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Is JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF (JPME) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF (JPME - Free Report) debuted on 05/11/2016, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

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

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

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

The fund is managed by J.P. Morgan. JPME has been able to amass assets over $262.53 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. JPME seeks to match the performance of the Russell Midcap Diversified Factor Index before fees and expenses.

The JP Morgan Diversified Factor US Mid Cap Equity Index utilizes a rules-based approach that combines risk-based portfolio construction with multi-factor security selection, including value, quality and momentum factors.

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 0.24%.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.63%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Healthcare sector - about 11.70% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Materials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Chemours Co/the Common (CC - Free Report) accounts for about 0.70% of the fund's total assets, followed by Coterra Energy Inc (CTRA - Free Report) and Olin Corp Common Stock (OLN - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 5.34% of JPME's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -7.36% so far this year and is down about -0.17% in the last one year (as of 08/08/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $78.92 and $95.75.

The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 24.41% for the trailing three-year period. With about 375 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard MidCap ETF (VO - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Mid Cap Index and the iShares Core S&P MidCap ETF (IJH - Free Report) tracks S&P MidCap 400 Index. Vanguard MidCap ETF has $51.12 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P MidCap ETF has $62.63 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.

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 - Mid Cap Blend.

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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