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Is State Street SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF (ONEV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The State Street SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF (ONEV - Free Report) made its debut on 12/02/2015, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: 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.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by State Street Investment Management, and has been able to amass over $573.44 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. ONEV, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focused Factor Index.

The Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focused Factor Index reflects the performance of a segment of large-capitalization U.S. equity securities demonstrating a combination of core factors high value, high quality, and low size characteristics, with a focus factor comprising low volatility characteristics.

Cost & Other Expenses

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.20% for ONEV, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.76%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 21.2% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Cardinal Health Inc (CAH) accounts for about 1.66% of the fund's total assets, followed by Cencora Inc (COR) and Cognizant Tech Solutions A (CTSH).

The top 10 holdings account for about 9.81% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, ONEV has added roughly 3.11%, and is up roughly 11.03% in the last one year (as of 01/12/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $114.16 and $137.33.

The ETF has a beta of 0.87 and standard deviation of 12.82% for the trailing three-year period. With about 447 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

State Street SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $764.08 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $855.09 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.

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 Blend

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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