In the example, returns after the sale of fund shares may be higher than those assuming no sale. This occurs when the sale would have produced a capital loss. The calculation assumes that the investor received a tax deduction for the loss.)

 

Please note that your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. Also note that if you own the fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information does not apply to you. Such accounts are not subject to current taxes.

 

Finally, keep in mind that a fund’s performance—whether before or after taxes—does not guarantee future results.

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Dividend Growth Fund

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

One

Five

Ten

 

Year

Years

Years

Returns Before Taxes

17.84%

7.56%

6.84%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

17.50   

7.00   

5.27   

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and

Sale of Fund Shares

11.99   

6.27   

5.10   

 

 

 

21

 


About Your Fund’s Expenses

 

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

 

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

 

The table below illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

 

• Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

 

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

 

• Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Six Months Ended January 31, 2007

 

Beginning

Ending

Expenses

 

Account Value

Account Value

Paid During

Dividend Growth Fund

7/31/2006

1/31/2007

Period1

Based on Actual Fund Return

$1,000.00

$1,131.75

$1.99

Based on Hypothetical 5%

Yearly Return

1,000.00

1,023.34

1.89

 

Note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs or account maintenance fees. They do not include your fund’s low-balance fee, which is described in the prospectus. If this fee were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not charge transaction fees, such as purchase or redemption fees, nor does it carry a “sales load.”

 

1 These calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratio for that period is 0.37%. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period.

 

 

22

 


The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

 

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate fund prospectus.

 

 

 

23

 


Glossary

 

Beta. A measure of the magnitude of a fund’s past share-price fluctuations in relation to the ups and downs of a given market index. The index is assigned a beta of 1.00. Compared with a given index, a fund with a beta of 1.20 typically would have seen its share price rise or fall by 12% when the index rose or fell by 10%. A fund’s beta should be reviewed in conjunction with its R-squared (see definition below). The lower the R-squared, the less correlation there is between the fund and the index, and the less reliable beta is as an indicator of volatility.

 

Earnings Growth Rate. The average annual rate of growth in earnings over the past five years for the stocks now in a fund.

 

Expense Ratio. The percentage of a fund’s average net assets used to pay its annual administrative and advisory expenses. These expenses directly reduce returns to investors.

 

Foreign Holdings. The percentage of a fund represented by stocks or depositary receipts of companies based outside the United States.

 

Inception Date. The date on which the assets of a fund (or one of its share classes) are first invested in accordance with the fund’s investment objective. For funds with a subscription period, the inception date is the day after that period ends. Investment performance is measured from the inception date.

 

Median Market Cap. An indicator of the size of companies in which a fund invests; the midpoint of market capitalization (market price x shares outstanding) of a fund’s stocks, weighted by the proportion of the fund’s assets invested in each stock. Stocks representing half of the fund’s assets have market capitalizations above the median, and the rest are below it.

 

Price/Book Ratio. The share price of a stock divided by its net worth, or book value, per share. For a fund, the weighted average price/book ratio of the stocks it holds.

 

Price/Earnings Ratio. The ratio of a stock’s current price to its per-share earnings over the past year. For a fund, the weighted average P/E of the stocks it holds. P/E is an indicator of market expectations about corporate prospects; the higher the P/E, the greater the expectations for a company’s future growth.

 

R-Squared. A measure of how much of a fund’s past returns can be explained by the returns from the market in general, as measured by a given index. If a fund’s total returns were precisely synchronized with an index’s returns, its R-squared would be 1.00. If the fund’s returns bore no relationship to the index’s returns, its R-squared would be 0.

 

Return on Equity. The annual average rate of return generated by a company during the past five years for each dollar of shareholder’s equity (net income divided by shareholder’s equity). For a fund, the weighted average return on equity for the companies whose stocks it holds.

 

Short-Term Reserves. The percentage of a fund invested in highly liquid, short-term securities that can be readily converted to cash.

 

Turnover Rate. An indication of the fund’s trading activity. Funds with high turnover rates incur higher transaction costs and may be more likely to distribute capital gains (which may be taxable to investors). The turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, which have minimal impact on costs.

 

Yield. A snapshot of a fund’s income from interest and dividends. The yield, expressed as a percentage of the fund’s net asset value, is based on income earned over the past 30 days and is annualized, or projected forward for the coming year. The index yield is based on the current annualized rate of income provided by securities in the index.

 

 

24

 


 

 

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The People Who Govern Your Fund

 

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them on an at-cost basis.

 

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals.

 

Our independent board members bring distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service to their task of working with Vanguard officers to establish the policies and oversee the activities of the funds. Among board members’ responsibilities are selecting investment advisors for the funds; monitoring fund operations, performance, and costs; reviewing contracts; nominating and selecting new trustees/directors; and electing Vanguard officers.

 

Each trustee serves a fund until its termination; or until the trustee’s retirement, resignation, or death; or otherwise as specified in the fund’s organizational documents. Any trustee may be removed at a shareholders’ meeting by a vote representing two-thirds of the net asset value of all shares of the fund together with shares of other Vanguard funds organized within the same trust. The table on these two pages shows information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482.

 

 

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Trustee

 

 

John J. Brennan1

 

Born 1954

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive

Trustee since May 1987;

Officer, and Director/Trustee of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each of the investment

Chairman of the Board and

companies served by The Vanguard Group.

Chief Executive Officer

 

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Charles D. Ellis

 

Born 1937

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Applecore Partners (pro bono ventures

Trustee since January 2001

in education); Senior Advisor to Greenwich Associates (international business strategy

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

consulting); Successor Trustee of Yale University; Overseer of the Stern School of Business

 

at New York University; Trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

 

 

Rajiv L. Gupta

 

Born 1945

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Trustee since December 20012

of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Board Member of the American Chemistry Council;

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Tyco International, Ltd. (diversified manufacturing and services) since 2005;

 

Trustee of Drexel University and of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

 

 

Amy Gutmann

 

Born 1949

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: President of the University of

Trustee since June 2006

Pennsylvania since 2004; Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, Annenberg School

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

for Communication, and Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania

 

since 2004; Provost (2001–2004) and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the

 

University Center for Human Values (1990–2004), Princeton University; Director of Carnegie

 

Corporation of New York since 2005 and of Schuylkill River Development Corporation and

 

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce since 2004.

 

 


JoAnn Heffernan Heisen

 

Born 1950

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Corporate Vice President and Chief

Trustee since July 1998

Global Diversity Officer since 2006, Vice President and Chief Information Officer

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

(1997–2005), and Member of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson

 

(pharmaceuticals/consumer products); Director of the University Medical Center

 

at Princeton and Women’s Research and Education Institute.

 

 

André F. Perold

 

Born 1952

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: George Gund Professor of Finance

Trustee since December 2004

and Banking, Harvard Business School; Senior Associate Dean, Director of Faculty

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Recruiting, and Chair of Finance Faculty, Harvard Business School; Director and Chairman

 

of UNX, Inc. (equities trading firm) since 2003; Chair of the Investment Committee of

 

HighVista Strategies LLC (private investment firm) since 2005; Director of registered

 

investment companies advised by Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and affiliates

 

(1985–2004), Genbel Securities Limited (South African financial services firm)

 

(1999–2003), Gensec Bank (1999–2003), Sanlam, Ltd. (South African insurance

 

company) (2001–2003), and Stockback, Inc. (credit card firm) (2000–2002).

