N-CSRS 1 tm2312905d4_ncsrs.htm N-CSRS

 

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: 811-01530

 

Name of Registrant: Vanguard Explorer Fund
Address of Registrant: P.O. Box 2600
  Valley Forge, PA 19482

 

Name and address of agent for service: Anne E. Robinson, Esquire
  P.O. Box 876
  Valley Forge, PA 19482

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (610) 669-1000

 

Date of fiscal year end: October 31

 

Date of reporting period: November 1, 2022—April 30, 2023

 

 

 

Item 1: Reports to Shareholders

 

Semiannual Report   |   April 30, 2023
Vanguard Explorer™ Fund

 

Contents
About Your Fund’s Expenses

1
Financial Statements

4
Trustees Approve Advisory Arrangements

25
Liquidity Risk Management

28

 

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 accompanying table 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.
Note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only and do not reflect transaction costs incurred by the fund for buying and selling securities. Further, the expenses do not include any purchase, redemption, or account service fees described in the fund prospectus. If such 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 your fund’s current prospectus.
1

 

Six Months Ended April 30, 2023      
  Beginning
Account Value
10/31/2022
Ending
Account Value
4/30/2023
Expenses
Paid During
Period
Based on Actual Fund Return      
Explorer Fund      
Investor Shares $1,000.00 $1,038.30 $2.32
Admiral™ Shares 1,000.00 1,038.80 1.77
Based on Hypothetical 5% Yearly Return      
Explorer Fund      
Investor Shares $1,000.00 $1,022.51 $2.31
Admiral Shares 1,000.00 1,023.06 1.76
The 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 0.46% for Investor Shares and 0.35% 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 (181/365).
2

 

Explorer Fund
Fund Allocation
As of April 30, 2023
Communication Services 3.9%
Consumer Discretionary 11.6
Consumer Staples 3.7
Energy 4.1
Financials 8.7
Health Care 20.5
Industrials 21.9
Information Technology 16.0
Materials 4.0
Real Estate 3.3
Utilities 1.4
Other 0.9
The table reflects the fund’s investments, except for short-term investments and derivatives. Sector categories are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), except for the “Other” category (if applicable), which includes securities that have not been provided a GICS classification as of the effective reporting period.
Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”) was developed by and is the exclusive property and a service mark of MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) and Standard and Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), and is licensed for use by Vanguard. Neither MSCI, S&P nor any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such standard or classification (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any such standard or classification. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, S&P, any of its affiliates or any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
3

 

Explorer Fund
Financial Statements (unaudited)
Schedule of Investments
As of April 30, 2023
The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
Common Stocks (96.1%)
Communication Services (3.7%)
  New York Times Co. Class A 2,784,978    110,703
* Ziff Davis Inc. 1,113,345     81,430
* Live Nation Entertainment Inc. 1,116,656     75,687
* Bumble Inc. Class A 3,928,260     71,534
* Cinemark Holdings Inc. 4,236,511     71,512
* Cargurus Inc. 3,506,464     57,646
* ZipRecruiter Inc. Class A 3,050,437     51,674
* Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.   364,212     45,268
  Iridium Communications Inc.   531,656     33,744
  Warner Music Group Corp. Class A 1,063,704     32,411
  Electronic Arts Inc.   251,686     32,035
* Yelp Inc. Class A   539,541     16,143
* Spotify Technology SA    85,181     11,380
* IAC Inc.   193,533     10,019
* Playtika Holding Corp.   479,732      4,797
  Cable One Inc.     5,312      4,029
  Shutterstock Inc.    37,458      2,510
* Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. 1,948,279      2,474
* TripAdvisor Inc.   134,252      2,380
* TechTarget Inc.    54,080      1,844
* Bandwidth Inc. Class A   138,727      1,688
* Vimeo Inc.   405,787      1,335
* WideOpenWest Inc.    82,232        940
* Integral Ad Science Holding Corp.    57,555        905
* PubMatic Inc. Class A    62,376        852
* Quotient Technology Inc.   290,641        820
  Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.     3,883        779
* Eventbrite Inc. Class A    72,975        531
* EverQuote Inc. Class A    47,437        331
         727,401
Consumer Discretionary (11.1%)
* Burlington Stores Inc.   804,056    155,030
  Wingstop Inc.   572,671    114,597
* Skyline Champion Corp. 1,431,284    106,158
* Five Below Inc.   469,972     92,754
  Steven Madden Ltd. 2,396,569     83,976
  Meritage Homes Corp.   647,671     82,934
  Texas Roadhouse Inc. Class A   714,960     79,089
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  Acushnet Holdings Corp. 1,548,321     77,617
* Crocs Inc.   621,051     76,805
  Levi Strauss & Co. Class A 5,121,583     74,058
* YETI Holdings Inc. 1,854,822     73,173
  Churchill Downs Inc.   243,658     71,277
* Skechers USA Inc. Class A 1,172,020     62,340
  Carter's Inc.   863,697     60,260
* Floor & Decor Holdings Inc. Class A   473,252     47,013
  Pool Corp.   110,353     38,769
* Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. 2,578,939     36,698
* Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. 1,626,472     36,059
* Etsy Inc.   352,305     35,593
  Domino's Pizza Inc.   111,036     35,251
* frontdoor Inc. 1,243,083     34,011
* Deckers Outdoor Corp.    70,901     33,986
* National Vision Holdings Inc. 1,606,547     33,802
* Grand Canyon Education Inc.   256,497     30,446
* Ulta Beauty Inc.    55,103     30,385
  Papa John's International Inc.   405,439     30,323
*,1 Canada Goose Holdings Inc. 1,465,228     28,748
* Under Armour Inc. Class C 3,453,127     27,763
  Tractor Supply Co.   103,272     24,620
*,1 Farfetch Ltd. Class A 6,009,395     24,218
*,1 Sportradar Holding AG Class A 2,084,277     24,115
* Leslie's Inc. 1,958,600     21,251
* Fox Factory Holding Corp.   190,780     21,152
  Murphy USA Inc.    75,917     20,895
  Boyd Gaming Corp.   265,013     18,392
* Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc.   232,132     17,670
  Tapestry Inc.   368,937     15,056
* Tri Pointe Homes Inc.   509,141     14,602
  Williams-Sonoma Inc.   117,330     14,202
* Cavco Industries Inc.    45,782     13,745
  Hanesbrands Inc. 2,495,045     13,074
* Revolve Group Inc.   632,379     13,059
  Buckle Inc.   355,170     11,909
  Toll Brothers Inc.   185,611     11,862
4

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  Travel & Leisure Co.   290,446     11,115
* Chegg Inc.   566,957     10,194
* SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.   169,834      9,113
* Brinker International Inc.   213,305      8,515
* Shake Shack Inc. Class A   117,595      6,445
  Patrick Industries Inc.    92,092      6,320
* Master Craft Boat Holdings Inc.   213,187      6,240
* Everi Holdings Inc.   387,131      5,884
  Oxford Industries Inc.    55,871      5,765
  Wendy's Co.   260,043      5,747
* Malibu Boats Inc. Class A    94,029      5,336
* Visteon Corp.    37,122      5,212
  Signet Jewelers Ltd.    70,780      5,208
* Taylor Morrison Home Corp. Class A   119,320      5,142
* RH    18,414      4,698
* American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.   648,685      4,638
* Perdoceo Education Corp.   354,118      4,596
  Dine Brands Global Inc.    68,827      4,469
* CarParts.com Inc.   932,394      4,420
  Monarch Casino & Resort Inc.    63,703      4,418
  Brunswick Corp.    47,007      3,986
  International Game Technology plc   138,513      3,898
  Installed Building Products Inc.    31,144      3,870
* Boot Barn Holdings Inc.    52,825      3,828
* Hilton Grand Vacations Inc.    88,599      3,792
  Ruth's Hospitality Group Inc.   233,538      3,774
* Stride Inc.    84,793      3,643
* Golden Entertainment Inc.    83,224      3,509
  Academy Sports & Outdoors Inc.    54,150      3,440
* Stitch Fix Inc. Class A   889,630      3,034
  Winnebago Industries Inc.    47,651      2,770
  Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc.   106,302      2,466
  Carriage Services Inc. Class A    80,893      2,322
  Jack in the Box Inc.    24,246      2,247
  Hibbett Inc.    40,557      2,203
* Chico's FAS Inc.   414,400      2,089
* Six Flags Entertainment Corp.    84,755      2,057
  Bloomin' Brands Inc.    73,012      1,809
  Red Rock Resorts Inc. Class A    34,699      1,693
* Wayfair Inc. Class A    45,206      1,575
* Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc.    41,254      1,463
  Standard Motor Products Inc.    40,577      1,461
* Coursera Inc.   115,104      1,432
1 Dillard's Inc. Class A     4,284      1,278
* Denny's Corp.   109,135      1,223
  PulteGroup Inc.    14,352        964
  Guess? Inc.    50,609        954
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* Warby Parker Inc. Class A    84,745        892
* Neogames SA    59,624        802
*,1 Rent the Runway Inc. Class A   280,483        732
* Victoria's Secret & Co.    20,786        645
* Dorman Products Inc.     6,959        600
  Caleres Inc.    26,121        596
*,1 Torrid Holdings Inc.   151,156        517
* Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc.    39,006        510
  RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc.     6,265        469
*,1 RealReal Inc.   387,636        434
       2,165,189
Consumer Staples (3.6%)
* Performance Food Group Co. 2,276,085    142,688
* BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. 1,454,265    111,062
  Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. Class A 1,937,581     76,457
  Casey's General Stores Inc.   266,643     61,013
* Freshpet Inc.   629,337     43,405
  MGP Ingredients Inc.   391,395     38,623
* Celsius Holdings Inc.   385,046     36,799
* Dollar Tree Inc.   234,794     36,090
* BellRing Brands Inc.   955,384     34,384
  Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc.    34,925     20,587
* elf Beauty Inc.   211,784     19,645
  Lamb Weston Holdings Inc.   167,092     18,683
  Cal-Maine Foods Inc.   307,030     14,584
  Vector Group Ltd.   449,117      5,722
  Medifast Inc.    53,082      4,865
  John B Sanfilippo & Son Inc.    44,462      4,622
* Pilgrim's Pride Corp.   169,200      3,860
* Herbalife Nutrition Ltd.   231,240      3,436
* USANA Health Sciences Inc.    43,366      2,878
  PriceSmart Inc.    35,377      2,607
  Inter Parfums Inc.    14,739      2,237
  Energizer Holdings Inc.    58,694      1,962
* Darling Ingredients Inc.    32,703      1,948
  Turning Point Brands Inc.    75,086      1,786
*,1 Rite Aid Corp.   443,974        932
* Beauty Health Co.    48,845        560
         691,435
Energy (3.9%)
  Chord Energy Corp.   781,119    111,177
  Viper Energy Partners LP 3,632,802    106,950
  Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp. Class A 4,961,277    104,782
  PDC Energy Inc. 1,338,907     87,096
  ChampionX Corp. 1,980,984     53,645
  EQT Corp. 1,025,000     35,711
  Matador Resources Co.   632,320     31,003
* Southwestern Energy Co. 5,779,510     29,996
* TechnipFMC plc 1,950,593     26,704
  Cactus Inc. Class A   520,162     21,056
  Coterra Energy Inc.   727,852     18,633
  Pioneer Natural Resources Co.    67,346     14,651
 
