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Is SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK - Free Report) was launched on 09/25/2000, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

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.

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

Managed by State Street Global Advisors, XNTK has amassed assets over $527.52 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NYSE Technology Index.

The NYSE Technology Index is composed of 35 leading U.S.-listed technology-related companies.

Cost & Other Expenses

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.

With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.58%.

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 68.40% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Meta Platforms Inc. Class A (META - Free Report) accounts for about 4.59% of the fund's total assets, followed by Nvidia Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) and Salesforce Inc. (CRM - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 33.64% of XNTK's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, XNTK has gained about 45.71%, and was up about 40.69% in the last one year (as of 06/19/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $90.06 and $142.15.

The ETF has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 30.14% for the trailing three-year period. With about 37 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

SPDR NYSE Technology ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK - Free Report) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $49.74 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $53.39 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.10% and VGT charges 0.10%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology 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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