 

 

Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.

 

Born 1941

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman, President, Chief Executive

Trustee since January 1993

Officer, and Director of NACCO Industries, Inc. (forklift trucks/housewares/lignite); Director

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

of Goodrich Corporation (industrial products/aircraft systems and services).

 

 

J. Lawrence Wilson

 

Born 1936

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Retired Chairman and Chief Executive

Trustee since April 1985

Officer of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Director of Cummins Inc. (diesel engines),

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

MeadWestvaco Corp. (packaging products), and AmerisourceBergen Corp. (pharmaceutical

 

distribution); Trustee of Vanderbilt University and of Culver Educational Foundation.

 

 

Executive Officers1

 

 

 

Heidi Stam

 

Born 1956

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Managing Director of The Vanguard

Secretary since July 2005

Group, Inc., since 2006; General Counsel of The Vanguard Group since 2005; Secretary of

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

The Vanguard Group, and of each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard

 

Group, since 2005; Principal of The Vanguard Group (1997–2006).

 

 

Thomas J. Higgins

 

Born 1957

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Principal of The Vanguard Group, Inc.;

Treasurer since July 1998

Treasurer of each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

 

Vanguard Senior Management Team

 

 

R. Gregory Barton

Kathleen C. Gubanich

Michael S. Miller

Mortimer J. Buckley

Paul A. Heller

Ralph K. Packard

James H. Gately

F. William McNabb, III

George U. Sauter

 

 

Founder

 

 

 

John C. Bogle

 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1974–1996

 

 

1 Officers of the funds are “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

2 December 2002 for Vanguard Equity Income Fund, Vanguard Growth Equity Fund, the Vanguard Municipal Bond Funds, and the Vanguard State Tax-Exempt Funds.

More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, available from The Vanguard Group.

 



 

P.O. Box 2600

Valley Forge, PA 19482-2600

 

 

Connect with Vanguard® > www.vanguard.com

 

 

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

Vanguard, Connect with Vanguard, and the ship logo are

 

trademarks of The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

 

 

All other marks are the exclusive property of their

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

respective owners.

 

 

Text Telephone for the

 

Hearing-Impaired > 800-952-3335

All comparative mutual fund data are from Lipper Inc.

 

or Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting

 

guidelines by visiting our website, www.vanguard.com,

This material may be used in conjunction

and searching for “proxy voting guidelines,” or by calling

with the offering of shares of any Vanguard

Vanguard at 800-662-2739. They are also available from

fund only if preceded or accompanied by

the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may

the fund’s current prospectus.

obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for

 

securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30.

 

To get the report, visit either www.vanguard.com

 

or www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

You can review and copy information about your fund

 

at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.

 

To find out more about this public service, call the SEC

 

at 202-551-8090. Information about your fund is also

 

available on the SEC’s website, and you can receive

 

copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a

 

request in either of two ways: via e-mail addressed to

 

publicinfo@sec.gov or via regular mail addressed to the

 

Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange

 

Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2007 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

 

 

 

Q570 032007

 

 

 

 


 

 

Vanguard® Dividend Appreciation

Index Fund

 

> Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

The Investor Shares of Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund posted a

 

return of 10.0% from their April 27, 2006, inception through January 31, 2007.

 

>

Holdings in the fund’s three largest sectors—consumer staples, industrials,

 

and financials—contributed slightly more than half of the fund’s return.

 

>

For the 12 months that ended January 31, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

 

 

Your Fund’s Total Returns

1

Chairman’s Letter

2

Fund Profile

6

Performance Summary

7

Financial Statements

9

About Your Fund’s Expenses

21

Glossary

23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the cover of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

Your Fund’s Total Returns

 

 

 

Period Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

Returns Since

 

Inception1

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund Investor Shares

10.0%

Dividend Achievers Select Index

10.3

Average Large-Cap Core Fund2

9.6

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

10.9

 

 

 

 

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares3

 

Market Price

10.6%

Net Asset Value

10.4

Dividend Achievers Select Index

10.6

Average Large-Cap Core Fund

9.8

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

10.6

 

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions Per Share

 

Starting

Ending

Income

Capital

 

Share Price

Share Price

Dividends

Gains

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$20.054

$21.84

$0.206

$0.000

ETF Shares

49.945

54.60

0.526

0.000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception was April 27, 2006, for Investor Shares and April 21, 2006, for ETF Shares.

2

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

3

Vanguard ETF™ Shares are traded on the American Stock Exchange and are available only through brokers. The table shows ETF returns based on both the AMEX market price and the net asset value for a share. U.S. Pat. No. 6,879,964 B2

4

At inception, April 27, 2006.

5

At inception, April 21, 2006.

 

1

 


Chairman’s Letter

 

Dear Shareholder,

I am pleased to present the first annual report on Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund, covering the fund’s first nine months of operations.

Strong corporate earnings, low inflation, and a healthy export market were some of the underpinnings of the fund’s initial success. Since their April 27, 2006, inception, the fund’s Investor Shares returned 10.0%. This was in line with the return of the Dividend Achievers Select Index, a specially constructed index developed by Mergent, Inc., and ahead of the average return for large-capitalization core funds.

Domestic equity markets did well; markets abroad did even better

In the first half of the past year, returns from large-cap stocks were virtually flat, while those of small-caps lost some ground. In the second six months, both large and small stocks rebounded, with small-caps faring slightly better. For the 12 months, the broad U.S. stock market gained 14.1%. Despite the weakness in the housing sector, the economy showed remarkable resilience, and corporate profits rose at a fast clip.

Across market capitalizations, value-oriented stocks outpaced their growth-oriented counterparts. International stocks continued to outperform U.S. stocks, as overseas markets—especially European and emerging markets—produced stellar

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

returns. For U.S.-based investors, the dollar’s weakness further enhanced the results of international stocks.

Bond returns were modest as the Fed put rate hikes on hold

In the first six months of the past year, the Federal Reserve Board continued its campaign to keep inflation in check, raising its target for the key federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point on three occasions (in addition to a 0.25 percentage point increase the day before the fiscal year began). Then, at its August meeting, the Fed left the target rate unchanged at 5.25%, where it remained through the end of the fiscal period, as inflation fears diminished.

 

Following the Fed’s pause, the prices of longer-maturity bonds rose faster than those of short-term bonds, reducing their yields more dramatically. Throughout the maturity spectrum, the “yield spread,” or the difference between yields of corporate securities and those of U.S. Treasury securities of comparable maturities, became even tighter. Bonds produced coupon-like returns for the period, with the broad taxable bond market returning 4.3%. Corporate bonds generally outperformed U.S. government issues. The Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index, a proxy for money market yields, returned 4.9%.

