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Is Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 03/01/2006, smart beta exchange traded fund Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth 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.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking 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.

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

RFG is managed by Invesco, and this fund has amassed over $324.79 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index.

The S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index measures the performance of securities that exhibit strong growth characteristics in the S&P MidCap 400 Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.37%.

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 in the Industrials sector - about 26.90% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Roivant Sciences Ltd (ROIV - Free Report) accounts for about 2.16% of the fund's total assets, followed by Globus Medical Inc (GMED - Free Report) and Valaris Ltd (VAL - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 19.77% of RFG's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, RFG has added roughly 3.70%, and is up about 17.28% in the last one year (as of 02/10/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $43.47 and $53.39.

RFG has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 23.18% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 91 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index and the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP - Free Report) tracks Russell MidCap Growth Index. Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $16.52 billion in assets, iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $18.85 billion. VOT has an expense ratio of 0.07% and IWP charges 0.23%.

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 - Mid Cap Growth.

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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