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Should You Invest in the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (IDU)?
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Looking for broad exposure to the Utilities - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (IDU - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 06/12/2000.
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Utilities - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $784.61 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities - Broad segment of the equity market. IDU seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Index before fees and expenses.
The Russell 1000 Utilities RIC 22.5/45 Capped Index measures the performance of the utilities sector of the U.S. equity market. It includes companies in the following sectors: electricity and gas, water and multi-utilities.
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 0.40%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.97%.
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 Utilities sector--about 88.90% of the portfolio, followed by Industrials.
Looking at individual holdings, Nextera Energy Inc (NEE - Free Report) accounts for about 12.52% of total assets, followed by Southern (SO - Free Report) and Duke Energy Corp (DUK - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 52.66% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF has lost about -12.60% so far, and is down about -2.56% over the last 12 months (as of 10/16/2023). IDU has traded between $70.39 and $89.16 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.55 and standard deviation of 17.43% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 50 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
IShares U.S. Utilities 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, IDU is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU - Free Report) tracks Utilities Select Sector Index. Vanguard Utilities ETF has $4.72 billion in assets, Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF has $14.08 billion. VPU has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLU charges 0.10%.
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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Should You Invest in the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (IDU)?
Looking for broad exposure to the Utilities - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF (IDU - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 06/12/2000.
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Utilities - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $784.61 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities - Broad segment of the equity market. IDU seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Index before fees and expenses.
The Russell 1000 Utilities RIC 22.5/45 Capped Index measures the performance of the utilities sector of the U.S. equity market. It includes companies in the following sectors: electricity and gas, water and multi-utilities.
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 0.40%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.97%.
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 Utilities sector--about 88.90% of the portfolio, followed by Industrials.
Looking at individual holdings, Nextera Energy Inc (NEE - Free Report) accounts for about 12.52% of total assets, followed by Southern (SO - Free Report) and Duke Energy Corp (DUK - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 52.66% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares U.S. Utilities ETF has lost about -12.60% so far, and is down about -2.56% over the last 12 months (as of 10/16/2023). IDU has traded between $70.39 and $89.16 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.55 and standard deviation of 17.43% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 50 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
IShares U.S. Utilities 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, IDU is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU - Free Report) tracks Utilities Select Sector Index. Vanguard Utilities ETF has $4.72 billion in assets, Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF has $14.08 billion. VPU has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLU charges 0.10%.
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.