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Is SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF (QEFA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 06/04/2014, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF (QEFA - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Broad Developed World ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
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.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
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 sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $1.06 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Developed World ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index.
The MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index captures large and mid-cap representation across 22 developed market Europe, Australasia, and Far East countries and aims to represent the performance of value, low volatility, and quality factor strategies.
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.
Annual operating expenses for QEFA are 0.30%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
QEFA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.95%.
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.
Taking into account individual holdings, Novartis Ag Reg (NOVN) accounts for about 2.21% of the fund's total assets, followed by Asml Holding Nv (ASML) and Roche Holding Ag Genusschein (ROG).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 15.4% of QEFA's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF has added roughly 6.08% so far, and is up roughly 30.94% over the last 12 months (as of 02/05/2026). QEFA has traded between $71.47 $96.18 in this past 52-week period.
QEFA has a beta of 0.71 and standard deviation of 12.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 674 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Developed World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) tracks MSCI EAFE Index and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) tracks MSCI EAFE Investable Market Index. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has $75.26 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF has $174.6 billion. EFA has an expense ratio of 0.32% and IEFA changes 0.07%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Developed World 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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Is SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF (QEFA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 06/04/2014, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF (QEFA - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Broad Developed World ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
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.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
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 sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $1.06 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Developed World ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index.
The MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index captures large and mid-cap representation across 22 developed market Europe, Australasia, and Far East countries and aims to represent the performance of value, low volatility, and quality factor strategies.
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.
Annual operating expenses for QEFA are 0.30%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
QEFA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.95%.
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.
Taking into account individual holdings, Novartis Ag Reg (NOVN) accounts for about 2.21% of the fund's total assets, followed by Asml Holding Nv (ASML) and Roche Holding Ag Genusschein (ROG).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 15.4% of QEFA's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF has added roughly 6.08% so far, and is up roughly 30.94% over the last 12 months (as of 02/05/2026). QEFA has traded between $71.47 $96.18 in this past 52-week period.
QEFA has a beta of 0.71 and standard deviation of 12.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 674 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Developed World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) tracks MSCI EAFE Index and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) tracks MSCI EAFE Investable Market Index. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has $75.26 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF has $174.6 billion. EFA has an expense ratio of 0.32% and IEFA changes 0.07%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Developed World 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.