Launched on February 8, 2022, the NYLI U.S. Large Cap R&D Leaders ETF (LRND Quick QuoteLRND - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by New York Life Investments. It has amassed assets over $208.56 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

Costs

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.14%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.71%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a 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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector -- about 55.7% of the portfolio. Telecom and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) accounts for about 14.23% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT).

The top 10 holdings account for about 68.1% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

LRND seeks to match the performance of the NYLI U.S. LARGE CAP R&D LEADERS INDEX before fees and expenses. The NYLI U.S. Large Cap R&D Leaders Index provides exposure to innovative companies by investing in U.S. large-cap equity securities of companies that have high research and development spending.

The ETF has lost about 6.56% so far this year and it's up approximately 15.58% in the last one year (as of 03/20/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $28.24 and $41.65.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 16.79% for the trailing three-year period. With about 108 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

NYLI U.S. Large Cap R&D Leaders 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, LRND is an outstanding 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 iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $664.97 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $839.04 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also 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.