Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market, the SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 09/25/2000.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

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

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

XNTK is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $661.51 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Technology Index before fees and expenses.

The NYSE Technology Index is composed of 35 leading U.S.-listed technology-related companies.

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.

Annual operating expenses for XNTK are 0.35%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

XNTK's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.34%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 64.60% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Meta Platforms Inc Class A (META - Free Report) accounts for about 5.23% of the fund's total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA - Free Report) and Uber Technologies Inc (UBER - Free Report) .

XNTK's top 10 holdings account for about 39.09% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, XNTK has lost about -0.25%, and is up about 57.08% in the last one year (as of 01/12/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $104.34 and $165.25.

The fund has a beta of 1.25 and standard deviation of 29.02% for the trailing three-year period. With about 37 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

SPDR NYSE Technology ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK - Free Report) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $57.73 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $58.84 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.10% and VGT charges 0.10%.

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

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.

Published in