5

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  Liberty Energy Inc. Class A 1,090,390     13,968
* Weatherford International plc   209,982     13,571
* Par Pacific Holdings Inc.   512,433     12,006
  SM Energy Co.   331,085      9,297
* Nabors Industries Ltd. (XNYS)    88,305      8,808
  Diamondback Energy Inc.    60,958      8,668
  Range Resources Corp.   303,830      8,036
  Ovintiv Inc. (XNYS)   166,438      6,005
* Denbury Inc.    42,360      3,956
  Delek US Holdings Inc.   179,642      3,907
  Murphy Oil Corp.    99,957      3,669
  Texas Pacific Land Corp.     1,949      2,880
* US Silica Holdings Inc.   208,045      2,715
* Amplify Energy Corp.   363,162      2,509
* NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc.   308,839      2,495
* Talos Energy Inc.   180,436      2,459
  Patterson-UTI Energy Inc.   213,365      2,388
* Kosmos Energy Ltd.   323,339      2,069
* Callon Petroleum Co.    54,997      1,823
* Antero Resources Corp.    70,084      1,611
* Oceaneering International Inc.    90,329      1,601
  CONSOL Energy Inc.    22,424      1,331
* TETRA Technologies Inc.   387,026      1,103
  Arch Resources Inc.     8,036        982
* W&T Offshore Inc.   188,483        824
  RPC Inc.   108,947        805
  PBF Energy Inc. Class A    20,333        709
  Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure Inc. Class A    82,776        636
  CVR Energy Inc.    23,550        620
         762,855
Financials (8.4%)
  LPL Financial Holdings Inc.   653,303    136,436
  Houlihan Lokey Inc. Class A 1,236,685    113,008
  Voya Financial Inc. 1,358,922    103,930
  Assured Guaranty Ltd. 1,744,302     93,966
  Tradeweb Markets Inc. Class A 1,284,641     90,452
  MGIC Investment Corp. 5,962,478     88,662
  Webster Financial Corp. 2,059,377     76,815
  StepStone Group Inc. Class A 3,161,355     69,645
* Euronet Worldwide Inc.   626,647     69,395
  Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital Inc. 2,366,328     67,156
  Valley National Bancorp 6,984,311     65,513
  American Financial Group Inc.   500,652     61,445
  FirstCash Holdings Inc.   556,424     57,328
  Prosperity Bancshares Inc.   871,340     54,563
  MarketAxess Holdings Inc.   156,130     49,707
  Assurant Inc.   343,381     42,281
* PRA Group Inc. 1,045,899     37,935
  WisdomTree Inc. 5,758,737     35,935
* WEX Inc.   191,166     33,903
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  Piper Sandler Cos.   216,530     29,327
* Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc.   702,355     28,698
  FactSet Research Systems Inc.    61,740     25,418
* Palomar Holdings Inc.   501,959     25,229
  Everest Re Group Ltd.    55,275     20,894
* Toast Inc. Class A   841,219     15,310
  Virtus Investment Partners Inc.    77,110     14,050
  Synovus Financial Corp.   303,903      9,360
  RLI Corp.    64,545      8,975
  Federated Hermes Inc.   175,270      7,254
* NMI Holdings Inc. Class A   293,295      6,863
* Shift4 Payments Inc. Class A    94,025      6,372
  Lincoln National Corp.   289,221      6,285
* AvidXchange Holdings Inc.   772,655      5,741
  Brown & Brown Inc.    78,827      5,076
  RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.    22,052      4,750
  Victory Capital Holdings Inc. Class A   155,043      4,735
  Western Union Co.   421,607      4,608
* Green Dot Corp. Class A   261,866      4,502
* Payoneer Global Inc.   805,677      4,399
  Westamerica BanCorp   103,214      4,181
* LendingClub Corp.   534,946      3,841
* PROG Holdings Inc.   112,392      3,398
* Donnelley Financial Solutions Inc.    66,681      2,884
  Brightsphere Investment Group Inc.   127,564      2,880
* Flywire Corp.    94,769      2,764
  First BanCorp (XNYS)   234,947      2,761
* StoneX Group Inc.    26,779      2,626
  Bank of NT Butterfield & Son Ltd.    90,902      2,339
* Bancorp Inc.    60,026      1,915
  Pathward Financial Inc.    34,693      1,545
*,1 Avantax Inc.    55,577      1,410
  Kinsale Capital Group Inc.     3,671      1,199
* Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.    36,054      1,157
  Jack Henry & Associates Inc.     6,955      1,136
* LendingTree Inc.    36,839        878
  National Bank Holdings Corp. Class A    25,107        798
* StoneCo. Ltd. Class A    63,787        786
  Cohen & Steers Inc.    11,210        673
* Open Lending Corp. Class A    87,853        618
  Veritex Holdings Inc.    31,807        547
       1,626,257
Health Care (19.7%)
* ICON plc ADR   845,083    162,839
* Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc. 1,758,643    127,132
* Omnicell Inc. 1,982,461    120,474
  Bio-Techne Corp. 1,287,163    102,819
* Merit Medical Systems Inc. 1,215,588     98,815
* QuidelOrtho Corp. 1,055,490     94,941
  Encompass Health Corp. 1,422,619     91,261
 
