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Is SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE - Free Report) was launched on 11/08/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Financials ETFs 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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
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 managed by State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $984.68 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Insurance Select Industry Index.
The S&P Insurance Select Industry Index represents the insurance segment of the S&P Total Market Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for KIE, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.26%.
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.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.
When you look at individual holdings, Goosehead Insurance Inc A (GSHD - Free Report) accounts for about 2.37% of the fund's total assets, followed by Unum Group (UNM - Free Report) and Lincoln National Corp (LNC - Free Report) .
KIE's top 10 holdings account for about 21.66% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, KIE has gained about 34.67%, and it's up approximately 37.22% in the last one year (as of 11/22/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $44.46 and $60.36.
The ETF has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 18.30% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Insurance ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (KBWP - Free Report) tracks KBW Nasdaq Property & Casualty Index and the iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Insurance Index. Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF has $469.68 million in assets, iShares U.S. Insurance ETF has $768.23 million. KBWP has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IAK charges 0.39%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials ETFs.
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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Is SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE - Free Report) was launched on 11/08/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Financials ETFs 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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
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 managed by State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $984.68 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Insurance Select Industry Index.
The S&P Insurance Select Industry Index represents the insurance segment of the S&P Total Market Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for KIE, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.26%.
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.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.
When you look at individual holdings, Goosehead Insurance Inc A (GSHD - Free Report) accounts for about 2.37% of the fund's total assets, followed by Unum Group (UNM - Free Report) and Lincoln National Corp (LNC - Free Report) .
KIE's top 10 holdings account for about 21.66% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, KIE has gained about 34.67%, and it's up approximately 37.22% in the last one year (as of 11/22/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $44.46 and $60.36.
The ETF has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 18.30% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Insurance ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (KBWP - Free Report) tracks KBW Nasdaq Property & Casualty Index and the iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Insurance Index. Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF has $469.68 million in assets, iShares U.S. Insurance ETF has $768.23 million. KBWP has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IAK charges 0.39%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials ETFs.
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.