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Should You Invest in the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE)?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market, the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 03/06/2017.

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.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Utilities - Infrastructure is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 15, placing it in bottom 6%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Global X Management. It has amassed assets over $3.73 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market. PAVE seeks to match the performance of the INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index before fees and expenses.

The INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index measure the performance of U.S. listed companies that provide exposure to domestic infrastructure development, including companies involved in construction and engineering; production of infrastructure raw materials, composites and products; industrial transportation; and producers/distributors of heavy construction equipment.

Costs

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.47%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.37%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector--about 70.80% of the portfolio. Materials and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Deere & Co (DE - Free Report) accounts for about 3.24% of total assets, followed by Eaton Corp Plc (ETN - Free Report) and Parker Hannifin Corp (PH - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 29.38% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF return is roughly 24.20% so far, and it's up approximately 74.08% over the last 12 months (as of 07/02/2021). PAVE has traded between $14.64 and $27.18 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.31 and standard deviation of 30.92% for the trailing three-year period. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development 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, PAVE is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

IShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA - Free Report) tracks NYSE FACTSET U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE INDEX and the iShares Global Infrastructure ETF (IGF - Free Report) tracks S&P Global Infrastructure Index. IShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF has $602.49 million in assets, iShares Global Infrastructure ETF has $3.06 billion. IFRA has an expense ratio of 0.40% and IGF charges 0.46%.

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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