6

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* Haemonetics Corp. 1,077,662     90,211
* Insulet Corp.   274,127     87,183
* Surgery Partners Inc. 2,195,137     87,059
* ICU Medical Inc.   457,762     86,581
  STERIS plc   457,507     86,263
* Penumbra Inc.   283,091     80,432
* Veracyte Inc. 3,284,992     74,372
* Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. 1,664,111     72,672
* Glaukos Corp. 1,476,599     70,153
* Globus Medical Inc. Class A 1,191,930     69,299
* Myriad Genetics Inc. 3,198,220     68,090
* Amedisys Inc.   845,942     67,929
* Charles River Laboratories International Inc.   311,369     59,197
* HealthEquity Inc. 1,098,279     58,703
  Cooper Cos. Inc.   151,648     57,846
* Doximity Inc. Class A 1,449,858     53,282
  Stevanato Group SpA 1,857,902     49,253
* Henry Schein Inc.   600,430     48,521
* DexCom Inc.   397,861     48,276
* Exelixis Inc. 2,489,078     45,550
* Certara Inc. 1,744,190     42,157
* Repligen Corp.   276,296     41,895
  ResMed Inc.   171,664     41,364
* Hologic Inc.   479,970     41,282
* Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc.   635,098     39,471
* Molina Healthcare Inc.   131,653     39,218
* Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc.   465,480     38,835
* Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.   383,506     38,749
* Mettler-Toledo International Inc.    25,875     38,593
* Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp.   690,369     38,191
* Cytokinetics Inc. 1,007,865     37,694
* Halozyme Therapeutics Inc. 1,163,879     37,395
* Zentalis Pharmaceuticals Inc. 1,678,842     36,985
  Teleflex Inc.   131,472     35,829
* Sotera Health Co. 2,096,408     35,157
* Kymera Therapeutics Inc. 1,113,445     35,118
* REVOLUTION Medicines Inc. 1,473,476     34,612
* IDEXX Laboratories Inc.    68,300     33,615
* Blueprint Medicines Corp.   653,581     33,365
* Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc.   847,995     31,257
* Horizon Therapeutics plc   273,304     30,380
  Bruker Corp.   360,103     28,495
* Inspire Medical Systems Inc.    97,557     26,109
* Celldex Therapeutics Inc.   828,961     26,063
* iRhythm Technologies Inc.   193,516     25,428
* Pacira BioSciences Inc.   557,637     25,267
* Nevro Corp.   859,572     25,160
* Legend Biotech Corp. ADR   361,465     24,836
* Sage Therapeutics Inc.   478,803     23,389
* Ascendis Pharma A/S ADR   315,857     22,097
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* Medpace Holdings Inc.   102,064     20,427
  Chemed Corp.    36,870     20,325
* Neogen Corp. 1,056,876     18,199
* Illumina Inc.    88,337     18,159
* NuVasive Inc.   417,058     17,950
* Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.   446,493     17,672
* Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc.   494,417     17,488
* Shockwave Medical Inc.    60,169     17,459
* Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. Class A 1,231,667     16,985
* Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.   222,433     16,983
* Alkermes plc   594,462     16,972
* SpringWorks Therapeutics Inc.   704,117     16,462
* Syneos Health Inc.   415,318     16,305
* Azenta Inc.   363,802     15,822
* Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc.   682,914     15,618
* Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.   126,656     15,550
* Arvinas Inc.   580,357     15,211
* Catalent Inc.   283,681     14,218
* Align Technology Inc.    42,250     13,744
* Teladoc Health Inc.   514,559     13,651
* Lantheus Holdings Inc.   152,341     13,018
*,1 Immatics NV 1,786,300     12,772
* Axonics Inc.   202,580     11,640
* AMN Healthcare Services Inc.   124,065     10,713
* ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.   477,290     10,181
* Relay Therapeutics Inc.   876,069      9,961
* Axogen Inc. 1,072,597      9,675
* Schrodinger Inc.   299,066      8,828
* Veeva Systems Inc. Class A    48,445      8,676
* Exact Sciences Corp.   135,337      8,671
* Tenet Healthcare Corp.   115,643      8,479
* Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc.   488,431      8,460
* Avantor Inc.   432,855      8,432
* CorVel Corp.    40,848      8,252
* STAAR Surgical Co.   114,542      8,072
  Ensign Group Inc.    80,101      7,777
* Fate Therapeutics Inc. 1,187,376      7,207
* AtriCure Inc.   153,416      6,749
* LivaNova plc   129,443      6,200
* Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.   366,577      5,209
* Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. 1,422,802      5,094
* C4 Therapeutics Inc. 1,651,861      4,989
* Natera Inc.    95,741      4,856
* Bridgebio Pharma Inc.   330,474      4,798
* PTC Therapeutics Inc.    84,568      4,663
* Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc.   128,416      4,547
* Protagonist Therapeutics Inc.   196,775      4,447
* Phreesia Inc.   137,823      4,361
* Evolent Health Inc. Class A   119,600      4,355
*,1 Akebia Therapeutics Inc. 4,698,164      4,268
* FibroGen Inc.   246,795      4,225
* Option Care Health Inc.   129,218      4,154
 
7

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* 10X Genomics Inc. Class A    71,953      3,772
* Novocure Ltd.    56,067      3,695
* ImmunoGen Inc.   623,526      3,361
* Voyager Therapeutics Inc.   457,063      3,314
* Coherus Biosciences Inc.   445,965      3,224
* Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.   120,612      3,211
  Agenus Inc. 2,079,443      3,140
* Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. 1,112,882      3,016
*,1 Novavax Inc.   377,198      2,893
* Hims & Hers Health Inc.   241,759      2,802
* Twist Bioscience Corp.   215,290      2,687
* MacroGenics Inc.   352,568      2,429
* Masimo Corp.    12,204      2,308
* Health Catalyst Inc.   169,456      2,135
* Puma Biotechnology Inc.   777,390      2,083
* Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. 1,395,270      2,051
* Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc.    55,905      2,000
* Inogen Inc.   140,851      1,875
* Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Class A   169,216      1,819
* Pediatrix Medical Group Inc.   126,346      1,811
* Silk Road Medical Inc.    40,573      1,786
* Viridian Therapeutics Inc.    59,893      1,679
*,1 Heron Therapeutics Inc.   688,101      1,645
* Alector Inc.   236,904      1,564
* Karuna Therapeutics Inc.     7,384      1,465
* Veradigm Inc.   115,239      1,439
*,1 OmniAb Inc. (XNMS)   407,650      1,419
* Morphic Holding Inc.    29,762      1,407
* Seres Therapeutics Inc.   274,560      1,338
* CytomX Therapeutics Inc.   820,461      1,337
* Fortress Biotech Inc. 1,732,308      1,329
* Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc.   542,066      1,296
* Joint Corp.    81,335      1,284
* UFP Technologies Inc.     7,810      1,077
* MannKind Corp.   277,305      1,068
* Tactile Systems Technology Inc.    58,309      1,063
* TG Therapeutics Inc.    39,506        981
* ViewRay Inc.   800,777        945
* Pennant Group Inc.    66,647        924
* Amicus Therapeutics Inc.    78,779        909
* Cerus Corp.   359,734        831
* IVERIC bio Inc.    24,708        813
* Rapt Therapeutics Inc.    42,902        781
* Surmodics Inc.    33,543        773
* Codexis Inc.   186,328        730
*,1 Gossamer Bio Inc.   555,356        716
  Embecta Corp.    25,159        698
* Affimed NV   756,672        681
*,2 Scilex Holding Co. (Acquired 1/6/23, Cost $1,032)    98,470        642
* Selecta Biosciences Inc.   528,838        629
* Esperion Therapeutics Inc.   445,798        588
* ModivCare Inc.     9,225        587
* BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.    69,117        526
* Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc.   244,539        472
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
*,1 Mei Pharma Inc.    61,622        314
1 Carisma Therapeutics Inc.    73,835        306
* Precision BioSciences Inc.   342,301        288
* Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc.    81,077        265
* NextCure Inc.   171,519        259
* Organogenesis Holdings Inc. Class A   126,114        259
* Personalis Inc.    96,118        219
* Cue Biopharma Inc.    46,345        201
* Retractable Technologies Inc.   107,784        188
*,1 Molecular Templates Inc.   424,818        167
*,1 Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc.    23,659         75
* MiNK Therapeutics Inc.    27,384         49
* Athenex Inc.    30,123         39
*,3 OmniAb Inc. 12.5 Earnout    84,348         —
*,3 OmniAb Inc. 15 Earnout    84,348         —
       3,827,765
Industrials (21.1%)
* Kirby Corp. 1,993,652    143,224
* Builders FirstSource Inc. 1,188,682    112,651
* AerCap Holdings NV 1,991,001    112,213
  Science Applications International Corp. 1,081,467    110,342
* Middleby Corp.   759,669    107,022
* TriNet Group Inc. 1,104,188    102,447
* RBC Bearings Inc.   427,357     97,014
* Fluor Corp. 3,333,293     96,866
  GATX Corp.   842,618     95,983
  Rush Enterprises Inc. Class A 1,734,829     92,137
  Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc. 1,535,162     87,796
* WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. 1,925,867     87,434
  Flowserve Corp. 2,590,489     86,496
  Kennametal Inc. 3,184,949     82,681
  Herc Holdings Inc.   799,233     79,939
* Alight Inc. Class A 8,425,033     77,932
* Clean Harbors Inc.   531,062     77,089
* Shoals Technologies Group Inc. Class A 3,645,221     76,149
  Fortune Brands Innovations Inc. 1,142,814     73,929
  Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corp. 3,426,725     73,846
  Sensata Technologies Holding plc 1,699,056     73,824
* Gibraltar Industries Inc. 1,458,504     72,984
* Trex Co. Inc. 1,316,631     71,967
  Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. Class A 2,415,062     71,872
* Mercury Systems Inc. 1,491,214     71,086
* Axon Enterprise Inc.   322,369     67,926
* Alaska Air Group Inc. 1,474,686     64,090
  IDEX Corp.   308,180     63,584
  Maximus Inc.   735,549     61,529
* ACV Auctions Inc. Class A 4,699,170     61,230
* Masonite International Corp.   642,393     58,721
  Concentrix Corp.   594,073     57,334
  Acuity Brands Inc.   353,785     55,679
 
