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Is WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF (EPS) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF (EPS - Free Report) made its debut on 02/23/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.

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.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $867.64 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. EPS, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index.

The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.08% for EPS, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.59%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 25.50% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 5.75% of the fund's total assets, followed by Alphabet Inc-Cl A (GOOGL - Free Report) and Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 32.83% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 11.03% and it's up approximately 29.02% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/15/2024), respectively. EPS has traded between $43.49 and $55.44 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 16.40% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 502 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $55.95 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $116 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% 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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