 

 

 

Market Barometer

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

 

Periods Ended January 31, 2007

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Stocks

 

 

 

Russell 1000 Index (Large-caps)

14.5%

11.0%

7.5%

Russell 2000 Index (Small-caps)

10.4

12.6

12.0

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index (Entire market)

14.1

11.5

8.4

MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (International)

19.3

21.3

18.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonds

 

 

 

Lehman Aggregate Bond Index (Broad taxable market)

4.3%

3.4%

4.9%

Lehman Municipal Bond Index

4.3

4.0

5.1

Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index

4.9

3.1

2.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPI

 

 

 

Consumer Price Index

2.1%

3.0%

2.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Consumer staples led performance in fund’s first nine months

The fund seeks to track the Dividend Achievers Select Index, which is constructed of mature, blue chip companies that have met the index’s mandate for providing a history of relatively superior growth of dividends. The consumer staples sector, which makes up just over 22% of the fund’s index, on average, is the largest sector weighting for both the fund and the index. Companies in the sector include Anheuser-Busch and Colgate Palmolive; both were strong performers during the fund’s first nine months.

The fund also benefited from its heavy exposure to industrial companies, particularly defense contractors United Technologies and General Dynamics. Industrial conglomerate General Electric was also among the fund’s top performers.

All industry sectors produced positive returns, most in double digits. The fund’s second-largest sector, financials, lagged somewhat, with a gain of 8.5% as a group. Former highflier Legg Mason fell –18.5%, and consumer finance firm SLM Corp. and insurer Progressive Corp. also posted disappointing results for the period.

 

Materials, telecommunication services, and energy stocks produced the highest gains for the period; however, they make up only a small portion of fund assets.

Market cycles have smiled on dividend-paying stocks

When “New Economy” mania ruled in the late 1990s, dividend-paying stocks were considered a quaint throwback to a sleepier time. Then the market peaked early in 2000, and those new economy stocks took a drubbing. Investors found renewed appreciation for stocks that generate income through good times and bad.

For a stock to be included in the Dividend Achievers Select Index (which Mergent administers exclusively for Vanguard), the company must have a history of raising annual regular dividends for ten or more consecutive years. This produces a portfolio of large-cap, well-established companies that have been able to generate excess cash flow and use it to increase their dividends over time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

With its low-cost, indexed approach to investing in income-oriented stocks, the Dividend Appreciation Index Fund can be a very useful complement to a broad portfolio diversified to take advantage of other stock and bond market segments.

Thank you for entrusting your assets to Vanguard.

Sincerely,


John J. Brennan

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

February 14, 2007

 

 

 

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF

 

 

 

 

Premium/Discount: April 21, 20061–January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market Price Above or

Market Price Below

 

Equal to Net Asset Value

 

Net Asset Value

 

Number

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Basis Point Differential2

of Days

of Total Days

of Days

of Total Days

0–24.9

90

45.69%

107

54.31%

25–49.9

0

0.00

0

0.00

50–74.9

0

0.00

0

0.00

75–100.0

0

0.00

0

0.00

>100.0

0

0.00

0

0.00

Total

90

45.69%

107

54.31%

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

One basis point equals 1/100 of a percentage point.

 

 

 

 

5

 

Fund Profile

As of January 31, 2007

 

Portfolio Characteristics

 

 

 

 

Target

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Number of Stocks

225

225

4,939

Median Market Cap

$54.4B

$54.6B

$30.8B

Price/Earnings Ratio

16.9x

16.9x

17.9x

Price/Book Ratio

3.3x

3.3x

2.8x

Yield

 

1.8%

1.7%

Investor Shares

1.4%

 

 

ETF Shares

1.5%

 

 

Return on Equity

25.1%

25.1%

17.8%

Earnings Growth Rate

15.4%

15.5%

18.5%

Foreign Holdings

0.0%

0.0%

1.1%

Turnover Rate

21%

Expense Ratio

 

Investor Shares

0.40%3

 

 

ETF Shares

0.28%3

 

 

Short-Term Reserves

0%

 

Sector Diversification (% of portfolio)

 

 

 

Target

Broad

 

Fund

Index1

Index2

Consumer Discretionary

12%

12%

12%

Consumer Staples

22

22

8

Energy

8

8

9

Financials

21

21

23

Health Care

11

11

12

Industrials

15

15

11

Information Technology

6

6

15

Materials

4

4

4

Telecommunication Services

0

0

3

Utilities

1

1

3

Short-Term Reserves

0%

 

Ten Largest Holdings4 (% of total net assets)

 

 

 

Chevron Corp.

integrated oil and gas

4.0%

ExxonMobil Corp.

integrated oil and gas

4.0

Johnson & Johnson

pharmaceuticals

4.0

International Business Machines Corp.

computer hardware

4.0

American International Group, Inc.

multiline insurance

4.0

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

hypermarkets and super centers

4.0

The Procter & Gamble Co.

household products

4.0

General Electric Co.

industriaconglomerate

3.9

The Coca-Cola Co.

soft drinks

3.5

PepsiCo, Inc.

soft drinks

3.2

Top Ten

 

38.6%

 

Investment Focus


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Dividend Achievers Select Index.

2

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index.

3

Annualized.

4

“Ten Largest Holdings” excludes any temporary cash investments and equity index products. See page 23 for a glossary of investment terms.

 

 

6

 

Performance Summary

 

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at www.vanguard.com.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

 

Cumulative Performance: April 27, 2006–January 31, 2007

Initial Investment of $10,000


 

 

 

 

Final Value

 

Since

of a $10,000

 

Inception1

Investment

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund Investor Shares2

10.02%

$11,002

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

10.95

11,095

Dividend Achievers Select Index

10.31

11,031

Average Large-Cap Core Fund3

9.57

10,957

 

 

 

Final Value

 

Since

of a $10,000

 

Inception1

Investment

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares Net Asset Value

10.45%

$11,045

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index

10.64

11,064

Dividend Achievers Select Index

10.62

11,062

 

Cumulative Returns of ETF Shares: April 21, 2006–January 31, 2007

 

 

Cumulative

 

Since Inception

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares Market Price

10.63%

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares Net Asset Value

10.45

Dividend Achievers Select Index

10.62

 

 

 

1

Inception dates are: for Investor Shares, April 27, 2006; for ETF Shares, April 21, 2006.

2

Total return figure does not reflect the $10 annual account maintenance fee applied on balances under $10,000.

3

Derived from data provided by Lipper Inc.

7

 

Fiscal Period Total Returns (%): April 27, 2006–January 31, 2007


 

 

Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended December 31, 2006

This table presents average annual total returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

 

Inception Date

Since Inception

Investor Shares1

4/27/2006

8.36%

ETF Shares

4/21/2006

 

Market Price

 

8.86

Net Asset Value

 

8.77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total return figure does not reflect the $10 annual account maintenance fee applied on balances under $10,000.

 

Note: See Financial Highlights tables on pages 15 and 16 for dividend and capital gains information.

