The Invesco Global Water ETF (PIO Quick QuotePIO - Free Report) made its debut on 06/13/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Industrials ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

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.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Invesco, and has been able to amass over $283.22 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Industrials ETFs. PIO, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ OMX Global Water Index.

The NASDAQ OMX Global Water Index is designed to track the performance of companies worldwide that are creating products that conserve and purify water for homes, businesses and industries.

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 one of the more expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.75%.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.97%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

Taking into account individual holdings, Ebara Corpaccounts for about 10.07% of the fund's total assets, followed by Cia De Saneamento Basico Do Estado De Sao Paulo Sabesp (SBSP3) and Ferguson Enterprises Inc (FERG).

PIO's top 10 holdings account for about 59.5% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, PIO has added roughly 5.31%, and is up about 18.08% in the last one year (as of 04/23/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $40.78 and $48.63.

The fund has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 15.50% for the trailing three-year period, which makes PIO a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 47 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .

Alternatives

Invesco Global Water ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Industrials ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

First Trust Water ETF (FIW) tracks ISE Clean Edge Water Index and the Invesco Water Resources ETF (PHO) tracks NASDAQ OMX US Water Index. First Trust Water ETF has $1.85 billion in assets, Invesco Water Resources ETF has $2.06 billion. FIW has an expense ratio of 0.51% and PHO changes 0.59%.

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