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Is FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF (HYGV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 07/17/2018, smart beta exchange traded fund FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF (HYGV - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the High-Yield/Junk Bond 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.

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.

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.

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 managed by Flexshares, and has been able to amass over $1.50 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NORTHERN TRUST HY VLU-SCRD US CORP BD ID.

The Northern Trust High Yield Value-Scored US Corporate Bond Index measures the performance of a diversified universe of high yield, US-dollar denominated bonds of companies exhibiting favorable fundamental qualities, market valuations and liquidity.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.37% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 7.99%.

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.

Taking into account individual holdings, Directv Financing Llc / Directv Financing-5.88%-08-15-2027 accounts for about 1.04% of the fund's total assets, followed by Staples Inc Callable Notes Fixed 10.75%-09-01-2029 and Carvana Co Sr Sec Pik 31-06-01-2031 (CVNA - Free Report) .

HYGV's top 10 holdings account for about 6.61% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, HYGV has gained about 1.35%, and is up about 8.39% in the last one year (as of 02/12/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $39.93 and $41.67.

HYGV has a beta of 0.50 and standard deviation of 8.68% for the trailing three-year period. With about 1099 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.

IShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG - Free Report) tracks Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and the iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (USHY - Free Report) tracks BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Constrained Index. IShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $14.95 billion in assets, iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $18.57 billion. HYG has an expense ratio of 0.49% and USHY charges 0.08%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the High-Yield/Junk Bond 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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