Advertisement
U.S. markets open in 1 hour 25 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    5,305.25
    -3.00 (-0.06%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    40,143.00
    -1.00 (-0.00%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,489.00
    -14.75 (-0.08%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,141.40
    +3.00 (+0.14%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.42
    +1.07 (+1.32%)
     
  • Gold

    2,230.30
    +17.60 (+0.80%)
     
  • Silver

    24.67
    -0.08 (-0.31%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0789
    -0.0041 (-0.38%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.1960
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • Vix

    13.04
    +0.26 (+2.03%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2616
    -0.0022 (-0.17%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.3570
    +0.1110 (+0.07%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,747.01
    +444.11 (+0.63%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.37
    +20.39 (+0.26%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     

Should WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Fund (EPS) Be on Your Investing Radar?

The WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Fund (EPS) was launched on 02/23/2007, 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 Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $207.07 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

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

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 0.28%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.81%.

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 19.60% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 5.62% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Jpmorgan Chase & Co (JPM).

The top 10 holdings account for about 23.42% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

EPS seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.

The ETF has lost about -2.11% so far this year and was up about 1.54% in the last one year (as of 11/26/2018). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $29.63 and $33.13.

The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 12.31% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 497 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Fund carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, EPS is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Large Cap ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $37.24 B in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $42.19 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.


Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
WISTR-US ERN500 (EPS): ETF Research Reports
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
VIPERS-VALUE (VTV): ETF Research Reports
 
ISHARS-RS 1K VL (IWD): ETF Research Reports
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research

Advertisement