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Is iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA - Free Report) was launched on 05/05/2010, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.

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.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

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

Managed by Blackrock, EUSA has amassed assets over $367.40 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index.

The MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index represents the MSCI USA Index, measures the performance of equity securities in the top 85% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the United States.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.09% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

EUSA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.94%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 17.70% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Chewy Inc Class A (CHWY - Free Report) accounts for about 0.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Amc Entertainment Holdings Inc Cla (AMC - Free Report) and Enphase Energy Inc (ENPH - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 2.04% of EUSA's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -24.16% so far this year and is down about -21.57% in the last one year (as of 10/17/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $66.79 and $90.84.

The fund has a beta of 1.08 and standard deviation of 25.55% for the trailing three-year period, which makes EUSA a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 632 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT - Free Report) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. IShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $37.29 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $236.34 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI charges 0.03%.

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 - All 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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