Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Invesco Russell 1000 Equal Weight ETF (EQAL) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Invesco Russell 1000 Equal Weight ETF (EQAL - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/23/2014.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $583.19 million, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies 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

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 this ETF are 0.20%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.91%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, 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 12.60% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Frontier Communications Parent Inc (FYBR - Free Report) accounts for about 0.54% of total assets, followed by Charter Communications Inc (CHTR - Free Report) and Liberty Broadband Corp (LBRDK - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 5.13% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

EQAL seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Equal Weight Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 1000 Equal Weight Index is composed of securities in the Russell 1000 Index and is equally weighted across nine sector groups with each security within the sector receiving equal weight.

The ETF has lost about -1.68% so far this year and is up roughly 9.95% in the last one year (as of 01/08/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $37.43 and $44.80.

The ETF has a beta of 1.12 and standard deviation of 18.51% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 997 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco Russell 1000 Equal Weight 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, EQAL is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $393.51 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $485.25 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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.

Published in