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Is Invesco Global Clean Energy ETF (PBD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Invesco Global Clean Energy ETF (PBD - Free Report) was launched on 06/13/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Alternative Energy 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.

Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.

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.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $209.93 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Alternative Energy ETFs. PBD is managed by Invesco. Before fees and expenses, PBD seeks to match the performance of the WilderHill New Energy Global Innovation Index.

The WilderHill New Energy Global Innovation Index is comprised of companies engaged in the business of the advancement of cleaner energy and conservation.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.75%, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.73%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Verbio Se (VBK) accounts for about 1.36% of total assets, followed by Sma Solar Technology Ag (S92) and Plug Power Inc (PLUG).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 12.42% of PBD's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Invesco Global Clean Energy ETF return is roughly 30.52% so far, and is up about 91.15% over the last 12 months (as of 05/05/2026). PBD has traded between $11.18 $21.00 in this past 52-week period.

PBD has a beta of 1.33 and standard deviation of 24.89% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 123 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

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

Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares (ESGV) tracks FTSE US ALL CAP CHOICE INDEX and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares has $12.48 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $16.58 billion. ESGV has an expense ratio of 0.09% and ESGU changes 0.15%.

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