 

 

 

8

 

Financial Statements

 

Statement of Net Assets

As of January 31, 2007

 

The fund provides a complete list of its holdings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Common Stocks (99.9%)

 

 

Consumer Discretionary (12.2%)

 

 

Home Depot, Inc.

172,285

7,019

McDonald’s Corp.

106,339

4,716

Target Corp.

68,420

4,198

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

121,781

4,105

The McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc.

30,260

2,030

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

21,863

1,493

Johnson Controls, Inc.

15,362

1,420

Gannett Co., Inc.

20,553

1,195

TJX Cos., Inc.

37,059

1,096

Nordstrom, Inc.

19,549

1,089

VF Corp.

10,473

795

Sherwin-Williams Co.

10,668

737

Genuine Parts Co.

14,538

691

Family Dollar Stores, Inc.

11,608

376

Leggett & Platt, Inc.

15,208

369

The Stanley Works

6,111

350

Ross Stores, Inc.

10,730

348

Meredith Corp.

3,079

182

Harte-Hanks, Inc.

6,265

170

Applebee’s International, Inc.

6,661

168

John Wiley & Sons Class A

4,152

154

^Polaris Industries, Inc.

3,252

152

Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

4,879

150

Talbots Inc.

4,555

107

Matthews International Corp.

2,510

102

Media General, Inc. Class A

2,020

81

Courier Corp.

1,131

45

Bandag, Inc.

757

39

Haverty Furniture Cos., Inc.

1,432

22

 

 

33,399

Consumer Staples (21.8%)

 

 

Beverages (8.0%)

 

 

The Coca-Cola Co.

198,862

9,522

PepsiCo, Inc.

133,355

8,700

Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc.

62,443

3,183

Brown-Forman Corp. Class B

5,681

373

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Food & Staples Retailing (6.3%)

 

 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

227,363

10,843

Walgreen Co.

85,056

3,853

Sysco Corp.

56,106

1,938

SuperValu Inc.

16,648

632

 

 

 

Food Products (1.6%)

 

 

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

56,349

1,803

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.

18,619

959

The Hershey Co.

13,897

709

Hormel Foods Corp.

11,503

436

McCormick & Co., Inc.

9,816

383

Lancaster Colony Corp.

2,583

113

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.

3,170

101

 

 

 

Household Products (5.4%)

 

 

The Procter & Gamble Co.

166,816

10,821

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

42,144

2,879

The Clorox Co.

12,548

821

Church & Dwight, Inc.

5,186

235

 

 

 

Personal Products (0.5%)

 

 

Avon Products, Inc.

36,061

1,240

 

 

59,544

Energy (8.2%)

 

 

Chevron Corp.

151,368

11,032

ExxonMobil Corp.

147,864

10,957

Holly Corp.

4,465

235

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.

8,131

218

 

 

22,442

Financials (20.6%)

 

 

Capital Markets (4.6%)

 

 

Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.

43,069

3,542

Franklin Resources Corp.

19,993

2,381

State Street Corp.

26,921

1,913

Northern Trust Corp.

18,397

1,118

Legg Mason Inc.

10,071

1,056

T. Rowe Price Group Inc.

20,369

978

SEI Investments Co.

8,053

502

Eaton Vance Corp.

10,203

350

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Nuveen Investments, Inc.Class A

6,889

341

Investors Financial Services Corp.

5,223

244

 

 

 

Commercial Banks (3.2%)

 

 

M & T Bank Corp.

9,411

1,142

Marshall & Ilsley Corp.

22,699

1,068

Synovus Financial Corp.

26,598

849

Compass Bancshares Inc.

10,936

666

Commerce Bancorp, Inc.

16,852

569

Mercantile Bankshares Corp.

10,796

509

Colonial BancGroup, Inc.

13,570

333

City National Corp.

4,012

289

Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

5,812

285

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc.

5,137

275

Bank of Hawaii Corp.

4,482

235

The South Financial Group, Inc.

6,502

168

Trustmark Corp.

5,541

163

Westamerica Bancorporation

2,812

140

United Bankshares, Inc.

3,771

138

Pacific Capital Bancorp

4,121

132

UMB Financial Corp.

3,579

131

Chittenden Corp.

4,032

123

Greater Bay Bancorp

4,353

122

Alabama National BanCorporation

1,701

120

Glacier Bancorp, Inc.

4,091

96

CVB Financial Corp.

7,357

92

First Financial Bankshares, Inc.

1,777

73

Sterling Bancshares, Inc.

5,912

71

BancFirst Corp.

1,440

70

Sterling Financial Corp. (PA)

2,509

57

Capital City Bank Group, Inc.

1,652

57

First Source Corp.

1,948

56

Community Banks, Inc.

2,140

54

Irwin Financial Corp.

2,490

54

Community Trust Bancorp Inc.

1,337

52

IBERIABANK Corp.

832

48

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc.

1,320

48

Banner Corp.

1,082

46

West Coast Bancorp

1,374

46

Heartland Financial USA, Inc.

1,426

41

Renasant Corp.

1,426

40

First Financial Corp. (IN)

1,221

40

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida

1,679

39

Simmons First National Corp.

1,252

38

First Community Bancshares, Inc.

918

37

S.Y. Bancorp, Inc.

1,260

35

First State Bancorporation

1,440

33

Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc.

1,151

32

Old Second Bancorp, Inc.

1,072

31

Southwest Bancorp, Inc.

1,091

29

Peoples Bancorp, Inc.

933

27

Horizon Financial Corp.

1,034

26

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

Consumer Finance (0.6%)

 

 

SLM Corp.

36,629

1,683

 

 

 

Insurance (10.2%)

 

 

American International Group, Inc.

158,451

10,846

The Allstate Corp.

53,699

3,231

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.

26,526

2,518

AFLAC Inc.

40,534

1,930

The Chubb Corp.

35,125

1,828

Lincoln National Corp.

23,536

1,580

Progressive Corp. of Ohio

65,008

1,508

MBIA, Inc.

11,466

824

Ambac Financial Group, Inc.

9,077

800

Old Republic International Corp.

20,193

450

Brown & Brown, Inc.

12,243

347

Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.

5,395

339

HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc.

9,837

307

Protective Life Corp.

5,725

280

Erie Indemnity Co. Class A

5,059

280

Wesco Financial Corp.

563

272

Alfa Corp.

6,885

130

Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Co.

3,052

129

R.L.I. Corp.

2,192

121

State Auto Financial Corp.

3,512

113

Harleysville Group, Inc.

2,567

87

Midland Co.

1,660

76

 

 

 

Real Estate Management & Development (0.1%)

Forest City Enterprise Class A

6,102

369

 

 

 

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance (1.9%)

 

Freddie Mac

61,704

4,007

People’s Bank

11,697

526

Webster Financial Corp.

4,545

226

MAF Bancorp, Inc.

2,810

126

BankAtlantic Bancorp, Inc.Class A

4,944

66

Anchor Bancorp Wisconsin Inc.

1,863

56

First Busey Corp.

1,952

46

First Financial Holdings, Inc.

1,136

40

Flushing Financial Corp.

