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Should Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF (SPGP) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF (SPGP - Free Report) was launched on 06/17/2011, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $2.84 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Also, growth stocks are a type of equity that carries more risk compared to others. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.

Costs

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.33%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.22%.

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 to the Healthcare sector--about 27.10% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Meta Platforms Inc (META - Free Report) accounts for about 3.09% of total assets, followed by Nrg Energy Inc (NRG - Free Report) and Dr Horton Inc (DHI - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 21.56% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPGP seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 GROWTH AT A REASONABLE PRICE IDX before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Growth at a Reasonable Price Index is composed of securities with strong growth characteristics selected from the Russell Top 200 Index.

The ETF has gained about 3.24% so far this year and is down about -0.25% in the last one year (as of 05/08/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $74.83 and $92.77.

The ETF has a beta of 1.11 and standard deviation of 20.59% for the trailing three-year period. With about 74 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 500 GARP ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, SPGP is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $82.55 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $174.43 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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