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Is SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF (ONEV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 12/02/2015, the SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF (ONEV - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the 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.

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.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $586.54 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focused Factor Index.

The Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focused Factor Index reflects the performance of a segment of large-capitalization U.S. equity securities demonstrating a combination of core factors high value, high quality, and low size characteristics, with a focus factor comprising low volatility characteristics.

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.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.20%.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.84%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

Representing 17.60% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Cognizant Tech Solutions A (CTSH - Free Report) accounts for about 1.60% of the fund's total assets, followed by Bristol Myers Squibb Co (BMY - Free Report) and Cardinal Health Inc (CAH - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 9.83% of ONEV's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 2.21% so far this year and is up about 9.57% in the last one year (as of 03/04/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $116.59 and $135.42.

The fund has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 14.89% for the trailing three-year period. With about 432 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $599.62 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $615.01 billion. VOO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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 Blend.

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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