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Is Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO - Free Report) was launched on 12/06/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Industrials ETFs 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.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

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.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix 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 Invesco, PHO has amassed assets over $2.21 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Industrials ETFs. Before fees and expenses, PHO seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ OMX US Water Index.

The NASDAQ OMX US Water Index tracks the performance of US exchange-listed companies that create products designed to conserve and purify water for homes, businesses and industries.

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 0.60% for PHO, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

PHO's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.50%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer 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.

PHO's heaviest allocation is in the Industrials sector, which is about 61.70% of the portfolio. Its Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Ferguson Plc (FERG - Free Report) accounts for about 8.03% of total assets, followed by Ecolab Inc (ECL - Free Report) and Roper Technologies Inc (ROP - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 58.74% of PHO's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, PHO has added roughly 12.16%, and is up about 28.94% in the last one year (as of 05/15/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $49.77 and $68.20.

The ETF has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 19% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

Invesco Water Resources ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Industrials ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF (CGW - Free Report) tracks S&P GLOBAL WATER INDEX and the First Trust Water ETF (FIW - Free Report) tracks ISE Clean Edge Water Index. Invesco S&P Global Water Index ETF has $1.03 billion in assets, First Trust Water ETF has $1.75 billion. CGW has an expense ratio of 0.56% and FIW charges 0.53%.

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

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