1,729

30

 

 

56,421

Health Care (11.0%)

 

 

Johnson & Johnson

163,579

10,927

Abbott Laboratories

119,128

6,314

Medtronic, Inc.

98,134

5,245

Cardinal Health, Inc.

30,904

2,207

Stryker Corp.

30,411

1,884

Becton, Dickinson & Co.

19,245

1,481

C.R. Bard, Inc.

8,851

730

DENTSPLY International Inc.

12,386

382

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

4,862

314

Hillenbrand Industries, Inc.

5,339

304

 

10

 

 

 

Market

 

 

Value

 

Shares

($000)

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

2,803

136

Arrow International, Inc.

3,953

133

Meridian Bioscience Inc.

1,812

54

 

 

30,111

Industrials (15.4%)

 

 

General Electric Co.

299,121

10,783

United Technologies Corp.

80,076

5,447

3M Co.

60,977

4,531

Caterpillar, Inc.

54,188

3,472

Emerson Electric Co.

67,148

3,020

General Dynamics Corp.

32,645

2,551

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

46,834

2,388

Danaher Corp.

25,941

1,921

Dover Corp.

17,762

881

Pitney Bowes, Inc.

18,047

864

Parker Hannifin Corp.

9,376

776

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

17,427

744

Avery Dennison Corp.

9,271

634

Cintas Corp.

12,848

529

W.W. Grainger, Inc.

6,525

507

Roper Industries Inc.

7,089

368

Harsco Corp.

3,252

279

Pentair, Inc.

8,829

275

Donaldson Co., Inc.

7,165

252

Carlisle Co., Inc.

2,671

218

Teleflex Inc.

3,212

214

HNI Corp.

3,812

185

CLARCOR Inc.

4,512

156

Brady Corp. Class A

3,992

150

Nordson Corp.

2,853

148

Mine Safety Appliances Co.

3,170

122

Franklin Electric, Inc.

1,980

100

ABM Industries Inc.

3,612

93

NACCO Industries, Inc. Class A

632

91

Universal Forest Products, Inc.

1,640

80

A.O. Smith Corp.

1,852

71

McGrath RentCorp

2,163

66

Tennant Co.

1,633

50

Raven Industries, Inc.

1,632

46

Gorman-Rupp Co.

1,047

42

Badger Meter, Inc.

1,080

31

LSI Industries Inc.

1,600

31

 

 

42,116

Information Technology (5.7%)

 

 

International Business

 

 

Machines Corp.

109,856

10,892

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

48,081

2,294

Paychex, Inc.

31,516

1,261

Linear Technology Corp.

24,816

768

Diebold, Inc.

5,999

278

Jack Henry & Associates Inc.

7,873

168

 

 

15,661

 

 

 

 

Market

 

 

 

Value

 

 

Shares

($000)

Materials (3.4%)

 

 

 

Praxair, Inc.

25,824

1,628

 

 

Nucor Corp.

22,345

1,442

 

 

Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.

17,247

1,288

 

 

Rohm & Haas Co.

18,417

959

 

 

Ecolab, Inc.

21,819

958

 

 

Vulcan Materials Co.

7,045

717

 

 

Sigma-Aldrich Corp.

11,282

428

 

 

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.

3,415

394

 

 

Sonoco Products Co.

8,331

321

 

 

Bemis Co., Inc.

9,171

311

 

 

Albemarle Corp.

3,621

282

 

 

Valspar Corp.

8,213

231

 

 

AptarGroup Inc.

2,710

165

 

 

H.B. Fuller Co.

5,122

133

 

 

Myers Industries, Inc.

3,012

52

 

 

 

 

9,309

 

Telecommunication Services (0.2%)

 

 

 

 

CenturyTel, Inc.

9,463

424

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utilities (1.4%)

 

 

 

 

FPL Group, Inc.

32,931

1,866

 

 

Questar Corp.

7,465

606

 

 

MDU Resources Group, Inc.

15,863

410

 

 

Energen Corp.

6,449

298

 

 

^Aqua America, Inc.

11,183

248

 

 

UGI Corp. Holding Co.

8,791

241

 

 

SJW Corp.

1,526

61

 

 

American States Water Co.

1,483

58

 

 

Southwest Water Co.

1,652

22

 

 

 

 

3,810

 

Total Common Stocks

 

 

 

(Cost $261,665)

 

273,237

 

Temporary Cash Investments (0.3%)

 

 

 

1

Vanguard Market Liquidity

 

 

 

 

Fund, 5.272%

434,311

434

 

1

Vanguard Market Liquidity

 

 

 

 

Fund, 5.272%—Note F

400,300

400

 

Total Temporary Cash Investments

 

 

(Cost $834)

 

834

 

Total Investments (100.2%)

 

 

 

(Cost $262,499)

 

274,071

 

Other Assets and Liabilities—Net (–0.2%)

(452)

 

Net Assets (100%)

 

273,619

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

Market

 

Value

 

($000)

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

Assets

 

Investments in Securities, at Value

274,071

Receivables for Investment

 

Securities Sold

28,046

Other Assets—Note B

484

Total Assets

302,601

Liabilities

 

Payables for Investment

 

Securities Purchased

28,378

Other Liabilities—Note F

604

Total Liabilities

28,982

Net Assets

273,619

 

At January 31, 2007, net assets consisted of:2

 

Amount

 

($000)

Paid-in Capital

262,002

Undistributed Net Investment Income

126

Accumulated Net Realized Losses

(81)

Unrealized Appreciation

11,572

Net Assets

273,619

 

 

 

 

Investor Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 7,456,264 outstanding $.001

 

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

162,881

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

Investor Shares

$21.84

 

 

 

 

ETF Shares—Net Assets

 

Applicable to 2,028,323 outstanding $.001

 

par value shares of beneficial interest

 

(unlimited authorization)

110,738

Net Asset Value Per Share—

 

ETF Shares

$54.60

 

 

 

 

 

See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.

^

Part of security position is on loan to broker-dealers. See Note F in Notes to Financial Statements.

1

Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.

2

See Note D in Notes to Financial Statements for the tax-basis components of net assets.

 

 

 

12

Statement of Operations

 

 

 

April 21, 20061 to

 

January 31, 2007

 

($000)

Investment Income

 

Income

 

Dividends

1,988

Interest2

60

Security Lending

Total Income

2,048

Expenses

 

The Vanguard Group—Note B

 

Investment Advisory Services

28

Management and Administrative

 

Investor Shares

176

ETF Shares

83

Marketing and Distribution

 

Investor Shares

9

ETF Shares

6

Custodian Fees

33

Auditing Fees

23

Shareholders’ Reports

 

Investor Shares

8

ETF Shares

1

Total Expenses

367

Expenses Paid Indirectly—Note C

(3)

Net Expenses

364

Net Investment Income

1,684

Realized Net Gain (Loss) on Investment Securities Sold

3,114

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of Investment Securities

11,572

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

16,370

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

Interest income from an affiliated company of the fund was $60,000.

