VGSH Dividend: Next Ex-Date, History & Total Return

VGSH, the Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF, is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund. It seeks to track the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index, which includes bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury with maturities between 1 and 3 years. Inflation-protected securities, floating rate securities and certain other security types are left out of the index.¹

Under normal circumstances, VGSH invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in the bonds that make up that index. VGSH pays dividends monthly, and Vanguard's fact sheet says the fund provides current income with high credit quality.^1,2

VGSH samples its index, holding a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximate the full index in key risk factors and other characteristics. The fund keeps its dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with the index's. Vanguard's fact sheet calls this a passively managed, index-sampling approach.^1,2

Vanguard's spliced comparison series for VGSH reflects the Bloomberg U.S. 1-3 Year Government Float Adjusted Index through December 11, 2017, and the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index thereafter. The switch to the Treasury-only index took effect after December 11, 2017.^1,2

Dividend Stacker's record of past payments begins with an ex-date of 2009-12-24, and VGSH made 12 distributions in every completed year from 2010 through 2025. The annual total fell from $0.473 per share in 2010 to $0.205 in 2013, then climbed each year to $1.39 in 2019.³

Payments then shrank for two years: the 2020 total was $1.07, down 22.5%, and the 2021 total was $0.4041, down 62.4%. The recovery started with $0.6644 in 2022, up 64.4%, followed by $1.93 in 2023, up 191.0%.³

The 2024 total of $2.43 per share was the highest annual figure in the record, up 25.9% from 2023. In 2025 the fund paid $2.35, down 3.4%.³

VGSH's income may decline during periods of falling interest rates. Income from shorter-term bonds is subject to a higher degree of fluctuation than income from longer-term bonds, and VGSH's index includes Treasury bonds with maturities between 1 and 3 years.¹

Bond prices may decline when interest rates rise. The prices of longer-term bonds are more sensitive to rate changes than the prices of shorter-term bonds. U.S. government backing applies only to the underlying Treasury securities, the fact sheet notes, so VGSH's share price can still fluctuate.^1,2

Credit risk is the chance that an issuer defaults or fails to pay on time, which could result in a loss to the fund. While all debt securities are subject to credit risk to some extent, higher-rated debt generally poses less. Bond liquidity risk is the chance the fund cannot sell a security at an advantageous time or price, which may reduce its returns.¹

Because VGSH generally seeks to track its index regardless of how the index is performing, its performance may be lower than it would be under active management. Because VGSH holds a sample of the index, its performance may not match the index's, and this tracking error risk may be heightened in volatile or unusual markets.¹

VGSH's market price may at times differ significantly from net asset value. The prospectus lists disruptions to creation and redemption transactions, significant market volatility, a potential lack of an active trading market and other factors as possible causes. If the fund's limited number of Authorized Participants are unable or choose not to create or redeem shares and no others step forward, VGSH may trade at a discount and possibly face trading halts or delisting.¹