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Is Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF (KBWY) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 12/02/2010, smart beta exchange traded fund Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF (KBWY - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Real Estate ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader 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.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Invesco, and has been able to amass over $313.98 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Real Estate ETFs. KBWY, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the KBW Nasdaq Premium Yield Equity REIT Index.

The KBW Nasdaq Premium Yield Equity REIT Index is a dividend weighted index seeking to reflect the performance of approximately 24 to 40 small- and mid-cap equity REITs in the US.

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.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.

KBWY's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 5.31%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer 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.

KBWY's heaviest allocation is in the Real Estate sector, which is about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, American Finance Trust Inc accounts for about 6.86% of total assets, followed by Global Net Lease Inc (GNL - Free Report) and Office Properties Income Trust (OPI - Free Report) .

KBWY's top 10 holdings account for about 49.38% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -7.24% and it's up approximately 14.86% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 02/15/2022), respectively. KBWY has traded between $21.31 and $26.25 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.27 and standard deviation of 38.16% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 28 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Real Estate ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (IYR - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index and the Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (SCHH - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index. IShares U.S. Real Estate ETF has $6.27 billion in assets, Schwab U.S. REIT ETF has $6.58 billion. IYR has an expense ratio of 0.41% and SCHH charges 0.07%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Real Estate ETFs.

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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