Gallagher Fiduciary Buys $40 Million of Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF

Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, LLC reported a buy of the Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:VCLT) in the fourth quarter.

What happened

According to an SEC filing dated Feb. 17, 2026, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, LLC increased its holding in Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF by 525,553 shares. The estimated transaction value was about $40 million, calculated using the average closing price over the quarter. The quarter-end position value increased by $39.9 million, reflecting both share additions and price changes.

What else to know

• The fund’s VCLT position totaled approximately 2.1% of 13F assets under management (AUM), as of Dec. 31, 2025.
• Top holdings after the filing:
  • NYSE: MCD: $1.3 billion (43.8% of AUM)
  • NYSE: PCG: $312.2 million (10.1% of AUM)
  • NYSE: DAL: $280.4 million (9.1% of AUM)
  • NYSEMKT: VTI: $161.5 million (5.2% of AUM)
  • NYSE: CBRE: $143.8 million (4.7% of AUM)
• As of Feb. 16, 2026, VCLT shares were priced at $77.27, up 7.6% over one year, underperforming the S&P 500 by 5.6 percentage points.
• VCLT’s trailing dividend yield was 5.41% as of Feb. 16, 2026.

ETF overview

Metric	Value
Net assets	$8.5 billion
Dividend yield	5.41%
Price (as of market close 2/13/26)	$77.27
1-year total return	7.6%

ETF snapshot

• The investment strategy focuses on tracking the Bloomberg U.S. 10+ Year Corporate Bond Index and targeting long-term, investment-grade corporate bonds.
• Underlying holdings primarily consist of U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, taxable securities issued by industrial, utility, and financial companies with maturities greater than 10 years.
• Structured as a passively managed ETF, the fund offers a low-cost exposure to long-term corporate debt, appealing to investors seeking higher yield and duration within a diversified portfolio.

The Vanguard Long-Term Corporate Bond ETF provides institutional investors with targeted access to the long-duration segment of the U.S. investment-grade corporate bond market. The fund's scale and disciplined index-tracking approach help deliver efficient exposure to a diversified pool of high-quality issuers.

What this transaction means for investors

Gallagher manages money for many clients, so there can be many reasons for its buy/sell decisions each quarter. While it significantly added to VCLT in the fourth quarter, it also bought more stock exposure through VTI. It also reduced positions in individual stocks, including McDonald’s, PG&E, and Delta Air Lines, which were three of its top holdings.

Interest rates have been elevated in recent years, but some investors are anticipating lower rates in 2026. This outlook would favor buying long-term duration bonds, which could benefit from lower rates.

The Federal Reserve already cut rates twice last year, and some investors expect more rate cuts to stimulate the economy this year. Buying bonds can help an investor lock in higher yields, while also positioning for capital returns if bond prices rise and interest rates fall.

Annie Dean, Chief Strategy Officer at CBRE, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Ballard has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.