Is Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF (FNDB) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF (FNDB) made its debut on 08/13/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
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.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
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
Because the fund has amassed over $467.46 million, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. FNDB is managed by Charles Schwab. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Russell RAFI US Index.
The Russell RAFI US Index measures the performance of the constituent companies by fundamental overall company scores.
Cost & Other Expenses
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Annual operating expenses for FNDB are 0.25%, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.97%.
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.
For FNDB, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 14.80% of the portfolio --while Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 4.07% of the fund's total assets, followed by Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 18.09% of FNDB's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 0.38% so far this year and is down about -8.01% in the last one year (as of 01/06/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $47.13 and $59.23.
FNDB has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 25.28% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1709 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF (DFAT) tracks ---------------------------------------- and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF has $7.39 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $12.87 billion. DFAT has an expense ratio of 0.29% and IUSV charges 0.04%.
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 - All Cap Value.
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.
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Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF (FNDB): ETF Research Reports
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV): ETF Research Reports
Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETF (DFAT): ETF Research Reports