 

 

 

 

13

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

 

 

April 21, 20061 to

 

January 31, 2007

 

($000)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

Operations

 

Net Investment Income

1,684

Realized Net Gain (Loss)

3,114

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

11,572

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

16,370

Distributions

 

Net Investment Income

 

Investor Shares

(959)

ETF Shares

(599)

Realized Capital Gain

 

Investor Shares

ETF Shares

Total Distributions

(1,558)

Capital Share Transactions—Note G

 

Investor Shares

153,498

ETF Shares

105,309

Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital Share Transactions

258,807

Total Increase (Decrease)

273,619

Net Assets

 

Beginning of Period

End of Period2

273,619

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

Net AssetsEnd of Period includes undistributed net investment income of $126,000.

 

 

14

 

Financial Highlights

 

 

 

 

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund Investor Shares

 

 

April 27, 20061 to

For a Share Outstanding Throughout the Period

January 31, 2007

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$20.05

Investment Operations

 

Net Investment Income

.214

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

1.782

Total from Investment Operations

1.996

Distributions

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(.206)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

Total Distributions

(.206)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$21.84

 

 

Total Return2

10.02%

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$163

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.40%*

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

1.53%*

Portfolio Turnover Rate3

21%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

Total returns do not reflect the $10 annual account maintenance fee applied on balances under $10,000.

3

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including ETF creation units.

*

Annualized.

 

15

 

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares

 

 

April 21, 20061 to

For a Share Outstanding Throughout the Period

January 31, 2007

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

$49.94

Investment Operations

 

Net Investment Income

.555

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

4.631

Total from Investment Operations

5.186

Distributions

 

Dividends from Net Investment Income

(.526)

Distributions from Realized Capital Gains

Total Distributions

(.526)

Net Asset Value, End of Period

$54.60

 

 

Total Return

10.45%

 

 

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Net Assets, End of Period (Millions)

$111

Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets

0.28%*

Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets

1.65%*

Portfolio Turnover Rate2

21%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

2

Excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind purchases or redemptions of the fund’s capital shares, including ETF creation units.

*

Annualized.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

 

 

 

 

16

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund files reports with the SEC under the company name Vanguard Specialized Funds. The fund offers two classes of shares: Investor Shares and ETF Shares. Investor Shares were first issued on April 27, 2006, and are available to any investor who meets the fund’s minimum purchase requirements. ETF Shares were first issued on April 21, 2006, and first offered to the public on April 27, 2006. ETF Shares are listed for trading on the American Stock Exchange; they can be purchased and sold through a broker.

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. mutual funds. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been materially affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued by methods deemed by the board of trustees to represent fair value. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value.

2. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements.

3. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

4. Security Lending: The fund may lend its securities to qualified institutional borrowers to earn additional income. Security loans are required to be secured at all times by collateral at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and records a liability for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Security lending income represents the income earned on investing cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan.

5. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold.

Each class of shares has equal rights as to assets and earnings, except that each class separately bears certain class-specific expenses related to maintenance of shareholder accounts (included in Management and Administrative expenses) and shareholder reporting. Marketing and distribution expenses are allocated to each class of shares based on a method approved by the board of trustees. Income, other non-class-specific expenses, and gains and losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.

B. The Vanguard Group furnishes at cost investment advisory, corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services. The costs of such services are allocated to the fund under methods approved by the board of trustees. The fund has committed to provide up to 0.40% of its net assets in capital contributions to Vanguard. At January 31, 2007, the fund had contributed capital

17

 

of $24,000 to Vanguard (included in Other Assets), representing 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 0.02% of Vanguard’s capitalization. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and officers of Vanguard.

C. The fund’s custodian bank has agreed to reduce its fees when the fund maintains cash on deposit in the non-interest-bearing custody account. For the period ended January 31, 2007, custodian fee offset arrangements reduced the fund’s expenses by $3,000.

D. Distributions are determined on a tax basis and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes. Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Differences in classification may also result from the treatment of short-term gains as ordinary income for tax purposes.

During the period ended January 31, 2007, the fund realized $3,195,000 of net capital gains resulting from in-kind redemptions—in which shareholders exchanged fund shares for securities held by the fund rather than for cash. Because such gains are not taxable to the fund, and are not distributed to shareholders, they have been reclassified from accumulated net realized losses to paid-in capital.

For tax purposes, at January 31, 2007, the fund had $428,000 of ordinary income and no long-term gains available for distribution.

At January 31, 2007, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $262,886,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $11,185,000 consisting of unrealized gains of $12,891,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $1,706,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase.

E. During the period ended January 31, 2007, the fund purchased $321,989,000 of investment securities and sold $63,439,000 of investment securities other than temporary cash investments.

F. The market value of securities on loan to broker-dealers at January 31, 2007, was $388,000, for which the fund received cash collateral of $400,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

 

G. Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:

 

 

April 21, 20061 to January 31, 2007

 

Amount

Shares

 

($000)

(000)

Investor Shares

 

 

Issued

164,261

7,978

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

586

28

Redeemed

(11,349)

(550)

Net Increase (Decrease)—Investor Shares

153,498

7,456

ETF Shares

 

 

Issued

136,841

2,628

Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions

Redeemed

(31,532)

(600)

Net Increase (Decrease)—ETF Shares

105,309

2,028

 

H. In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.” FIN 48 establishes the minimum threshold for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of tax-return positions in financial statements. FIN 48 will be effective for the fund’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Management is in the process of analyzing the fund’s tax positions for purposes of implementing FIN 48; based on the analysis completed to date, management does not believe the adoption of FIN 48 will result in any material impact to the fund’s financial statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Inception.

 

 

 

19

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Trustees of Vanguard Specialized Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund:

In our opinion, the accompanying statements of net assets and of assets and liabilities and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Specialized Funds, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at January 31, 2007, the results of its operations and the changes in its net assets for the period from April 21, 2006 (commencement of operations) to January 31, 2007 and the financial highlights for the periods indicated, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit, which included confirmation of securities at January 31, 2007 by correspondence with the custodian and by agreement to the underlying ownership records for Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

March 13, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Special 2006 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund

This information for the fiscal period ended January 31, 2007, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The fund distributed $1,558,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal period.

For corporate shareholders, 98.2% of investment income (dividend income plus short-term gains, if any) qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

 

20

 

About Your Fund’s Expenses

 

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The table below illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

• Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

• Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Six Months Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

Beginning

Ending

Expenses

 

Account Value

Account Value

Paid During

Dividend Appreciation Index Fund

7/31/2006

1/31/2007

Period1

Based on Actual Fund Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,116.30

$2.13

ETF Shares

1,000.00

1,117.47

1.49

Based on Hypothetical 5% Return

 

 

 

Investor Shares

$1,000.00

$1,023.19

$2.04

ETF Shares

1,000.00

1,023.79

1.43

 

 

 

1

These calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period are 0.40% for Investor Shares, and 0.28% for ETF Shares. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period.