8

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  Matson Inc.   738,516     50,241
  Forward Air Corp.   472,233     49,825
* Sterling Check Corp. 3,958,602     44,495
* API Group Corp. 1,928,355     43,889
  Tennant Co.   568,668     43,458
  Verisk Analytics Inc. Class A   214,559     41,648
  Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.   301,380     40,885
* AeroVironment Inc.   390,586     39,328
* GXO Logistics Inc.   710,045     37,725
* Paycor HCM Inc. 1,578,757     37,101
  HEICO Corp. Class A   275,721     37,010
* SiteOne Landscape Supply Inc.   232,356     34,328
* Generac Holdings Inc.   312,630     31,957
  BWX Technologies Inc.   479,800     30,985
  John Bean Technologies Corp.   279,185     30,350
* XPO Inc.   671,745     29,678
* Cimpress plc   545,472     28,337
  Rockwell Automation Inc.    98,390     27,885
* CoStar Group Inc.   329,309     25,340
* Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. 1,923,712     24,816
  Allison Transmission Holdings Inc.   477,607     23,302
* Atkore Inc.   178,234     22,516
  Vertiv Holdings Co. Class A 1,505,421     22,461
* FTI Consulting Inc.   123,760     22,339
  EMCOR Group Inc.   130,452     22,307
* GMS Inc.   364,908     21,187
  UFP Industries Inc.   252,956     19,862
  Tetra Tech Inc.   140,626     19,458
  United Rentals Inc.    53,030     19,150
* Bloom Energy Corp. Class A 1,114,527     18,557
  Watts Water Technologies Inc. Class A   108,704     17,581
  Terex Corp.   393,845     17,562
* Paylocity Holding Corp.    90,438     17,481
  JB Hunt Transport Services Inc.    97,176     17,034
* Ameresco Inc. Class A   387,477     16,119
* AZEK Co. Inc. Class A   579,264     15,721
  AGCO Corp.   123,805     15,344
  WESCO International Inc.    96,186     13,851
  Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc.    72,317     12,135
* Rocket Lab USA Inc. 2,930,021     11,486
  Heartland Express Inc.   777,833     11,263
  Carlisle Cos. Inc.    51,632     11,145
  Valmont Industries Inc.    37,580     10,919
  Howmet Aerospace Inc.   237,533     10,520
* ExlService Holdings Inc.    57,465     10,251
  Donaldson Co. Inc.   153,545      9,758
* Kornit Digital Ltd.   519,660      9,489
* ASGN Inc.   131,412      9,408
  Kforce Inc.   156,820      9,274
* Masterbrand Inc. 1,119,087      9,031
  H&E Equipment Services Inc.   246,118      8,983
  Robert Half International Inc.   115,175      8,408
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  CSG Systems International Inc.   151,605      7,987
  Exponent Inc.    79,887      7,354
  GrafTech International Ltd. 1,534,770      7,229
  Insperity Inc.    56,807      6,957
* Huron Consulting Group Inc.    81,442      6,905
  Boise Cascade Co.    99,722      6,812
  Franklin Electric Co. Inc.    64,887      5,805
  Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. Class A    58,856      5,634
  Korn Ferry   109,855      5,275
  Wabash National Corp.   205,407      5,273
* MYR Group Inc.    40,941      5,240
  TTEC Holdings Inc.   133,353      4,543
  Veritiv Corp.    37,835      4,346
* MRC Global Inc.   442,185      4,307
* Lyft Inc. Class A   403,550      4,136
  Graco Inc.    47,324      3,752
  MSA Safety Inc.    28,388      3,683
* Titan International Inc.   371,644      3,627
  Marten Transport Ltd.   175,503      3,543
  Comfort Systems USA Inc.    22,839      3,414
  Brink's Co.    53,132      3,339
* TrueBlue Inc.   216,816      3,285
  EnerSys    39,072      3,242
  Brady Corp. Class A    59,622      3,043
* RXO Inc.   149,256      2,700
* Saia Inc.     9,000      2,680
  Advanced Drainage Systems Inc.    30,190      2,588
  AAON Inc.    25,713      2,520
* Upwork Inc.   261,839      2,506
* Air Transport Services Group Inc.   103,493      2,102
  Mueller Industries Inc.    27,510      1,977
  Apogee Enterprises Inc.    40,965      1,743
  Kadant Inc.     8,754      1,627
  Enerpac Tool Group Corp. Class A    67,758      1,610
* Array Technologies Inc.    68,521      1,401
  Alamo Group Inc.     7,543      1,333
  ArcBest Corp.    13,894      1,312
* First Advantage Corp.   100,264      1,289
* Sterling Infrastructure Inc.    34,313      1,267
  Primoris Services Corp.    43,424      1,099
  Genpact Ltd.    22,978      1,024
* Hudson Technologies Inc.   111,677        863
* Janus International Group Inc.    92,812        835
* LegalZoom.Com Inc.    87,515        821
  Pitney Bowes Inc.   233,155        818
  Lindsay Corp.     6,673        806
* BlueLinx Holdings Inc.    10,970        769
* JELD-WEN Holding Inc.    59,489        760
* Franklin Covey Co.    20,352        747
* Casella Waste Systems Inc. Class A     8,044        716
  Moog Inc. Class A     7,332        661
  CRA International Inc.     5,856        616
  Quanta Services Inc.     3,590        609
  Federal Signal Corp.    11,453        588
  Allegion plc     5,313        587
  AECOM     6,965        578
 
9

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* Frontier Group Holdings Inc.    58,954        559
* Hireright Holdings Corp.    36,992        392
       4,099,433
Information Technology (15.3%)
* Guidewire Software Inc. 1,914,156    145,840
* Five9 Inc. 2,186,731    141,788
* New Relic Inc. 1,959,822    140,068
* Dynatrace Inc. 2,215,395     93,667
* GoDaddy Inc. Class A 1,221,300     92,428
  Power Integrations Inc. 1,228,437     89,406
* Manhattan Associates Inc.   524,588     86,914
  Monolithic Power Systems Inc.   180,500     83,386
* Jamf Holding Corp. 3,930,067     74,357
* Smartsheet Inc. Class A 1,743,564     71,259
* Cirrus Logic Inc.   816,299     70,030
* Viavi Solutions Inc. 7,189,842     64,421
* Cadence Design Systems Inc.   306,290     64,152
* Trimble Inc. 1,284,710     60,510
* Informatica Inc. Class A 3,875,209     59,911
* HubSpot Inc.   134,569     56,647
* Teledyne Technologies Inc.   132,410     54,871
* Wix.com Ltd.   568,513     49,591
* Silicon Laboratories Inc.   355,812     49,565
* Lattice Semiconductor Corp.   562,017     44,793
* Palo Alto Networks Inc.   244,962     44,696
* Tenable Holdings Inc. 1,185,140     43,838
* Onto Innovation Inc.   539,899     43,721
* PTC Inc.   318,526     40,067
*,1 GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.   677,328     39,827
* Envestnet Inc.   618,898     39,226
* Rapid7 Inc.   736,538     35,803
* Globant SA   219,417     34,420
* Tyler Technologies Inc.    85,764     32,507
* ON Semiconductor Corp.   445,737     32,075
* Momentive Global Inc. 3,405,877     31,981
* Okta Inc.   434,973     29,809
  Microchip Technology Inc.   402,808     29,401
* N-Able Inc. 2,272,741     28,977
* CyberArk Software Ltd.   224,703     27,998
* Fortinet Inc.   437,523     27,586
* Box Inc. Class A 1,037,323     27,448
* Procore Technologies Inc.   505,100     26,977
  Jabil Inc.   339,220     26,510
* Black Knight Inc.   475,572     25,985
  Bentley Systems Inc. Class B   603,500     25,685
  National Instruments Corp.   429,029     24,982
* Qualtrics International Inc. Class A 1,378,248     24,712
* Allegro MicroSystems Inc.   622,400     22,263
  Clear Secure Inc. Class A   915,000     22,134
* Monday.com Ltd.   181,381     22,114
* Consensus Cloud Solutions Inc.   591,462     22,079
* ANSYS Inc.    69,172     21,714
* Everbridge Inc.   823,211     21,634
* Freshworks Inc. Class A 1,465,200     19,575
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* Sprout Social Inc. Class A   373,944     18,420
* RingCentral Inc. Class A   652,573     17,985
* Elastic NV   308,520     17,663
*,4 8x8 Inc. 5,986,571     17,181
* Qualys Inc.   149,899     16,930
* Ambarella Inc.   268,391     16,635
* Dropbox Inc. Class A   790,480     16,078
* Nutanix Inc. Class A   654,791     15,702
* Axcelis Technologies Inc.   131,069     15,505
* PROS Holdings Inc.   509,666     14,459
  Cognex Corp.   295,926     14,113
* Enphase Energy Inc.    85,700     14,072
* Extreme Networks Inc.   780,336     13,874
* Aspen Technology Inc.    77,388     13,698
* Varonis Systems Inc. Class B   553,560     12,820
* SentinelOne Inc. Class A   779,800     12,531
* CommVault Systems Inc.   212,028     12,355
* Fair Isaac Corp.    16,400     11,938
* Sumo Logic Inc.   952,418     11,429
* Diodes Inc.   142,496     11,357
* Impinj Inc.   125,467     11,093
* Domo Inc. Class B   689,400     10,948
* Pure Storage Inc. Class A   471,169     10,757
* CommScope Holding Co. Inc. 2,139,814     10,549
* Yext Inc. 1,154,695     10,138
  A10 Networks Inc.   696,445      9,848
* Teradata Corp.   237,629      9,199
  Pegasystems Inc.   170,017      7,756
  Amkor Technology Inc.   330,034      7,383
* Super Micro Computer Inc.    65,365      6,891
* Arrow Electronics Inc.    56,850      6,505
* Synaptics Inc.    69,929      6,193
* SMART Global Holdings Inc.   391,410      6,036
* Semtech Corp.   299,743      5,842
* Blackline Inc.    96,212      5,360
* MaxLinear Inc.   215,960      5,211
* Ultra Clean Holdings Inc.   173,955      4,965
* Infinera Corp.   722,166      4,571
* Confluent Inc. Class A   203,019      4,466
* Itron Inc.    83,484      4,458
* Agilysys Inc.    51,299      4,003
* Fabrinet    38,015      3,610
* ePlus Inc.    80,163      3,490
* eGain Corp.   440,680      3,235
  Hackett Group Inc.   166,549      3,091
* Workiva Inc. Class A    29,811      2,785
* Plexus Corp.    26,959      2,358
* FormFactor Inc.    84,193      2,299
* Brightcove Inc.   524,919      2,173
* Arlo Technologies Inc.   308,971      1,990
* BigCommerce Holdings Inc. Series 1   246,340      1,820
* ACI Worldwide Inc.    71,312      1,806
  Vishay Intertechnology Inc.    83,285      1,773
* Zuora Inc. Class A   201,576      1,570
* Alarm.com Holdings Inc.    32,459      1,548
* Eastman Kodak Co.   451,327      1,485
* UiPath Inc. Class A   101,537      1,430
* EngageSmart Inc.    77,198      1,326
* Squarespace Inc. Class A    39,792      1,238
 
