If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Invesco QQQ (QQQ Quick QuoteQQQ - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 03/10/1999.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $230.94 billion, making it the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

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.

Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.

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 0.20%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.56%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, 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 50.40% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL Quick QuoteAAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 11.06% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT Quick QuoteMSFT - Free Report) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN Quick QuoteAMZN - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 49.12% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QQQ seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index before fees and expenses. The Nasdaq-100 Index includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization.

The ETF return is roughly 55.49% so far this year and was up about 57.08% in the last one year (as of 12/28/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $261.58 and $411.50.

The ETF has a beta of 1.10 and standard deviation of 23.69% 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

Invesco QQQ 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, QQQ is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF Quick QuoteIWF - Free Report) and the Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG Quick QuoteVUG - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has $82.10 billion in assets, Vanguard Growth ETF has $104.02 billion. IWF has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VUG charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

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.

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.