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Is SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP - Free Report) made its debut on 06/19/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Energy ETFs 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.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by State Street Global Advisors, XOP has amassed assets over $3.39 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Energy ETFs. XOP, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index.
The S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index represents the oil and gas exploration and production sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the US common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Oil & Gas Exploration Index is a modified equal weight index.
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for XOP, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
XOP's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.91%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XOP's heaviest allocation is in the Energy sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Pioneer Natural Resources Company (PXD - Free Report) accounts for about 2.44% of the fund's total assets, followed by Hess Corporation (HES - Free Report) and Eqt Corporation (EQT - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 21.56% of XOP's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF has lost about -0.17% so far, and is up roughly 19.59% over the last 12 months (as of 07/14/2023). XOP has traded between $114.83 and $160.62 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.91 and standard deviation of 43.18% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 62 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Energy ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (PXE - Free Report) tracks Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Intellidex Index and the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (IEO - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Oil Exploration & Production Index. Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF has $150.88 million in assets, iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF has $648.53 million. PXE has an expense ratio of 0.63% and IEO charges 0.39%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Energy 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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Is SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP - Free Report) made its debut on 06/19/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Energy ETFs 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.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by State Street Global Advisors, XOP has amassed assets over $3.39 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Energy ETFs. XOP, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index.
The S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index represents the oil and gas exploration and production sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the US common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Oil & Gas Exploration Index is a modified equal weight index.
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for XOP, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
XOP's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.91%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
XOP's heaviest allocation is in the Energy sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Pioneer Natural Resources Company (PXD - Free Report) accounts for about 2.44% of the fund's total assets, followed by Hess Corporation (HES - Free Report) and Eqt Corporation (EQT - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 21.56% of XOP's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF has lost about -0.17% so far, and is up roughly 19.59% over the last 12 months (as of 07/14/2023). XOP has traded between $114.83 and $160.62 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.91 and standard deviation of 43.18% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 62 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Energy ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (PXE - Free Report) tracks Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production Intellidex Index and the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (IEO - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Oil Exploration & Production Index. Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF has $150.88 million in assets, iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF has $648.53 million. PXE has an expense ratio of 0.63% and IEO charges 0.39%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Energy 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.