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

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Launched on May 15, 2000, the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - 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 Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $850.64 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 fall in the large cap category tend to 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 0.03%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.09%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector -- about 39.2% of the portfolio. Financials and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia (NVDA) accounts for about 8.22% of total assets, followed by Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT).

The top 10 holdings account for about 37.93% 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 added roughly 13.47% so far this year and it's up approximately 16.97% in the last one year (as of 09/24/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $634.93 and $781.47.

The ETF has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 14.73% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 508 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 a great 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 $797.21 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $1,052.83 billion. SPY has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VOO charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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.

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