Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF (SCHX Quick QuoteSCHX - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 11/03/2009.

The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $40.99 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

Costs

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.27%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 29.70% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT Quick QuoteMSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 6.66% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL Quick QuoteAAPL - Free Report) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA Quick QuoteNVDA - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 30.03% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SCHX seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Total Stock Market Index before fees and expenses. The Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Total Stock Market measures all U.S. equity securities with readily available prices. The index includes approximately the largest 750 stocks and is float-adjusted market-capitalization weighted.

The ETF has added roughly 11.80% so far this year and was up about 28.95% in the last one year (as of 05/21/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $48.47 and $62.86.

The ETF has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 17.49% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 752 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Schwab U.S. Large-Cap 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, SCHX is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV Quick QuoteIVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY Quick QuoteSPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $463.20 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $528.49 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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.