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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 $727.52 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. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.

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

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain 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 1.57%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. 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 18.30% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Builders Firstsource Inc (BLDR - Free Report) accounts for about 1.06% of total assets, followed by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF - Free Report) and Ally Financial Inc (ALLY - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 7.35% 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 -0.43% so far this year and is down about -13.12% in the last one year (as of 01/04/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $43.88 and $56.58.

The ETF has a beta of 1.20 and standard deviation of 31.68% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 586 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. MidCap ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, EZM is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

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 $12.98 billion in assets, Vanguard MidCap Value ETF has $15.95 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also 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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