Launched on 03/15/2022, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF (GLOV Quick QuoteGLOV - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Global Large-Cap Blend Equity ETF category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

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.

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.

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.

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

Managed by Goldman Sachs Funds, GLOV has amassed assets over $1.51 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Global Large-Cap Blend Equity ETF. Before fees and expenses, GLOV seeks to match the performance of the GOLDMAN SACHS ACTBT WORLD LW VL PL EQ ID.

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity Index delivers exposure to large and mid-capitalization equity securities of developed market issuers, including the United States.

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.25%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.74%.

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.

When you look at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL) accounts for about 3.94% of the fund's total assets, followed by Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT).

The top 10 holdings account for about 18.53% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, GLOV has lost about -0.09%, and was up about 18.75% in the last one year (as of 01/05/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $46.99 and $58.20.

The fund has a beta of 0.72 and standard deviation of 10.63% for the trailing three-year period. With about 457 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Global Large-Cap Blend Equity ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

iShares Global 100 ETF (IOO) tracks S&P Global 100 Index and the iShares MSCI ACWI ETF (ACWI) tracks MSCI All Country World Index. iShares Global 100 ETF has $8.04 billion in assets, iShares MSCI ACWI ETF has $25.37 billion. IOO has an expense ratio of 0.40% and ACWI changes 0.32%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Global Large-Cap Blend Equity ETF

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.