Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF (KBWD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category of the market, the Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF (KBWD - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 12/02/2010.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

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.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $419.78 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KBWD is managed by Invesco. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the KBW Nasdaq Financial Sector Dividend Yield Index.

The KBW Nasdaq Financial Sector Dividend Yield Index is a dividend yield weighted index seeking to reflect the performance of approximately 24 to 40 publicly listed financial companies engaged in the business of providing financial services and products, including banking, insurance and diversified financial services, in the US.

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.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 5.39% for KBWD, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.

KBWD's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 15.34%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

For KBWD, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Orchid Island Capital Inc (ORC) accounts for about 4.31% of total assets, followed by New Mountain Finance Corp (NMFC) and Fs Kkr Capital Corp (FSK).

KBWD's top 10 holdings account for about 36.94% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF has lost about -3.63% so far, and is up about 1.69% over the last 12 months (as of 05/19/2026). KBWD has traded between $12.09 $14.71 in this past 52-week period.

KBWD has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 17.90% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 42 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .

Alternatives

Invesco KBW High Dividend Yield Financial ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.

Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares (VFH) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Financials 25/50 Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) tracks Financial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares has $12.33 billion in assets, State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $50.55 billion. VFH has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLF changes 0.08%.

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

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in