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Should iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA ETF (LRGF) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA ETF (LRGF - Free Report) was launched on 04/28/2015, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $983.84 M, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios. They also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

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 0.20%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.64%.

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 23.20% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Accenture Plc Class A (ACN - Free Report) accounts for about 2.45% of total assets, followed by Anthem Inc and Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 20.37% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

LRGF seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Diversified Multiple-Factor Index before fees and expenses. The MSCI USA Diversified Multiple-Factor Index is composed of U.S. large and mid-capitalization stocks that have favourable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.

The ETF has gained about 2.52% so far this year and was up about 17.19% in the last one year (as of 05/15/2018). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $27.87 and $33.90.

The ETF has a beta of 0.93 and standard deviation of 13.25% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 150 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA 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, LRGF is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Large Cap ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $36.70 B in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $36.32 B. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.20% and VTV charges 0.05%.

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.