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Is Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF (GLOV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 03/15/2022, smart beta exchange traded fund Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF (GLOV - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Broad Developed World ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

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.

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.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $689.18 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Developed World ETFs. GLOV is managed by Goldman Sachs Funds. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the GOLDMAN SACHS ACTBT WORLD LW VL PL EQ ID.

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity Index delivers exposure to large and mid-capitalization equity securities of developed market issuers, including the United States.

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 0.25% for this ETF, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.

GLOV's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.04%.

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.

When you look at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 2.98% of the fund's total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) and Oreilly Automotive Inc (ORLY - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.3% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF has added roughly 6.09% so far, and is down about -0.09% over the last 12 months (as of 04/25/2023). GLOV has traded between $34.82 and $41.25 in this past 52-week period.

With about 401 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Developed World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares MSCI ACWI ETF (ACWI - Free Report) tracks MSCI All Country World Index and the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT - Free Report) tracks FTSE Global All Cap Index. IShares MSCI ACWI ETF has $18.79 billion in assets, Vanguard Total World Stock ETF has $26.69 billion. ACWI has an expense ratio of 0.32% and VT 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 Broad Developed World 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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