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Is Nuveen ESG LargeCap Value ETF (NULV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 12/13/2016, smart beta exchange traded fund Nuveen ESG LargeCap Value ETF (NULV - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.

Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

NULV is managed by Nuveen, and this fund has amassed over $1.44 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Large-Cap Value Index.

The TIAA ESG USA Large-Cap Value Index comprises of equity securities issued by large capitalization companies listed on US exchanges. It uses a rules-based methodology that seeks to provide investment exposure generally replicating large-cap value benchmarks through a portfolio of securities adhering to predetermined ESG, controversial business involvement & low-carbon criteria.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.25%.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 5.18%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

For NULV, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 18.90% of the portfolio --while Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Procter & Gamble Co/the (PG - Free Report) accounts for about 3.04% of the fund's total assets, followed by Jpmorgan Chase & Co (JPM - Free Report) and Coca-Cola Co/the (KO - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.34% of NULV's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Nuveen ESG LargeCap Value ETF has lost about -12.75% so far, and is down about -3.81% over the last 12 months (as of 07/20/2022). NULV has traded between $32.39 and $39.88 in this past 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 23.37% for the trailing three-year period. With about 110 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Nuveen ESG LargeCap Value ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD - Free Report) tracks MSCI EAFE ESG Focus Index and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU - Free Report) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. IShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF has $6.55 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $22.03 billion. ESGD has an expense ratio of 0.20% and ESGU charges 0.15%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value.

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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