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Should You Invest in the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK)?

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Looking for broad exposure to the Technology - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/16/1998.

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.

Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Technology - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $41.15 billion, making it the largest ETF attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Broad segment of the equity market. XLK seeks to match the performance of the Technology Select Sector Index before fees and expenses.

The Technology Select Sector Index includes companies from the following industries: computers & peripherals; software; diversified telecommunication services; communications equipment; semiconductor & semiconductor equipment; internet software & services; IT services; wireless telecommunication services; electronic equipment & instruments; and office electronics.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.10%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.92%.

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 Information Technology sector--about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 22.02% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corporation (MSFT - Free Report) and Nvidia Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 65.29% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 13.15% and is down about -5.11% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/07/2023), respectively. XLK has traded between $116.56 and $163.50 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.13 and standard deviation of 31.45% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 78 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, XLK is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

IShares U.S. Technology ETF (IYW - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Technology Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. IShares U.S. Technology ETF has $9.12 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $43.94 billion. IYW has an expense ratio of 0.39% and VGT charges 0.10%.

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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