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Should ALPS (OUSA) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the ALPS (OUSA - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 07/14/2015.

The fund is sponsored by Alps. It has amassed assets over $678.83 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

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.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.48%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.89%.

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 Information Technology sector--about 21.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 5.31% of total assets, followed by Home Depot Inc. (HD - Free Report) and Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 39.68% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

OUSA seeks to match the performance of the FTSE US Qual / Vol / Yield Factor 5% Capped Index before fees and expenses. The OShares U.S. Quality Dividend Index measures the performance of publicly-listed large-capitalization and mid-capitalization dividend-paying issuers in the United States.

The ETF return is roughly 4.53% so far this year and was up about 16.99% in the last one year (as of 07/14/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $41.51 and $44.08.

The ETF has a beta of 0.86 and standard deviation of 15.05% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

ALPS holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, OUSA is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $51.66 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $100.34 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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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