Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF (FNDX) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF (FNDX - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 08/13/2013.

The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $9.93 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Considering long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets; however, they are more likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

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

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.07%.

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 Information Technology sector--about 14.90% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 4.39% of total assets, followed by Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 19.55% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

FNDX seeks to match the performance of the Russell RAFI US Large Co. Index before fees and expenses. The Russell RAFI US Large Company Index measures the performance of the large company size segment by fundamental overall company scores.

The ETF has added roughly 0% so far this year and is down about -6.94% in the last one year (as of 01/03/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $47.76 and $59.90.

The ETF has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 25.40% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 729 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index 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, FNDX is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $54.20 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $97.90 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

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.

Published in