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Is Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Launched on 01/22/2014, the Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
The fund is managed by Vident Financial, and has been able to amass over $503.81 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund Index.
The Vident U.S. Quality Index is a rules-based, systematic strategy index comprised of equity securities principally traded in the U.S. market of issuers domiciled in the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.50% for VUSE, making 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 that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, 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 22.70% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Pepsico Inc (PEP - Free Report) accounts for about 2.56% of the fund's total assets, followed by Chevron Corp New (CVX - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.27% of VUSE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 7.52% and was up about 3.64% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/01/2023), respectively. VUSE has traded between $37.13 and $46.07 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 22.40% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 130 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF (DFAT - Free Report) tracks ---------------------------------------- and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV - Free Report) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF has $7.57 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $13.34 billion. DFAT has an expense ratio of 0.29% and IUSV 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 - All 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 Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 01/22/2014, the Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
The fund is managed by Vident Financial, and has been able to amass over $503.81 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund Index.
The Vident U.S. Quality Index is a rules-based, systematic strategy index comprised of equity securities principally traded in the U.S. market of issuers domiciled in the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.50% for VUSE, making 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 that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, 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 22.70% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Pepsico Inc (PEP - Free Report) accounts for about 2.56% of the fund's total assets, followed by Chevron Corp New (CVX - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.27% of VUSE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 7.52% and was up about 3.64% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/01/2023), respectively. VUSE has traded between $37.13 and $46.07 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 22.40% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 130 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF (DFAT - Free Report) tracks ---------------------------------------- and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV - Free Report) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF has $7.57 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $13.34 billion. DFAT has an expense ratio of 0.29% and IUSV 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 - All 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.