We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Is iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Making its debut on 04/16/2013, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
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.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Blackrock, and has been able to amass over $6.63 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index.
The MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index is based on a traditional market capitalization-weighted parent index, the MSCI USA Index which includes U.S. large and mid capitalization stocks.
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 one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.15%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.67%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
VLUE's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 33.1% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) accounts for about 6.7% of the fund's total assets, followed by Intel Corporation Corp (INTC) and Micron Technology Inc (MU).
VLUE's top 10 holdings account for about 33.01% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF has added roughly 7.96% so far, and it's up approximately 12.68% over the last 12 months (as of 06/30/2025). VLUE has traded between $93.50 and $115.38 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 17.06% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VLUE a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 154 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF 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.
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $68.68 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $137.17 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV changes 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.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Is iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 04/16/2013, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
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.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Blackrock, and has been able to amass over $6.63 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index.
The MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index is based on a traditional market capitalization-weighted parent index, the MSCI USA Index which includes U.S. large and mid capitalization stocks.
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 one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.15%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.67%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
VLUE's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 33.1% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) accounts for about 6.7% of the fund's total assets, followed by Intel Corporation Corp (INTC) and Micron Technology Inc (MU).
VLUE's top 10 holdings account for about 33.01% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF has added roughly 7.96% so far, and it's up approximately 12.68% over the last 12 months (as of 06/30/2025). VLUE has traded between $93.50 and $115.38 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 17.06% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VLUE a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 154 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF 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.
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $68.68 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $137.17 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV changes 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.