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Should iShares Morningstar LargeCap Value ETF (JKF) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The iShares Morningstar LargeCap Value ETF was launched on 06/28/2004, 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 $424.40 million, 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. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows 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. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.63%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 19.10% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) accounts for about 5.97% of total assets, followed by Jpmorgan Chase & Co (JPM - Free Report) and Procter & Gamble (PG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 38.99% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

JKF seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Large Value Index before fees and expenses. The Morningstar Large Value Index measures the performance of stocks issued by large-capitalization comp that have exhibited value characteristics.

The ETF has lost about -17.18% so far this year and is down about -8.33% in the last one year (as of 06/25/2020). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $75.97 and $117.83.

The ETF has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 21.85% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 82 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Morningstar LargeCap Value ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, JKF is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

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 $33.31 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $47.64 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds 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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