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Is Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG - Free Report) was launched on 03/01/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

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

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $281.58 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index.

The S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index measures the performance of securities that exhibit strong growth characteristics in the S&P MidCap 400 Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

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

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

RFG's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.16%.

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.

RFG's heaviest allocation is in the Consumer Discretionary sector, which is about 18.30% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Materials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF - Free Report) accounts for about 3.36% of the fund's total assets, followed by Louisiana-Pacific Corp (LPX - Free Report) and Concentrix Corp (CNXC - Free Report) .

RFG's top 10 holdings account for about 25.73% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, RFG has lost about -17.61%, and is down about -17% in the last one year (as of 05/03/2022). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $186.50 and $245.79.

The fund has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 28.94% for the trailing three-year period, which makes RFG a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 87 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard MidCap Growth ETF (VOT - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index and the iShares Russell MidCap Growth ETF (IWP - Free Report) tracks Russell MidCap Growth Index. Vanguard MidCap Growth ETF has $10.15 billion in assets, iShares Russell MidCap Growth ETF has $12.17 billion. VOT has an expense ratio of 0.07% and IWP charges 0.23%.

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 - Mid Cap Growth.

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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