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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights FJP, EWJV, DFJ, SCJ, FLJH and SPY
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 29, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. ETF's recently featured in the blog include: First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund (FJP - Free Report) , iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF (EWJV - Free Report) , WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFJ - Free Report) , iShares MSCI Japan Small Cap ETF (SCJ - Free Report) and Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF (FLJH - Free Report) have outperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
Buffett Boosts Stakes in Japan: ETFs to Play
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has expanded its investments in Japan, raising stakes in Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. The news from the trading houses sent shares across the sector higher on Aug. 28, 2025.
Increased Holdings in Mitsubishi and Mitsui
A Berkshire unit boosted its voting rights stake in Mitsubishi to 10.23%, up from 9.74% in March, according to a Mitsubishi statement. Mitsui separately confirmed that Buffett's firm also lifted its holding, though it remained below 10%. As of March, Berkshire owned 9.82% of Mitsui shares, Bloomberg data revealed.
"We see this additional acquisition as a sign of the firm's continued confidence and trust in our company," a Mitsui spokesperson said in an email. Mitsui management also revealed that the company will further strengthen its business portfolio.Shares in Japanese trading houses rallied following the announcement.
Buffett's Confidence in Japan's Trading Houses
Buffett has steadily built positions in Japan's five biggest trading firms — Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Marubeni, Itochu, and Sumitomo — since first disclosing them in 2020. These conglomerates span industries from oil and gas production to salmon farming and convenience stores.
"Berkshire's continued ownership has brought renewed attention" to Japan's shoshas, said Norikazu Shimizu, analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities, as quoted on Bloomberg. The firms are becoming "more proactive" in returning value to shareholders, including through buybacks, he noted.
Relaxation in Stake Ceiling
Berkshire originally intended to cap its holdings below 10%. However, in Buffett's February annual investor letter, he noted that Japanese companies had agreed to "moderately" relax that limit.
Time for Japan ETFs?
Although the Japanese central bank has been hiking rates lately, going against the trend of most central banks, rates are still low in Japan – a key factor normally required for the stock rally. Moreover, the Japanese economy has been in decent shape.
Japan's GDP grew 0.3% sequentially in Q2 of 2025, accelerating from an upwardly revised increase in Q1 and surpassing market expectations, both of which stood at 0.1%. It marked the fifth successive quarterly expansion.
Japan ETFs including First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund, iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF, WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund, iShares MSCI Japan Small Cap ETF and Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF have outperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF over the past one month.
Attractively-Valued Shares Despite Recent Surge
Despite the recent surge, Japanese stocks remain attractively valued, particularly compared to U.S. stocks. The ETFs like FJP, EWJV, DFJ, SCJ and FLJH have a P/E ratio of 16.29X, 14.37X, 15.27X, 19.4X, and 21.85X respectively against the S&P 500's P/E of about 33.75X.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights FJP, EWJV, DFJ, SCJ, FLJH and SPY
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 29, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. ETF's recently featured in the blog include: First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund (FJP - Free Report) , iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF (EWJV - Free Report) , WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFJ - Free Report) , iShares MSCI Japan Small Cap ETF (SCJ - Free Report) and Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF (FLJH - Free Report) have outperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
Buffett Boosts Stakes in Japan: ETFs to Play
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has expanded its investments in Japan, raising stakes in Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. The news from the trading houses sent shares across the sector higher on Aug. 28, 2025.
Increased Holdings in Mitsubishi and Mitsui
A Berkshire unit boosted its voting rights stake in Mitsubishi to 10.23%, up from 9.74% in March, according to a Mitsubishi statement. Mitsui separately confirmed that Buffett's firm also lifted its holding, though it remained below 10%. As of March, Berkshire owned 9.82% of Mitsui shares, Bloomberg data revealed.
"We see this additional acquisition as a sign of the firm's continued confidence and trust in our company," a Mitsui spokesperson said in an email. Mitsui management also revealed that the company will further strengthen its business portfolio.Shares in Japanese trading houses rallied following the announcement.
Buffett's Confidence in Japan's Trading Houses
Buffett has steadily built positions in Japan's five biggest trading firms — Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Marubeni, Itochu, and Sumitomo — since first disclosing them in 2020. These conglomerates span industries from oil and gas production to salmon farming and convenience stores.
"Berkshire's continued ownership has brought renewed attention" to Japan's shoshas, said Norikazu Shimizu, analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities, as quoted on Bloomberg. The firms are becoming "more proactive" in returning value to shareholders, including through buybacks, he noted.
Relaxation in Stake Ceiling
Berkshire originally intended to cap its holdings below 10%. However, in Buffett's February annual investor letter, he noted that Japanese companies had agreed to "moderately" relax that limit.
Time for Japan ETFs?
Although the Japanese central bank has been hiking rates lately, going against the trend of most central banks, rates are still low in Japan – a key factor normally required for the stock rally. Moreover, the Japanese economy has been in decent shape.
Japan's GDP grew 0.3% sequentially in Q2 of 2025, accelerating from an upwardly revised increase in Q1 and surpassing market expectations, both of which stood at 0.1%. It marked the fifth successive quarterly expansion.
Japan ETFs including First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund, iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF, WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund, iShares MSCI Japan Small Cap ETF and Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF have outperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF over the past one month.
Attractively-Valued Shares Despite Recent Surge
Despite the recent surge, Japanese stocks remain attractively valued, particularly compared to U.S. stocks. The ETFs like FJP, EWJV, DFJ, SCJ and FLJH have a P/E ratio of 16.29X, 14.37X, 15.27X, 19.4X, and 21.85X respectively against the S&P 500's P/E of about 33.75X.
Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF Insights
Zacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.
Don't miss out on this valuable resource. It's free!
Get it now >>
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.