 

21

 

Note that the expenses shown in the table on page 21 are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs or account maintenance fees. They do not include your fund’s low-balance fee, which is described in the prospectus. If this fee were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not charge transaction fees, such as purchase or redemption fees, nor does it carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate fund prospectus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22

 

Glossary

 

Earnings Growth Rate. The average annual rate of growth in earnings over the past five years for the stocks now in a fund.

Expense Ratio. The percentage of a fund’s average net assets used to pay its annual administrative and advisory expenses. These expenses directly reduce returns to investors.

Foreign Holdings. The percentage of a fund represented by stocks or depositary receipts of companies based outside the United States.

Inception Date. The date on which the assets of a fund (or one of its share classes) are first invested in accordance with the fund’s investment objective. For funds with a subscription period, the inception date is the day after that period ends. Investment performance is measured from the inception date.

Median Market Cap. An indicator of the size of companies in which a fund invests; the midpoint of market capitalization (market price x shares outstanding) of a fund’s stocks, weighted by the proportion of the fund’s assets invested in each stock. Stocks representing half of the fund’s assets have market capitalizations above the median, and the rest are below it.

Price/Book Ratio. The share price of a stock divided by its net worth, or book value, per share. For a fund, the weighted average price/book ratio of the stocks it holds.

Price/Earnings Ratio. The ratio of a stock’s current price to its per-share earnings over the past year. For a fund, the weighted average P/E of the stocks it holds. P/E is an indicator of market expectations about corporate prospects; the higher the P/E, the greater the expectations for a company’s future growth.

Return on Equity. The annual average rate of return generated by a company during the past five years for each dollar of shareholder’s equity (net income divided by shareholder’s equity). For a fund, the weighted average return on equity for the companies whose stocks it holds.

Short-Term Reserves. The percentage of a fund invested in highly liquid, short-term securities that can be readily converted to cash.

Turnover Rate. An indication of the fund’s trading activity. Funds with high turnover rates incur higher transaction costs and may be more likely to distribute capital gains (which may be taxable to investors). The turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, which have minimal impact on costs.

Yield. A snapshot of a fund’s income from interest and dividends. The yield, expressed as a percentage of the fund’s net asset value, is based on income earned over the past 30 days and is annualized, or projected forward for the coming year. The index yield is based on the current annualized rate of income provided by securities in the index.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23

The People Who Govern Your Fund

 

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them on an at-cost basis.

 

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals.

 

Our independent board members bring distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service to their task of working with Vanguard officers to establish the policies and oversee the activities of the funds. Among board members’ responsibilities are selecting investment advisors for the funds; monitoring fund operations, performance, and costs; reviewing contracts; nominating and selecting new trustees/directors; and electing Vanguard officers.

 

Each trustee serves a fund until its termination; or until the trustee’s retirement, resignation, or death; or otherwise as specified in the fund’s organizational documents. Any trustee may be removed at a shareholders’ meeting by a vote representing two-thirds of the net asset value of all shares of the fund together with shares of other Vanguard funds organized within the same trust. The table on these two pages shows information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482.

 

 

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Trustee

 

 

John J. Brennan1

 

Born 1954

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman of the Board, Chief

Trustee since May 1987;

Executive Officer, and Director/Trustee of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and of each

Chairman of the Board and

of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

Chief Executive Officer

 

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Charles D. Ellis

 

Born 1937

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Applecore Partners (pro bono ventures

Trustee since January 2001

in education); Senior Advisor to Greenwich Associates (international business strategy

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

consulting); Successor Trustee of Yale University; Overseer of the Stern School of Business

 

at New York University; Trustee of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

 

 

Rajiv L. Gupta

 

Born 1945

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Trustee since December 20012

of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Board Member of the American Chemistry Council;

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Tyco International, Ltd. (diversified manufacturing and services) (since 2005);

 

Trustee of Drexel University and of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

 

 

Amy Gutmann

 

Born 1949

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: President of the University of

Trustee since June 2006

Pennsylvania since 2004; Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, Annenberg School

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

for Communication, and Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania

 

since 2004; Provost (2001–2004) and Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and the

 

University Center for Human Values (1990–2004), Princeton University; Director of Carnegie

 

Corporation of New York and of Philadelphia 2016 (since 2005) and of Schuylkill River

 

Development Corporation and Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (since 2004).

 

JoAnn Heffernan Heisen

 

Born 1950

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Corporate Vice President and Chief

Trustee since July 1998

Global Diversity Officer (since January 2006), Vice President and Chief Information

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Officer (1997–2005), and Member of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson

 

(pharmaceuticals/consumer products); Director of the University Medical Center at

 

Princeton and Women’s Research and Education Institute.

 

 

André F. Perold

 

Born 1952

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: George Gund Professor of Finance and

Trustee since December 2004

Banking, Harvard Business School (since 2000); Senior Associate Dean, Director of Faculty

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Recruiting, and Chair of Finance Faculty, Harvard Business School; Director and Chairman

 

of UNX, Inc. (equities trading firm) (since 2003); Director of registered investment

 

companies advised by Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and affiliates (1985–2004),

 

Genbel Securities Limited (South African financial services firm) (1999–2003), Gensec

 

Bank (1999–2003), Sanlam, Ltd. (South African insurance company) (2001–2003), and

 

Stockback, Inc. (credit card firm) (2000–2002).

 

 

Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.

 

Born 1941

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Chairman, President, Chief Executive

Trustee since January 1993

Officer, and Director of NACCO Industries, Inc. (forklift trucks/housewares/ lignite);

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

Director of Goodrich Corporation (industrial products/aircraft systems and services).

 

 

J. Lawrence Wilson

 

Born 1936

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Retired Chairman and Chief Executive

Trustee since April 1985

Officer of Rohm and Haas Co. (chemicals); Director of Cummins Inc. (diesel engines),

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

MeadWestvaco Corp. (packaging products), and AmerisourceBergen Corp. (pharmaceutical

 

distribution); Trustee of Vanderbilt University and of Culver Educational Foundation.

 

 

Executive Officers1

 

 

 

Heidi Stam

 

Born 1956

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Managing Director of The Vanguard

Secretary since July 2005

Group, Inc., since 2006; General Counsel of The Vanguard Group since 2005; Secretary

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

of The Vanguard Group, and each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard

 

Group, since 2005; Principal of The Vanguard Group (1997-2006).

 

 

Thomas J. Higgins

 

Born 1957

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years: Principal of The Vanguard Group, Inc.;

Treasurer since July 1998

Treasurer of each of the investment companies served by The Vanguard Group.

146 Vanguard Funds Overseen

 

 

 

Vanguard Senior Management Team

 

 

R. Gregory Barton

Kathleen C. Gubanich

Michael S. Miller

Mortimer J. Buckley

Paul A. Heller

Ralph K. Packard

James H. Gately

F. William McNabb, III

George U. Sauter

 

 

Founder

 

 

 

John C. Bogle

 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1974–1996

 

 

1 Officers of the funds are “interested persons” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

2 December 2002 for Vanguard Equity Income Fund, Vanguard Growth Equity Fund, the Vanguard Municipal Bond Funds, and the Vanguard State Tax-Exempt Funds.