10

 

Explorer Fund
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
* Cambium Networks Corp.    74,883      1,134
* ACM Research Inc. Class A   115,490      1,080
* LivePerson Inc.   194,339        900
* OSI Systems Inc.     7,962        899
* Upland Software Inc.   233,415        857
* Alpha & Omega Semiconductor Ltd.    26,248        627
* NCR Corp.    22,956        512
* Couchbase Inc.    32,929        506
       2,981,807
Materials (3.8%)
  Graphic Packaging Holding Co. 7,247,372    178,720
  Methanex Corp. 1,991,434     89,196
  Cabot Corp. 1,158,477     83,132
  Louisiana-Pacific Corp. 1,373,173     82,033
* Livent Corp. 2,621,691     57,284
* Summit Materials Inc. Class A 1,862,087     51,040
  Ashland Inc.   474,900     48,255
  Eagle Materials Inc.   148,714     22,041
  Balchem Corp.   157,248     20,662
  Olin Corp.   229,096     12,692
  Chemours Co.   387,612     11,268
  Warrior Met Coal Inc.   305,413     10,558
* O-I Glass Inc.   439,634      9,879
  Avery Dennison Corp.    39,485      6,889
* Ingevity Corp.    90,240      6,474
  Sensient Technologies Corp.    85,307      6,352
  Innospec Inc.    49,420      5,023
  AdvanSix Inc.   130,940      4,934
  Berry Global Group Inc.    82,011      4,741
* Constellium SE Class A   277,734      4,124
  Steel Dynamics Inc.    34,879      3,626
  Sylvamo Corp.    57,284      2,625
  Orion Engineered Carbons SA    95,525      2,313
  American Vanguard Corp.   119,450      2,299
  Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc.    15,522      2,275
  Sealed Air Corp.    46,762      2,244
* LSB Industries Inc.   184,089      1,644
* ATI Inc.    42,219      1,630
  Greif Inc. Class A    24,713      1,552
  Avient Corp.    38,038      1,465
  Ryerson Holding Corp.    37,745      1,426
  Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. Class A    26,655        770
* Century Aluminum Co.    67,544        580
         739,746
Other (0.9%)
5 Vanguard Small-Cap ETF   923,288    172,941
*,3 Sesen Bio CVR 1,476,709         —
         172,941
Real Estate (3.2%)
  Life Storage Inc.   741,052     99,582
  Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc. 3,663,517     90,672
  Phillips Edison & Co. Inc. 2,794,797     88,148
  Rexford Industrial Realty Inc. 1,411,877     78,740
  PotlatchDeltic Corp. 1,650,467     76,301
  Douglas Emmett Inc. 3,819,325     49,193
    Shares Market
Value

($000)
  Xenia Hotels & Resorts Inc. 2,990,372     37,858
  Americold Realty Trust Inc. 1,266,700     37,482
  Outfront Media Inc.   989,416     16,484
  Lamar Advertising Co. Class A    76,468      8,081
  Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc.   353,172      6,926
  Equity LifeStyle Properties Inc.    96,584      6,655
* Zillow Group Inc. Class C   150,418      6,549
  CareTrust REIT Inc.   287,444      5,602
  DigitalBridge Group Inc.   303,203      3,769
  NexPoint Residential Trust Inc.    87,297      3,748
  Newmark Group Inc. Class A   310,206      1,967
  Alexander's Inc.     9,841      1,831
  RMR Group Inc. Class A    75,418      1,791
  Gladstone Commercial Corp.   109,587      1,308
  Douglas Elliman Inc.   254,240        811
  Iron Mountain Inc.    11,561        639
  St. Joe Co.    15,361        631
         624,768
Utilities (1.4%)
  Portland General Electric Co. 1,640,592     83,047
  Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc 2,892,055     76,986
  Ormat Technologies Inc. (XNYS)   726,935     62,378
  Vistra Corp.   652,108     15,559
  National Fuel Gas Co.   245,502     13,724
  Otter Tail Corp.   122,848      8,839
  MGE Energy Inc.    26,302      2,015
  Clearway Energy Inc. Class C    50,247      1,526
         264,074
Total Common Stocks (Cost $16,430,626) 18,683,671
Temporary Cash Investments (4.1%)
Money Market Fund (3.5%)
6,7 Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, 4.853%  6,888,362    688,767
 
11

 

Explorer Fund
    Face
Amount
($000)
Market
Value

($000)
Repurchase Agreement (0.6%)
  Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. 4.790%, 5/1/23
(Dated 4/28/23, Repurchase Value $117,747,000, collateralized by Fannie Mae 3.00%–5.000%, 6/1/37–4/1/53, with a value of $120,054,000)  
  117,700    117,700
Total Temporary Cash Investments (Cost $806,353) 806,467
Total Investments (100.2%) (Cost $17,236,979) 19,490,138
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net (-0.2%) (40,062)
Net Assets (100%) 19,450,076
Cost is in $000.
See Note A in Notes to Financial Statements.
* Non-income-producing security.
1 Includes partial security positions on loan to broker-dealers. The total value of securities on loan is $62,211,000.
2 Restricted securities totaling $642,000, representing 0.0% of net assets.
3 Security value determined using significant unobservable inputs.
4 Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities of such company.
5 Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the issuer is another member of The Vanguard Group.
6 Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.
7 Collateral of $67,322,000 was received for securities on loan.
  ADR—American Depositary Receipt.
  CVR—Contingent Value Rights.
  REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust.

Derivative Financial Instruments Outstanding as of Period End

Futures Contracts
      ($000)
  Expiration Number of
Long (Short)
Contracts
Notional
Amount
Value and
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
Long Futures Contracts        
E-mini Russell 2000 Index June 2023 4,527 401,726 (2,546)
  
See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.
12

 

Explorer Fund
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
As of April 30, 2023
($000s, except shares, footnotes, and per-share amounts) Amount
Assets  
Investments in Securities, at Value1  
Unaffiliated Issuers (Cost $16,318,589) 18,611,249
Affiliated Issuers (Cost $918,390) 878,889
Total Investments in Securities 19,490,138
Investment in Vanguard 702
Cash Collateral Pledged—Futures Contracts 27,118
Receivables for Investment Securities Sold 38,254
Receivables for Accrued Income 4,607
Receivables for Capital Shares Issued 20,556
Variation Margin Receivable—Futures Contracts 3,881
Total Assets 19,585,256
Liabilities  
Due to Custodian 2,890
Payables for Investment Securities Purchased 45,504
Collateral for Securities on Loan 67,322
Payables to Investment Advisor 10,189
Payables for Capital Shares Redeemed 8,022
Payables to Vanguard 1,253
Total Liabilities 135,180
Net Assets 19,450,076
1 Includes $62,211,000 of securities on loan.  
At April 30, 2023, net assets consisted of:  
   
Paid-in Capital 17,324,102
Total Distributable Earnings (Loss) 2,125,974
Net Assets 19,450,076
 
