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Is Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market ETF (FNDB) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market, the Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market ETF (FNDB - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 08/13/2013.

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.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

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.

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

Managed by Charles Schwab, FNDB has amassed assets over $1 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. FNDB seeks to match the performance of the Russell RAFI US Index before fees and expenses.

The RAFI Fundamental High Liquidity US All Index measures the performance of U.S. based companies based on their fundamental size and weight.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.25% for FNDB, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.66%.

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.

FNDB's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 17.9% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 3.92% of the fund's total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 19.72% of FNDB's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 11.35% so far this year and is up roughly 9.45% in the last one year (as of 10/15/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $20.36 and $25.95

FNDB has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 14.33% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1647 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) tracks Fidelity Core Dividend Index and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Fidelity High Dividend ETF has $7.12 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $22.89 billion. FDVV has an expense ratio of 0.16% and IUSV 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 - All 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.

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