More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, available from The Vanguard Group.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

P.O. Box 2600

 

Valley Forge, PA 19482-2600

 

Connect with Vanguard™ > www.vanguard.com

 

 

Fund Information > 800-662-7447

All comparative mutual fund data are from Lipper Inc.

 

or Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

Direct Investor Account Services > 800-662-2739

 

 

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting

Institutional Investor Services > 800-523-1036

guidelines by visiting our website, www.vanguard.com,

 

and searching for “proxy voting guidelines,” or by calling

Text Telephone for the

Vanguard at 800-662-2739. They are also available from

Hearing Impaired > 800-952-3335

the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may

 

obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for

 

securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30.

 

To get the report, visit either www.vanguard.com

 

or www.sec.gov.

This material may be used in conjunction

 

with the offering of shares of any Vanguard

You can review and copy information about your fund

fund only if preceded or accompanied by

at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C.

the fund’s current prospectus.

To find out more about this public service, call the SEC

 

at 202-551-8090. Information about your fund is also

Vanguard, Vanguard ETF, Connect with Vanguard, and the

available on the SEC’s website, and you can receive

ship logo are trademarks of The Vanguard Group, Inc.

copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a

 

request in either of two ways: via e-mail addressed to

“Dividend Achievers” is a trademark of Mergent, Inc., and

publicinfo@sec.gov or via regular mail addressed to the

has been licensed for use by The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange

Vanguard mutual funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold,

Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

or promoted by Mergent, and Mergent makes no

 

representation regarding the advisability of investing in

 

the funds.

 

 

 

All other marks are the exclusive property of their

 

respective owners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2007 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

 

All rights reserved.

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

 

 

 

Q6020 032007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Item 2: Code of Ethics. The Registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions. The Code of Ethics was amended during the reporting period covered by this report to make certain technical, non-material changes.

 

Item 3: Audit Committee Financial Expert. The following members of the Audit Committee have been determined by the Registrant’s Board of Trustees to be Audit Committee Financial Experts serving on its Audit Committee, and to be independent: Charles D. Ellis, Rajiv L. Gupta, JoAnn Heffernan Heisen, André F. Perold, Alfred M. Rankin, Jr., and J. Lawrence Wilson.

 

Item 4: Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

 

(a)  Audit Fees.

 

Audit Fees of the Registrant

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007:

$142,000

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2006:

$90,000

 

Aggregate Audit Fees of Registered Investment Companies in the Vanguard Group.

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007:

$2,347,620

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2006:

$2,152,740

 

(b)   Audit-Related Fees.

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007:

$530,000

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2006:

$382,200

 

Includes fees billed in connection with assurance and related services provided to the Registrant, The Vanguard Group, Inc., Vanguard Marketing Corporation, and other registered investment companies in the Vanguard Group.

(c)   Tax Fees.

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007:

$101,300

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2006:

$98,400

 

Includes fees billed in connection with tax compliance, planning and advice services provided to the Registrant, The Vanguard Group, Inc., Vanguard Marketing Corporation, and other registered investment companies in the Vanguard Group and related to income and excise taxes.

(d)   All Other Fees.

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007:

$0

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2006:

$0

 

Includes fees billed for services related to risk management and privacy matters. Services were provided to the Registrant, The Vanguard Group, Inc., Vanguard Marketing Corporation, and other registered investment companies in the Vanguard Group.

(e)   (1) Pre-Approval Policies. The policy of the Registrant’s Audit Committee is to consider and, if appropriate, approve before the principal accountant is engaged for such services, all specific audit and non-audit services provided to: (1) the Registrant; (2) The Vanguard Group, Inc.; (3) other entities controlled by The Vanguard Group, Inc. that provide ongoing services to the Registrant; and (4) other registered investment companies in the Vanguard Group. In making a determination, the Audit Committee considers whether the services are consistent with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

In the event of a contingency situation in which the principal accountant is needed to provide services in between scheduled Audit Committee meetings, the Chairman of the Audit Committee would be called on to consider and, if appropriate, pre-approve audit or permitted non-audit services in an amount sufficient to complete services through the next Audit Committee meeting, and to determine if such services would be consistent with maintaining the accountant’s independence. At the next scheduled Audit Committee meeting, services and fees would be presented to the Audit Committee for formal consideration, and, if appropriate, approval by the entire Audit Committee. The Audit Committee would again consider whether such services and fees are consistent with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

The Registrant’s Audit Committee is informed at least annually of all audit and non-audit services provided by the principal accountant to the Vanguard complex, whether such services are provided to: (1) the Registrant; (2) The Vanguard Group, Inc.; (3) other entities controlled by The Vanguard Group, Inc. that provide ongoing services to the Registrant; or (4) other registered investment companies in the Vanguard Group.

(2) No percentage of the principal accountant’s fees or services were approved pursuant to the waiver provision of paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f)   For the most recent fiscal year, over 50% of the hours worked under the principal accountant’s engagement were not performed by persons other than full-time, permanent employees of the principal accountant.

 


(g)  Aggregate Non-Audit Fees.

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2007:

$101,300

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2006:

$98,400

 

Includes fees billed for non-audit services provided to the Registrant, The Vanguard Group, Inc., Vanguard Marketing Corporation, and other registered investment companies in the Vanguard Group.

(h)   For the most recent fiscal year, the Audit Committee has determined that the provision of all non-audit services was consistent with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

Item 5: The Registrant is a listed issuer as defined in Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”). The Registrant has a separately-designated standing audit committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The Registrant’s audit committee members are: Charles D. Ellis, Rajiv L. Gupta, Amy Gutmann, JoAnn Heffernan Heisen, André F. Perold, Alfred M. Rankin, Jr., and J. Lawrence Wilson.

 

Item 6: Not Applicable.

 

Item 7: Not Applicable.

 

Item 8: Not Applicable.

 

Item 9: Not Applicable.

 

Item 10: Not Applicable.

 

Item 11: Controls and Procedures.

 

(a) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Principal Executive and Financial Officers concluded that the Registrant's Disclosure Controls and Procedures are effective based on their evaluation of the Disclosure Controls and Procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.

(b) Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. There were no significant changes in Registrant’s Internal Control Over Financial Reporting or in other factors that could significantly affect this control subsequent to the date of the evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

 

 


Item 12: Exhibits.

 

(a)  Code of Ethics.

(b)  Certifications.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

VANGUARD SPECIALIZED FUNDS

 

BY:

(signature)

 

(HEIDI STAM)

 

JOHN J. BRENNAN*

 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

 

Date: March 16, 2007

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

VANGUARD SPECIALIZED FUNDS

 

BY:

(signature)

 

(HEIDI STAM)

 

JOHN J. BRENNAN*

 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

 

Date: March 16, 2007

 

VANGUARD SPECIALIZED FUNDS

 

BY:

(signature)

 

(HEIDI STAM)

 

THOMAS J. HIGGINS*

 

TREASURER

 

Date: March 16, 2007

 

*By Power of Attorney. See File Number 002-65955-99, filed on July 27, 2006. Incorporated by Reference.