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Is Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 12/16/2016, smart beta exchange traded fund Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

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.

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.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Pacer Etfs. It has amassed assets over $18.56 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index.

The Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index uses an objective, rules-based methodology to provide exposure to large and mid-capitalization U.S. companies with high free cash flow yields.

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.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.49%.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.12%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 21.1% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Healthcare sector; Information Technology and Energy round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) accounts for about 3.13% of total assets, followed by Warner Bros Discovery Inc (WBD) and Amgen Inc (AMGN).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.32% of COWZ's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, COWZ has added roughly 3.47%, and was up about 9.83% in the last one year (as of 01/16/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $47.46 and $62.28.

The ETF has a beta of 0.89 and standard deviation of 15.71% for the trailing three-year period. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $75.94 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $163.72 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV 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 - Large 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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