Investor Shares—Net Assets  
Applicable to 29,242,232 outstanding $.001 par value shares of
beneficial interest (unlimited authorization)
2,878,544
Net Asset Value Per Share—Investor Shares $98.44
 
Admiral Shares—Net Assets  
Applicable to 181,033,699 outstanding $.001 par value shares of
beneficial interest (unlimited authorization)
16,571,532
Net Asset Value Per Share—Admiral Shares $91.54
  
See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.
13

 

Explorer Fund
Statement of Operations
  Six Months Ended
April 30, 2023
  ($000)
Investment Income  
Income  
Dividends—Unaffiliated Issuers1 79,043
Dividends—Affiliated Issuers 1,860
Interest—Unaffiliated Issuers 4,402
Interest—Affiliated Issuers 12,397
Securities Lending—Net 1,096
Total Income 98,798
Expenses  
Investment Advisory Fees—Note B  
Basic Fee 15,947
Performance Adjustment 4,457
The Vanguard Group—Note C  
Management and Administrative—Investor Shares 3,467
Management and Administrative—Admiral Shares 10,582
Marketing and Distribution—Investor Shares 66
Marketing and Distribution—Admiral Shares 388
Custodian Fees 52
Shareholders’ Reports—Investor Shares 40
Shareholders’ Reports—Admiral Shares 131
Trustees’ Fees and Expenses 4
Other Expenses 7
Total Expenses 35,141
Expenses Paid Indirectly (4)
Net Expenses 35,137
Net Investment Income 63,661
Realized Net Gain (Loss)  
Capital Gains Distributions Received – Affiliated Issuers 1
Investment Securities Sold—Unaffiliated Issuers (13,855)
Investment Securities Sold—Affiliated Issuers (19,110)
Futures Contracts (30,836)
Realized Net Gain (Loss) (63,800)
Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)  
Investment Securities—Unaffiliated
Issuers
704,228
Investment Securities—Affiliated Issuers 18,554
Futures Contracts 3,938
Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) 726,720
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations 726,581
1 Dividends are net of foreign withholding taxes of $470,000.
  
See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.
14

 

Explorer Fund
Statement of Changes in Net Assets
  Six Months Ended
April 30,
2023
  Year Ended
October 31,
2022
  ($000)   ($000)
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets      
Operations      
Net Investment Income 63,661   84,527
Realized Net Gain (Loss) (63,800)   865,754
Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) 726,720   (6,678,679)
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations 726,581   (5,728,398)
Distributions      
Investor Shares (137,228)   (542,949)
Admiral Shares (780,809)   (2,859,142)
Total Distributions (918,037)   (3,402,091)
Capital Share Transactions      
Investor Shares 10,035   274,349
Admiral Shares 580,498   3,239,276
Net Increase (Decrease) from Capital Share Transactions 590,533   3,513,625
Total Increase (Decrease) 399,077   (5,616,864)
Net Assets      
Beginning of Period 19,050,999   24,667,863
End of Period 19,450,076   19,050,999
  
See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.
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Explorer Fund
Financial Highlights
Investor Shares            
For a Share Outstanding
Throughout Each Period 
Six Months
Ended
April 30,
2023
Year Ended October 31,
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $99.70 $151.47 $110.44 $101.66 $102.25 $102.10
Investment Operations            
Net Investment Income1 .280 .349 .206 .284 .333 .325
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments 3.213 (31.635) 49.372 13.688 8.234 11.192
Total from Investment Operations 3.493 (31.286) 49.578 13.972 8.567 11.517
Distributions            
Dividends from Net Investment Income (.360) (.278) (.158) (.295) (.286) (.475)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains (4.393) (20.206) (8.390) (4.897) (8.871) (10.892)
Total Distributions (4.753) (20.484) (8.548) (5.192) (9.157) (11.367)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $98.44 $99.70 $151.47 $110.44 $101.66 $102.25
Total Return2 3.83% -23.09% 46.27% 14.08% 10.15% 12.12%
Ratios/Supplemental Data            
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions) $2,879 $2,894 $4,074 $3,325 $3,520 $3,420
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets3 0.46%4 0.45%4 0.40% 0.41% 0.45% 0.44%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets 0.55% 0.31% 0.15% 0.28% 0.33% 0.31%
Portfolio Turnover Rate 18% 44% 45% 43% 41% 50%
The expense ratio and net investment income ratio for the current period have been annualized.
1 Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown. Fund prospectuses provide information about any applicable account service fees.
3 Includes performance-based investment advisory fee increases (decreases) of 0.05%, 0.04%, (0.01%), (0.01%), 0.03% and 0.02%.
4 The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the period net of reduction from broker commission abatement arrangements was 0.46% and 0.45%, respectively.
  
See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.
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Explorer Fund
Financial Highlights
Admiral Shares            
For a Share Outstanding
Throughout Each Period 
Six Months
Ended
April 30,
2023
Year Ended October 31,
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $92.79 $141.02 $102.82 $94.64 $95.24 $94.99
Investment Operations            
Net Investment Income1 .310 .437 .321 .365 .409 .418
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments 2.975 (29.417) 45.967 12.752 7.648 10.405
Total from Investment Operations 3.285 (28.980) 46.288 13.117 8.057 10.823
Distributions            
Dividends from Net Investment Income (.447) (.434) (.275) (.378) (.393) (.438)
Distributions from Realized Capital Gains (4.088) (18.816) (7.813) (4.559) (8.264) (10.135)
Total Distributions (4.535) (19.250) (8.088) (4.937) (8.657) (10.573)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $91.54 $92.79 $141.02 $102.82 $94.64 $95.24
Total Return2 3.88% -23.00% 46.42% 14.21% 10.27% 12.24%
Ratios/Supplemental Data            
Net Assets, End of Period (Millions) $16,572 $16,157 $20,594 $13,279 $12,569 $11,616
Ratio of Total Expenses to Average Net Assets3 0.35%4 0.34%4 0.29% 0.30% 0.34% 0.32%
Ratio of Net Investment Income to Average Net Assets 0.66% 0.42% 0.25% 0.39% 0.44% 0.43%
Portfolio Turnover Rate 18% 44% 45% 43% 41% 50%
The expense ratio and net investment income ratio for the current period have been annualized.
1 Calculated based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total returns do not include account service fees that may have applied in the periods shown. Fund prospectuses provide information about any applicable account service fees.
3 Includes performance-based investment advisory fee increases (decreases) of 0.05%, 0.04%, (0.01%), (0.01%), 0.03% and 0.02%.
4 The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the period net of reduction from broker commission abatement arrangements was 0.35% and 0.34%, respectively.
  
