Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth category of the market, the Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 03/01/2006.

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.

A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.

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.

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

Managed by Invesco, RFG has amassed assets over $308.49 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index.

The S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index measures the performance of securities that exhibit strong growth characteristics in the S&P MidCap 400 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.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.11%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

Representing 27.1% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Healthcare sector; Industrials and Information Technology round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Halozyme Therapeutics Inc (HALO) accounts for about 2.72% of the fund's total assets, followed by Twilio Inc (TWLO) and Digitalocean Holdings Inc (DOCN).

The top 10 holdings account for about 20.73% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 6.93% and is up roughly 7.44% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 11/11/2026), respectively. RFG has traded between $49.50 and $64.63 during this last 52-week period.

RFG has a beta of 1.13 and standard deviation of 20.76% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 104 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP) tracks Russell MidCap Growth Index and the Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF (VOT) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Growth Index. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $18.09 billion in assets, Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF has $18.64 billion. IWP has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOT changes 0.05%.

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 - Mid Cap Growth

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.

Published in