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Is Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF (KBWD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF (KBWD - Free Report) was launched on 12/02/2010, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Financials ETFs 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.

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.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.

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.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $437.11 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. Before fees and expenses, KBWD seeks to match the performance of the KBW Nasdaq Financial Sector Dividend Yield Index.

The KBW Nasdaq Financial Sector Dividend Yield Index is a dividend yield weighted index seeking to reflect the performance of approximately 24 to 40 publicly listed financial companies engaged in the business of providing financial services and products, including banking, insurance and diversified financial services, in the US.

Cost & Other Expenses

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.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 4.93% for KBWD, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 12.41%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer 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.

For KBWD, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 100% of the portfolio.

When you look at individual holdings, Orchid Island Capital Inc (ORC) accounts for about 4.99% of the fund's total assets, followed by Armour Residential Reit Inc (ARR) and Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc (IVR).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 38.1% of KBWD's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, KBWD has added about 3.41%, and it's up approximately 11% in the last one year (as of 01/14/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $12.37 and $15.69.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 18.66% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 43 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .

Alternatives

Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.

Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Financials 25/50 Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) tracks Financial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Financials ETF has $13.3 billion in assets, State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $53.25 billion. VFH has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLF changes 0.08%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials ETFs

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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