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Is iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA - Free Report) debuted on 05/05/2010, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $397.96 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, EUSA seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index.

The MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index represents the MSCI USA Index, measures the performance of equity securities in the top 85% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the United States.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for EUSA are 0.09%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.73%.

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.

For EUSA, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 17.50% of the portfolio --while Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Chewy Inc Class A (CHWY - Free Report) accounts for about 0.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Amc Entertainment Holdings Inc Cla (AMC - Free Report) and Enphase Energy Inc (ENPH - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 2.04% of EUSA's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF has lost about -16.87% so far, and is down about -14.68% over the last 12 months (as of 12/19/2022). EUSA has traded between $66.79 and $89.74 in this past 52-week period.

EUSA has a beta of 1.08 and standard deviation of 26.24% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 632 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT - Free Report) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. IShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $38.87 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $259.42 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI charges 0.03%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Blend.

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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