See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.
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Explorer Fund
Notes to Financial Statements
Vanguard Explorer Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund offers two classes of shares: Investor Shares and Admiral Shares. Each of the share classes has different eligibility and minimum purchase requirements, and is designed for different types of investors.
A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. investment companies. 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 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 by methods deemed by the valuation designee to represent fair value and subject to oversight 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 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.
2. Foreign Currency: Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from an independent third party as of the fund’s pricing time on the valuation date. 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 assets or liabilities are settled in cash, at which time they are recorded as realized foreign currency gains (losses).
3. Repurchase Agreements: The fund enters into repurchase agreements with institutional counterparties. Securities pledged as collateral to the fund under repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature, and in the absence of a default, such collateral cannot be repledged, resold, or rehypothecated. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal. The fund further mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into repurchase agreements only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, and entering into master repurchase agreements with its counterparties. The master repurchase agreements provide that, in the event of a counterparty's default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any repurchase agreements with that counterparty, determine the net amount owed, and sell or retain the collateral up to the net amount owed to the fund. Such action may be subject to legal proceedings, which may delay or limit the disposition of collateral.
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Explorer Fund
4. 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. Counterparty risk involving futures is mitigated because a regulated clearinghouse is the counterparty instead of the clearing broker. To further mitigate counterparty risk, the fund trades futures contracts on an exchange, monitors the financial strength of its clearing brokers and clearinghouse, and has entered into clearing agreements with its clearing brokers. The clearinghouse imposes initial margin requirements to secure the fund’s performance and requires daily settlement of variation margin representing changes in the market value of each contract. Any securities pledged as initial margin for open contracts are noted in the Schedule of Investments.
Futures contracts are valued at their quoted daily settlement prices. The notional amounts of the contracts are not recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities 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 gains (losses) on futures contracts.
During the six months ended April 30, 2023, the fund’s average investments in long and short futures contracts represented 2% and 0% of net assets, respectively, based on the average of the notional amounts at each quarter-end during the period.
5. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute virtually all of its taxable income. The fund’s tax returns are open to examination by the relevant tax authorities until expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, which is generally three years after the filing of the tax return. Management has analyzed the fund’s tax positions taken for all open federal and state income tax years, and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the fund’s financial statements.
6. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are determined on a tax basis at the fiscal year-end and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes.
7. Securities Lending: To earn additional income, the fund lends its securities to qualified institutional borrowers. Security loans are subject to termination by the fund at any time, and are required to be secured at all times by collateral in an amount at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. Daily market fluctuations could cause the value of loaned securities to be more or less than the value of the collateral received. When this occurs, the collateral is adjusted and settled before the opening of the market on the next business day. The fund further mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into securities lending transactions only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, and entering into master securities lending agreements with its counterparties. The master securities lending agreements provide that, in the event of a counterparty’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any loans with that borrower, determine the net amount owed, and sell or retain the collateral up to the net amount owed to the fund; however, such actions may be subject to legal proceedings. While collateral mitigates counterparty risk, in the event of a default, the fund may experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities
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Explorer Fund
for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Collateral investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are subject to market appreciation or depreciation. Securities lending income represents fees charged to borrowers plus income earned on invested cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan. During the term of the loan, the fund is entitled to all distributions made on or in respect of the loaned securities.
8. Credit Facilities and Interfund Lending Program: The fund and certain other funds managed by The Vanguard Group ("Vanguard") participate in a $4.3 billion committed credit facility provided by a syndicate of lenders pursuant to a credit agreement and an uncommitted credit facility provided by Vanguard. Both facilities may be renewed annually. Each fund is individually liable for its borrowings, if any, under the credit facilities. Borrowings may be utilized for temporary or emergency purposes and are subject to the fund’s regulatory and contractual borrowing restrictions. With respect to the committed credit facility, the participating funds are charged administrative fees and an annual commitment fee of 0.10% of the undrawn committed amount of the facility, which are allocated to the funds based on a method approved by the fund’s board of trustees and included in Management and Administrative expenses on the fund’s Statement of Operations. Any borrowings under either facility bear interest at an agreed-upon spread plus the higher of the federal funds effective rate, the overnight bank funding rate, or the Daily Simple Secured Overnight Financing Rate inclusive of an additional agreed-upon spread. However, borrowings under the uncommitted credit facility may bear interest based upon an alternate rate agreed to by the fund and Vanguard.
In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC, the fund may participate in a joint lending and borrowing program that allows registered open-end Vanguard funds to borrow money from and lend money to each other for temporary or emergency purposes (the “Interfund Lending Program”), subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Order, and to the extent permitted by the fund’s investment objective and investment policies. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one business day’s notice. The interest rate to be charged is governed by the conditions of the Order and internal procedures adopted by the board of trustees. The board of trustees is responsible for overseeing the Interfund Lending Program. 
For the six months ended April 30, 2023, the fund did not utilize the credit facilities or the Interfund Lending Program.
9. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Non-cash dividends included in income, if any, are recorded at the fair value of the securities received. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized and accreted, respectively, to interest income over the lives of the respective securities, except for premiums on certain callable debt securities that are amortized to the earliest call date. 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.
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Explorer Fund
B. The investment advisory firms Wellington Management Company llp, ClearBridge Investments, LLC, Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, and ArrowMark Colorado Holdings, LLC, each provide 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 basic fees of Wellington Management Company llp and ClearBridge Investments, LLC, are subject to quarterly adjustments based on performance relative to the Russell 2500 Growth Index for the preceding three years. The basic fees of Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, and ArrowMark Colorado Holdings, LLC, are subject to quarterly adjustments based on performance relative to the Russell 2500 Growth Index for the preceding five years.
Vanguard provides investment advisory services to a portion of the fund as described below; the fund paid Vanguard advisory fees of $347,000 for the six months ended April 30, 2023.
For the six months ended April 30, 2023, the aggregate investment advisory fee paid to all advisors represented an effective annual basic rate of 0.17% of the fund’s average net assets, before a net increase of $4,457,000 (0.05%) based on performance.
C. In accordance with the terms of a Funds' Service Agreement (the “FSA”) between Vanguard and the fund, Vanguard furnishes to the fund investment advisory, corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services at Vanguard’s cost of operations (as defined by the FSA). These costs of operations are allocated to the fund based on methods and guidelines approved by the board of trustees and are generally settled twice a month.
Upon the request of Vanguard, the fund may invest up to 0.40% of its net assets as capital in Vanguard. At April 30, 2023, the fund had contributed to Vanguard capital in the amount of $702,000, representing less than 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 0.28% of Vanguard’s capital received pursuant to the FSA. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and employees, respectively, of Vanguard.
D. The fund has asked its investment advisors 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. For the six months ended April 30, 2023, these arrangements reduced the fund’s expenses by $4,000 (an annual rate of less than 0.01% of average net assets).
E. Various inputs may be used to determine the value of the fund’s investments and derivatives. These inputs are summarized in three broad levels for financial statement purposes. The inputs or methodologies used to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).
Level 3—Significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments). Any investments and derivatives valued with significant unobservable inputs are noted on the Schedule of Investments.
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Explorer Fund
The following table summarizes the market value of the fund’s investments and derivatives as of April 30, 2023, based on the inputs used to value them:
  Level 1
($000)
Level 2
($000)
Level 3
($000)
Total
($000)
Investments        
Assets        
Common Stocks 18,683,029 642 18,683,671
Temporary Cash Investments 688,767 117,700 806,467
Total 19,371,796 118,342 19,490,138
Derivative Financial Instruments        
Liabilities        
Futures Contracts1 2,546 2,546
1 Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) on futures contracts and centrally cleared swaps, if any, as reported in the Schedule of Investments. Only current day’s variation margin is reported within the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
F. As of April 30, 2023, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for investments and derivatives based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:
  Amount
($000)
Tax Cost 17,376,487
Gross Unrealized Appreciation 4,168,372
Gross Unrealized Depreciation (2,057,267)
Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) 2,111,105
G. During the six months ended April 30, 2023, the fund purchased $3,334,198,000 of investment securities and sold $3,630,047,000 of investment securities, other than temporary cash investments.
The fund purchased securities from and sold securities to other funds or accounts managed by its investment advisors or their affiliates, in accordance with procedures adopted by the board of trustees in compliance with Rule 17a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. For the six months ended April 30, 2023, such purchases were $2,891,000 and sales were $25,565,000, resulting in net realized gain of $144,000; these amounts, other than temporary cash investments, are included in the purchases and sales of investment securities noted above.
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Explorer Fund
H. Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:
    
  Six Months Ended
April 30, 2023
  Year Ended
October 31, 2022
  Amount
($000)
Shares
(000)
  Amount
($000)
Shares
(000)
Investor Shares          
Issued 100,872 1,009   237,214 2,052
Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions 133,501 1,448   526,661 4,329
Redeemed (224,338) (2,239)   (489,526) (4,253)
Net Increase (Decrease)—Investor Shares 10,035 218   274,349 2,128
Admiral Shares          
Issued 1,071,991 11,621   2,678,849 24,883
Issued in Lieu of Cash Distributions 723,744 8,447   2,659,574 23,515
Redeemed (1,215,237) (13,166)   (2,099,147) (20,303)
Net Increase (Decrease)—Admiral Shares 580,498 6,902   3,239,276 28,095
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 or the issuer is another member of The Vanguard Group. Transactions during the period in securities of these companies were as follows:
    Current Period Transactions  
  Oct. 31,
2022
Market
Value
($000)
Purchases
at Cost
($000)
Proceeds
from
Securities
Sold
($000)
Realized
Net
Gain
(Loss)
($000)
Change in
Unrealized
App. (Dep.)
($000)
Income
($000)
Capital Gain
Distributions
Received
($000)
Apr. 30,
2023
Market
Value
($000)
8x8 Inc. NA1 4,632 3,895 (8,749) 661 17,181
Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund 716,694 NA2 NA2 65 (4) 12,397 1 688,767
Vanguard Small-Cap ETF 217,998 62,946 103,119 207 (5,091) 1,860 172,941
Veracyte Inc. 79,133 4,189 21,305 (10,633) 22,988 NA3
Total 1,013,825 71,767 128,319 (19,110) 18,554 14,257 1 878,889
1 Not applicable—at October 31, 2022, the issuer was not an affiliated company of the fund.
2 Not applicable—purchases and sales are for temporary cash investment purposes.
3 Not applicable—at April 30, 2023, the security was still held, but the issuer was no longer an affiliated company of the fund.
J. Significant market disruptions, such as those caused by pandemics (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic), natural or environmental disasters, war (e.g., Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, or other events, can adversely affect local and global markets and normal market operations. Any such disruptions could have an adverse impact on the value of the fund’s investments and fund performance.
To the extent the fund’s investment portfolio reflects concentration in a particular market, industry, sector, country or asset class, the fund may be adversely affected by the performance of these concentrations and may be subject to increased price volatility and other risks.
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Explorer Fund
The use of derivatives may expose the fund to various risks. Derivatives can be highly volatile, and any initial investment is generally small relative to the notional amount so that transactions may be leveraged in terms of market exposure. A relatively small market movement may have a potentially larger impact on derivatives than on standard securities. Leveraged derivatives positions can, therefore, increase volatility. Additional information regarding the fund's use of derivative(s) and the specific risks associated is described under significant accounting policies.
K. Management has determined that no events or transactions occurred subsequent to April 30, 2023, that would require recognition or disclosure in these financial statements.
24

