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Should SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value ETF (SPYV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value ETF (SPYV - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/25/2000.

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.21 B, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies usually 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.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Looking at their long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets. They are however likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

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 0.04%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.39%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 24.70% of the portfolio. Energy and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B (BRK.B - Free Report) accounts for about 3.63% of total assets, followed by Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 22.97% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPYV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Value Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Value Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization value sector in the U.S. equity market.

The ETF has lost about -3.12% so far this year and was up about 8.20% in the last one year (as of 04/25/2018). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $27.63 and $32.54.

The ETF has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 12.97% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 391 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value 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, SPYV is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Large Cap ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) and the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Value ETF has $35.75 B in assets, iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $36.33 B. VTV has an expense ratio of 0.06% and IWD charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also 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.