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Should IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF (CLRG) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap ETF , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/13/2017.

The fund is sponsored by New York Life Investments. It has amassed assets over $319.78 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

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 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.15%.

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 to the Information Technology sector--about 26.20% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Zscaler Inc (ZS - Free Report) accounts for about 1.64% of total assets, followed by Intuit Inc (INTU - Free Report) and West Pharmaceutical Servi (WST - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.06% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

CLRG seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ CHAIKIN POWER US LARGE CAP INDEX before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ Chaikin Power US Large Cap Index applies a quantitative multi-factor model that seeks to identify securities that are expected to outperform peers by selecting securities from the Nasdaq US 300 Index.

The ETF has lost about -7.86% so far this year and it's up approximately 11.76% in the last one year (as of 03/01/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $29.90 and $36.15.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 23.66% for the trailing three-year period. With about 104 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IQ Chaikin U.S. Large Cap 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, CLRG is a reasonable 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 $317.35 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $395.26 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are 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.

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