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Is SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP - Free Report) made its debut on 06/19/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Energy ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
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.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $5.10 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Energy ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index.
The S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index represents the oil and gas exploration and production sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the US common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Oil & Gas Exploration Index is a modified equal weight 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 XOP, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.94%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
For XOP, it has heaviest allocation in the Energy sector --about 99.40% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY - Free Report) accounts for about 2.58% of the fund's total assets, followed by Tellurian Inc. (TELL - Free Report) and Denbury Inc. .
The top 10 holdings account for about 20.67% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, XOP has gained about 50.94%, and is up roughly 40.25% in the last one year (as of 11/03/2022). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $90.95 and $169.15.
XOP has a beta of 1.93 and standard deviation of 56.79% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 64 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Energy ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (PXE - Free Report) tracks Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Intellidex Index and the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (IEO - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Oil Exploration & Production Index. Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF has $325.67 million in assets, iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF has $1.15 billion. PXE has an expense ratio of 0.63% and IEO charges 0.39%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Energy ETFs.
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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Is SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP - Free Report) made its debut on 06/19/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Energy ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
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.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $5.10 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Energy ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index.
The S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index represents the oil and gas exploration and production sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the US common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Oil & Gas Exploration Index is a modified equal weight 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 XOP, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.94%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
For XOP, it has heaviest allocation in the Energy sector --about 99.40% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY - Free Report) accounts for about 2.58% of the fund's total assets, followed by Tellurian Inc. (TELL - Free Report) and Denbury Inc. .
The top 10 holdings account for about 20.67% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, XOP has gained about 50.94%, and is up roughly 40.25% in the last one year (as of 11/03/2022). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $90.95 and $169.15.
XOP has a beta of 1.93 and standard deviation of 56.79% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 64 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Energy ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (PXE - Free Report) tracks Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Intellidex Index and the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (IEO - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Oil Exploration & Production Index. Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF has $325.67 million in assets, iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF has $1.15 billion. PXE has an expense ratio of 0.63% and IEO charges 0.39%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Energy ETFs.
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.