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Should WisdomTree U.S. MidCap ETF (EZM) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 02/23/2007, the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap ETF (EZM - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $720.01 million, making it one of the average sized 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. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

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

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.38%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.51%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 20.70% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Ovintiv Inc (OVV - Free Report) accounts for about 0.92% of total assets, followed by Organon & Co (OGN - Free Report) and Nrg Energy Inc (NRG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 7.84% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

EZM seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Earnings Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the mid-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.

The ETF has lost about -10.46% so far this year and is down about -3.84% in the last one year (as of 08/29/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $45.15 and $57.18.

The ETF has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 30.70% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 577 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. MidCap 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, EZM is an excellent 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 $13.30 billion in assets, Vanguard MidCap Value ETF has $16.04 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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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