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Should SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 10/21/2015.

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $6.77 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Looking at their long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets. They are however likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

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 0.07%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.52%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 19.20% of the portfolio. Utilities and Real Estate round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Abbvie Inc. (ABBV - Free Report) accounts for about 1.50% of total assets, followed by Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW - Free Report) and Packaging Corporation Of America (PKG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 13.31% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPYD seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 High Dividend Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 High Dividend Index is designed to measure the performance of the top 80 dividend-paying securities listed on the S&P 500 Index, based on dividend yield.

The ETF has lost about -3.09% so far this year and is down about -10.05% in the last one year (as of 04/25/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $35.47 and $44.96.

The ETF has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 22.13% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 82 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, SPYD is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $50.57 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $102.70 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

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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