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Is State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Launched on 11/08/2005, the State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
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.
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.
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
The fund is sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $530.38 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KIE seeks to match the performance of the S&P Insurance Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Insurance Select Industry Index represents the insurance segment of the S&P Total Market Index.
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 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
KIE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.57%.
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.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.
Taking into account individual holdings, Baldwin Insurance Group Inc/ (BWIN) accounts for about 2.18% of the fund's total assets, followed by Oscar Health Inc Class A (OSCR) and Reinsurance Group Of America (RGA).
KIE's top 10 holdings account for about 19.78% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, KIE has gained about 6.11%, and it's up approximately 11.61% in the last one year (as of 10/22/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $53.55 and $66.45.
KIE has a beta of 0.59 and standard deviation of 16.96% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 56 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (KBWP) tracks KBW Nasdaq Property & Casualty Index and the iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Insurance Index. Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF has $295.92 million in assets, iShares U.S. Insurance ETF has $454.86 million. KBWP has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IAK changes 0.37%.
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.
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Is State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 11/08/2005, the State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
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.
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.
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
The fund is sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $530.38 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KIE seeks to match the performance of the S&P Insurance Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Insurance Select Industry Index represents the insurance segment of the S&P Total Market Index.
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 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
KIE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.57%.
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.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.
Taking into account individual holdings, Baldwin Insurance Group Inc/ (BWIN) accounts for about 2.18% of the fund's total assets, followed by Oscar Health Inc Class A (OSCR) and Reinsurance Group Of America (RGA).
KIE's top 10 holdings account for about 19.78% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, KIE has gained about 6.11%, and it's up approximately 11.61% in the last one year (as of 10/22/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $53.55 and $66.45.
KIE has a beta of 0.59 and standard deviation of 16.96% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 56 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
State Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (KBWP) tracks KBW Nasdaq Property & Casualty Index and the iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Insurance Index. Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF has $295.92 million in assets, iShares U.S. Insurance ETF has $454.86 million. KBWP has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IAK changes 0.37%.
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.