Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF (ONEV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF (ONEV - Free Report) was launched on 12/02/2015, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by State Street Global Advisors. ONEV has been able to amass assets over $548.52 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. ONEV seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focused Factor Index before fees and expenses.

The Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focused Factor Index reflects the performance of a segment of large-capitalization U.S. equity securities demonstrating a combination of core factors high value, high quality, and low size characteristics, with a focus factor comprising low volatility characteristics.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.20%.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.81%.

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.

Representing 20.30% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Amerisourcebergen Corp accounts for about 1.26% of the fund's total assets, followed by Centene Corp (CNC - Free Report) and Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 8.72% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 6.85% so far this year and was up about 1.94% in the last one year (as of 08/16/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $91.93 and $112.31.

The ETF has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 16.30% for the trailing three-year period. With about 471 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR Russell 1000 Low Volatility Focus ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) tracks S&P 500 Index. IShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $346.25 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $416.42 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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 - Large 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.

Published in