Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on May 5, 2011.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $7.86 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

Costs

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.79%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a 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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Utilities sector -- about 21.2% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Evergy Inc (EVRG) accounts for about 1.3% of total assets, followed by Coca-Cola Co/the (KO) and Linde Plc (LIN).

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.56% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPLV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index consists of the 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index with the lowest realized volatility over the past 12 months.

The ETF has added roughly 5.91% so far this year and it's up approximately 10.32% in the last one year (as of 08/13/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $68.13 and $75.06.

The ETF has a beta of 0.61 and standard deviation of 12.41% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, SPLV is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) track a similar index. While SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $657.19 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $722.37 billion. SPY has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VOO charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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:


Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) - free report >>

Published in