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

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Launched on 11/08/2005, the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $14.26 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically 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.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

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 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.33%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. 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 27.50% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 6.31% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 27.74% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPLG seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Index is designed to measure the performance of the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF has lost about -6.71% so far this year and is up roughly 15.42% in the last one year (as of 03/21/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $45.56 and $56.19.

The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 22.78% for the trailing three-year period. With about 508 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, SPLG is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $328.39 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $401.14 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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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