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Should SPDR S&P 400 Mid Cap Value ETF (MDYV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The SPDR S&P 400 Mid Cap Value ETF (MDYV - Free Report) was launched on 11/08/2005, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.56 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Value

Mid cap companies, with market capitalization in the range of $2 billion and $10 billion, offer investors many things that small and large companies don't, including less risk and higher growth opportunities. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.

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

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 this ETF are 0.15%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.46%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a 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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 21% of the portfolio. Industrials and Real Estate round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Steel Dynamics Inc. (STLD - Free Report) accounts for about 0.96% of total assets, followed by East West Bancorp Inc. (EWBC - Free Report) and Owens Corning (OC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 7.94% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

MDYV seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Value Index before fees and expenses. This Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization value sector in the U.S. equity market. The Index consists of those stocks in the S&P MidCap 400 Index exhibiting the strongest value characteristics based on: book value to price ratio;earnings to price ratio & sales to price ratio.

The ETF has gained about 27.55% so far this year and is up about 54.21% in the last one year (as of 09/06/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $41.76 and $70.76.

The ETF has a beta of 1.28 and standard deviation of 29.56% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 312 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR S&P 400 Mid Cap Value ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, MDYV is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) and the Vanguard MidCap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF has $14.61 billion in assets, Vanguard MidCap Value ETF has $14.86 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are 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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