 

Trustees Approve Advisory Arrangements
The board of trustees of Vanguard Explorer Fund has renewed the fund’s investment advisory arrangements with Wellington Management Company llp (Wellington Management); Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC (SIMG); ArrowMark Colorado Holdings, LLC (ArrowMark Partners); ClearBridge Investments, LLC (ClearBridge); and The Vanguard Group, Inc. (Vanguard), through its Quantitative Equity Group. The board determined that renewing the fund’s advisory arrangements was in the best interests of the fund and its shareholders.
The board based its decisions upon an evaluation of each advisor’s investment staff, portfolio management process, and performance. This evaluation included information provided to the board by Vanguard’s Portfolio Review Department, which is responsible for fund and advisor oversight and product management. The Portfolio Review Department met regularly with the advisors and made presentations to the board during the fiscal year that directed the board’s focus to relevant information and topics.
The board, or an investment committee made up of board members, also received information throughout the year during advisor presentations. For each advisor presentation, the board was provided with letters and reports that included information about, among other things, the advisory firm and the advisor’s assessment of the investment environment, portfolio performance, and portfolio characteristics.
In addition, the board received periodic reports throughout the year, which included information about the fund’s performance relative to its peers and benchmark, as applicable, and updates, as needed, on the Portfolio Review Department’s ongoing assessment of the advisors.
Prior to their meeting, the trustees were provided with a memo and materials that summarized the information they received over the course of the year. They also considered the factors discussed below, among others. However, no single factor determined whether the board approved the arrangements. Rather, it was the totality of the circumstances that drove the board’s decisions.
Nature, extent, and quality of services
The board reviewed the quality of the fund’s investment management services over both the short and long term and took into account the organizational depth and stability of each advisor. The board considered the following:
Wellington Management. Founded in 1928, Wellington Management is among the nation’s oldest and most respected institutional investment managers. Using a bottom-up, fundamentally driven approach, Wellington Management invests opportunistically in a diversified portfolio of high-quality stocks. The advisor attempts to identify companies with key success factors such as top market share, substantial insider ownership, and fully funded business plans. The investment team has the support of Wellington Management’s global industry analysts in conducting its research-intensive approach. Wellington Management has advised a portion of the fund since its inception in 1967.
SIMG. Founded in 2005, SIMG is a subsidiary of Stephens Investments Holdings LLC, a privately held and family-owned company. SIMG specializes in equity investment management focused on
25

 

small- and mid-cap growth companies. The team employs a disciplined, bottom-up investment selection process that combines rigorous fundamental analysis with quantitative screening, seeking to identify companies that will exhibit potential for superior earnings growth. There are two different types of stocks in which the team invests: core growth and earnings catalyst. The characteristic SIMG seeks for core growth stocks is consistent and predictable earnings growth that is generated by unique, defensible business models. For earnings catalyst stocks, SIMG looks for inflection points such as large earnings surprises or positive revisions to earnings estimates or guidance. The team generally requires all stocks to be profitable or on the cusp of profitability and exhibiting at least 12% earnings growth. SIMG has managed a portion of the fund since 2013.
ArrowMark Partners. Founded in 2007, ArrowMark Partners offers a wide range of strategies, including equities, fixed income, and structured products, to institutional, high-net-worth, and retail investors. Using in-depth, fundamental research, the investment team seeks to identify companies that it believes can control their own economic destiny. These are companies with strong competitive advantages, high barriers to entry, large potential markets for their products, and high-quality businesses focused on future growth. In evaluating companies and constructing the portfolio, ArrowMark Partners places significant emphasis on understanding risk in the belief that avoiding large mistakes is the key to success in small-capitalization investing. ArrowMark Partners has managed a portion of the fund since 2014.
ClearBridge. With a legacy dating back to 1962, ClearBridge, a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc., is a global investment manager that offers a wide range of strategies, including domestic, international, global, and special equity and fixed income strategies. The ClearBridge SMID Cap Growth strategy employed in Vanguard Explorer Fund takes a disciplined, consistent, patient, and risk-aware approach. ClearBridge works to identify and own quality growth companies with large exploitable opportunities. The team’s patient approach to security selection and position management is designed to invest in multiyear opportunities that allow for the compounding effect of earnings. At the security level, the team seeks to “de-risk” an idea through fundamental analysis, understanding downside scenarios, and entering a position with sensitivity to valuation. ClearBridge has managed a portion of the fund since 2017.
Vanguard. Vanguard has been managing investments for more than four decades. The Quantitative Equity Group adheres to a sound, disciplined investment management process; the team has considerable experience, stability, and depth. Vanguard has managed a portion of the fund since 1997.
The board concluded that each advisor’s experience, stability, depth, and performance, among other factors, warranted continuation of the advisory arrangements.
Investment performance
The board considered the short- and long-term performance of the fund and each advisor, including any periods of outperformance or underperformance compared with a relevant benchmark index and peer group. The board concluded that the performance was such that each advisory arrangement should continue.
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Cost
The board concluded that the fund’s expense ratio was below the average expense ratio charged by funds in its peer group and that the fund’s advisory expense rates were also below the peer-group average.
The board did not consider the profitability of Wellington Management, SIMG, ArrowMark Partners, or ClearBridge in determining whether to approve the advisory fees, because the firms are independent of Vanguard and the advisory fees are the result of arm’s-length negotiations. The board does not conduct a profitability analysis of Vanguard because of Vanguard’s unique structure. Unlike most other mutual fund management companies, Vanguard is owned by the funds it oversees.
The benefit of economies of scale
The board concluded that the fund’s shareholders benefit from economies of scale because of breakpoints in the advisory fee schedules for Wellington Management, SIMG, ArrowMark Partners, and ClearBridge. The breakpoints reduce the effective rate of the fees as the fund’s assets managed by each advisor increase.
The board also concluded that the fund’s arrangement with Vanguard ensures that the fund will realize economies of scale as it grows, with the cost to shareholders declining as the fund’s assets managed by Vanguard increase.
The board will consider whether to renew the advisory arrangements again after a one-year period.
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Liquidity Risk Management
Vanguard funds (except for the money market funds) have adopted and implemented a written liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) as required by Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Rule 22e-4 requires that each fund adopt a program that is reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s liquidity risk, which is the risk that the fund could not meet redemption requests without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund.
Assessment and management of a fund’s liquidity risk under the Program take into consideration certain factors, such as the fund’s investment strategy and the liquidity of its portfolio investments during normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions, its short- and long-term cash-flow projections during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions, and its cash and cash-equivalent holdings and access to other funding sources. As required by the rule, the Program includes policies and procedures for classification of fund portfolio holdings in four liquidity categories, maintaining certain levels of highly liquid investments, and limiting holdings of illiquid investments.
The board of trustees of Vanguard Explorer Fund approved the appointment of liquidity risk management program administrators responsible for administering Vanguard Explorer Fund's Program and for carrying out the specific responsibilities set forth in the Program, including reporting to the board on at least an annual basis regarding the Program’s operation, its adequacy, and the effectiveness of its implementation for the past year (the “Program Administrator Report”). The board has reviewed the Program Administrator Report covering the period from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022 (the “Review Period”). The Program Administrator Report stated that during the Review Period the Program operated and was implemented effectively to manage the fund’s liquidity risk.
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You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting guidelines by visiting vanguard.com/proxyreporting or by calling Vanguard at 800-662-2739. The guidelines 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 vanguard.com/proxyreporting or www.sec.gov.
You can review information about your fund on the SEC’s website, and you can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a request via email addressed to publicinfo@sec.gov.
© 2023 The Vanguard Group, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.
Q242 062023

 

Item 2: Code of Ethics.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 3: Audit Committee Financial Expert.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 4: Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5: Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

 

Item 6: Investments.

 

Not applicable. The complete schedule of investments is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.

 

Item 7: Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8: Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 9: Purchase of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 10: Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

 

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 the 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: Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 13: Exhibits.

 

(a)(1) Not applicable.
(a)(2) Certifications filed herewith.
(b) Certifications filed herewith.

 

 

 

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 EXPLORER FUND
     
BY: /s/ MORTIMER J. BUCKLEY*  
  MORTIMER J. BUCKLEY  
  CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER  

 

Date: June 19, 2023

 

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 EXPLORER FUND
     
BY: /s/ MORTIMER J. BUCKLEY*  
  MORTIMER J. BUCKLEY  
  CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER  

 

Date: June 19, 2023

 

  VANGUARD EXPLORER FUND
     
BY: /s/ CHRISTINE BUCHANAN*  
  CHRISTINE BUCHANAN  
  CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER  

 

Date: June 19, 2023

 

* By: /s/ Anne E. Robinson  

 

Anne E. Robinson, pursuant to a Power of Attorney filed on March 29, 2023 (see File Number 2-11444), Incorporated by Reference.