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Should iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) was launched on May 15, 2000, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $669.20 billion, making it the largest ETF attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.22%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector -- about 33.3% of the portfolio. Financials and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 7.49% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).

The top 10 holdings account for about 37% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IVV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF has lost about 2.96% so far this year and was up about 19.71% in the last one year (as of 03/19/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $498.80 and $698.70.

The ETF has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 14.49% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 507 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, IVV is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) track the same index. While State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust has $664.70 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $842.17 billion. SPY has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VOO charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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