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Is Fidelity Value Factor ETF (FVAL) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market, the Fidelity Value Factor ETF (FVAL - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 09/12/2016.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

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.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Fidelity. It has amassed assets over $1.37 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. FVAL seeks to match the performance of the Fidelity U.S. Value Factor Index before fees and expenses.

The Fidelity U.S. Value Factor Index reflects the performance of stocks of large and mid-capitalization U.S. companies that have attractive valuations.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for FVAL are 0.15%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

FVAL's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.49%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

For FVAL, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 38% of the portfolio --while Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 7.64% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).

FVAL's top 10 holdings account for about 42.15% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Fidelity Value Factor ETF has gained about 15% so far, and it's up approximately 19.8% over the last 12 months (as of 10/07/2026). FVAL has traded between $67.41 $83.50 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 14.10% for the trailing three-year period. With about 137 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Fidelity Value Factor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $109.1 billion in assets, Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF has $187.28 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV changes 0.03%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value

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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