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Is WisdomTree U.S. MidCap ETF (EZM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap ETF (EZM - Free Report) made its debut on 02/23/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value category of the market.
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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Wisdomtree, EZM has amassed assets over $752.69 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Earnings Index.
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.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.38% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.49%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector - about 19.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Financials 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) .
EZM's top 10 holdings account for about 7.52% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 4.96% and is down about -2.39% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/10/2023), respectively. EZM has traded between $43.88 and $56.33 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 30.86% 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 is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) tracks Russell MidCap Value Index and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index. IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $12.71 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $15.98 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.
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 - Mid 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. MidCap ETF (EZM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap ETF (EZM - Free Report) made its debut on 02/23/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value category of the market.
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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Wisdomtree, EZM has amassed assets over $752.69 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Earnings Index.
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.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.38% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.49%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector - about 19.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Financials 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) .
EZM's top 10 holdings account for about 7.52% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 4.96% and is down about -2.39% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/10/2023), respectively. EZM has traded between $43.88 and $56.33 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 30.86% 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 is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) tracks Russell MidCap Value Index and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index. IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $12.71 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $15.98 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.
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 - Mid 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.