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Should Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF (XLG) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 05/04/2005, the Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF (XLG - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $1.98 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.

Costs

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

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.20%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.21%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 38.60% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 13.71% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 49.86% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

XLG seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Top 50 Index is composed of 50 of the largest companies in the S&P 500 Index.

The ETF has lost about -20.61% so far this year and is down about -18.73% in the last one year (as of 11/25/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $266.55 and $373.67.

The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 25.33% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, XLG is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $307.19 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $384.27 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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