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Should You Invest in the Fidelity MSCI Financials Index ETF (FNCL)?

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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Financials - Broad segment of the equity market, look no further than the Fidelity MSCI Financials Index ETF (FNCL - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 10/21/2013.

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 are also funds of convenience, offering many ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Financials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 16, placing it in bottom 0%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Fidelity. It has amassed assets over $1.31 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Financials - Broad segment of the equity market. FNCL seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA IMI Financials Index before fees and expenses.

The MSCI USA IMI Financials Index represents the performance of the financial sector in the U.S. equity market.

Costs

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

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.46%.

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 Financials sector--about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl B Common Stock Usd.0033 (BRK.B - Free Report) accounts for about 9.55% of total assets, followed by Jpmorgan Chase + Co Common Stock Usd1.0 (JPM - Free Report) and Bank Of America Corp Common Stock Usd.01 (BAC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 41.60% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Fidelity MSCI Financials Index ETF has lost about -6.12% so far, and is down about -9.28% over the last 12 months (as of 05/30/2023). FNCL has traded between $43.08 and $52.48 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.08 and standard deviation of 23.46% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 396 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Fidelity MSCI Financials Index 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, FNCL is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Financials ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Financials 25/50 Index and the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF - Free Report) tracks Financial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Financials ETF has $7.59 billion in assets, Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $28.97 billion. VFH has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLF 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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