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Is iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF (LRGF) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market, the iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF (LRGF - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 04/28/2015.
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.
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.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $1.23 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Diversified Multiple-Factor Index.
The STOXX U.S. Equity Factor Index composes of U.S. large and mid-capitalization stocks that have favourable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.
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.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.72%.
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.
LRGF's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 27.60% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 6.63% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) and Amazon Com Inc (AMZN - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 25.07% of LRGF's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, LRGF has added about 6.18%, and is up about 0.94% in the last one year (as of 05/03/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $36.22 and $43.47.
The fund has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 19.06% for the trailing three-year period, which makes LRGF a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 315 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares U.S. Equity Factor 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 $7.38 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $13.15 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 iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF (LRGF) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market, the iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF (LRGF - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 04/28/2015.
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.
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.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $1.23 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Diversified Multiple-Factor Index.
The STOXX U.S. Equity Factor Index composes of U.S. large and mid-capitalization stocks that have favourable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.
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.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.72%.
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.
LRGF's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 27.60% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 6.63% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) and Amazon Com Inc (AMZN - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 25.07% of LRGF's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, LRGF has added about 6.18%, and is up about 0.94% in the last one year (as of 05/03/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $36.22 and $43.47.
The fund has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 19.06% for the trailing three-year period, which makes LRGF a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 315 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares U.S. Equity Factor 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 $7.38 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $13.15 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.