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Should Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE - Free Report) was launched on 03/21/2012, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $371.88 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.50%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 42.60% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Lam Research Corp (LRCX - Free Report) accounts for about 1.14% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA - Free Report) and Kla Corp (KLAC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.05% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.

The ETF has added about 11.71% so far this year and is up about 41.44% in the last one year (as of 06/28/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $58.44 and $82.64.

The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 24.89% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Direxion NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted Index Shares carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, QQQE is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $77.64 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $170.87 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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.

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