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Is WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF (EPS) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market, the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF (EPS - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 02/23/2007.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader 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.
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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Wisdomtree, EPS has amassed assets over $648.20 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index.
The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.08% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.89%.
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 in the Information Technology sector - about 22.30% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 4.50% of the fund's total assets, followed by Alphabet Inc-Cl A (GOOGL - Free Report) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 26.17% of EPS's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 3.58% so far this year and is down about -6.83% in the last one year (as of 02/28/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $38.39 and $49.35.
The fund has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 24.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes EPS a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 502 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $51.89 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $101.89 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.
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 - Large Cap Value.
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 WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF (EPS) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market, the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF (EPS - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 02/23/2007.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader 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.
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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Wisdomtree, EPS has amassed assets over $648.20 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index.
The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.08% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.89%.
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 in the Information Technology sector - about 22.30% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 4.50% of the fund's total assets, followed by Alphabet Inc-Cl A (GOOGL - Free Report) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 26.17% of EPS's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 3.58% so far this year and is down about -6.83% in the last one year (as of 02/28/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $38.39 and $49.35.
The fund has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 24.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes EPS a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 502 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $51.89 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $101.89 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.
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 - Large Cap Value.
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.