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Is ALPS (OUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 07/14/2015, the ALPS (OUSA - 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?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

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

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.

Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Alps. It has amassed assets over $754.60 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. OUSA, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the FTSE US Qual / Vol / Yield Factor 5% Capped Index.

The OShares U.S. Quality Dividend Index measures the performance of publicly-listed large-capitalization and mid-capitalization dividend-paying issuers in the United States.

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.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.48%.

OUSA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.68%.

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 in the Information Technology sector - about 23.80% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 5.55% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) and Jpmorgan Chase & Co. (JPM - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 40.55% of OUSA's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 7.59% and is up about 18.05% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/23/2024), respectively. OUSA has traded between $40.56 and $49.41 during this last 52-week period.

OUSA has a beta of 0.88 and standard deviation of 13.77% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

ALPS 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 $56.26 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $116.36 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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