Should Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 03/21/2012.
The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $843.56 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Large cap companies typically 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.
Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.
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 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.84%.
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 35.50% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) accounts for about 1.27% of total assets, followed by Sirius Xm Hldgs Inc (SIRI) and Airbnb Inc (ABNB).
The top 10 holdings account for about 11.53% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.
The ETF return is roughly 20.02% so far this year and is up about 13.39% in the last one year (as of 08/29/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $58.71 and $80.76.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 22.79% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, QQQE is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $91.33 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $199.59 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
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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Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE): ETF Research Reports
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG): ETF Research Reports
Airbnb, Inc. (ABNB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
