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Is Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 12/16/2016, the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value 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.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

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

The fund is managed by Pacer Etfs. COWZ has been able to amass assets over $17.74 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index.

The Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index uses an objective, rules-based methodology to provide exposure to large and mid-capitalization U.S. companies with high free cash flow yields.

Cost & Other Expenses

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.49% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.97%.

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.

For COWZ, it has heaviest allocation in the Energy sector --about 35.20% of the portfolio --while Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Chevron Corp New (CVX - Free Report) accounts for about 2.67% of the fund's total assets, followed by Marathon Pete Corp (MPC - Free Report) and Valero Energy Corp (VLO - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 22.31% of COWZ's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, COWZ has added about 13.62%, and is up about 12.20% in the last one year (as of 12/18/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $44.32 and $52.25.

The fund has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 19.31% for the trailing three-year period. With about 100 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $54.58 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $104.74 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value.

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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