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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?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
EUSA is managed by Blackrock, and this fund has amassed over $340.44 million, which makes 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
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Annual operating expenses for EUSA are 0.15%, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.37%.
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.
EUSA's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 19.80% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY - Free Report) accounts for about 0.26% of total assets, followed by Roku Inc Class A (ROKU - Free Report) and Tesla Inc (TSLA - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 2.43% of EUSA's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF return is roughly 7.65% so far, and was up about 18.12% over the last 12 months (as of 02/23/2021). EUSA has traded between $40.33 and $77.02 in this past 52-week period.
EUSA has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 23.81% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 626 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
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 $34.62 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $214.92 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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Is iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
EUSA is managed by Blackrock, and this fund has amassed over $340.44 million, which makes 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
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Annual operating expenses for EUSA are 0.15%, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.37%.
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.
EUSA's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 19.80% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY - Free Report) accounts for about 0.26% of total assets, followed by Roku Inc Class A (ROKU - Free Report) and Tesla Inc (TSLA - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 2.43% of EUSA's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF return is roughly 7.65% so far, and was up about 18.12% over the last 12 months (as of 02/23/2021). EUSA has traded between $40.33 and $77.02 in this past 52-week period.
EUSA has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 23.81% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 626 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
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 $34.62 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $214.92 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.