Should Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) Be on Your Investing Radar?
If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/05/2011.
The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $10.05 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically 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.
Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.
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 2.22%.
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 Consumer Staples sector--about 23.20% of the portfolio. Utilities and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) accounts for about 1.30% of total assets, followed by Pepsico Inc (PEP) and Mcdonald's Corp (MCD).
The top 10 holdings account for about 12.29% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
SPLV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index consists of the 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index with the lowest realized volatility over the past 12 months.
The ETF has lost about -1.49% so far this year and is down about -2.07% in the last one year (as of 05/18/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $56.92 and $67.03.
The ETF has a beta of 0.69 and standard deviation of 14.05% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility 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, SPLV is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $309.60 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $384.09 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Bottom-Line
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
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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Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV): ETF Research Reports
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
McDonald's Corporation (MCD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports
