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Should Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/16/2016.

The fund is sponsored by Pacer Etfs. It has amassed assets over $15.46 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

Large cap companies 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.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

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 0.49%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.08%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Energy sector--about 40% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Materials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Chevron Corp New (CVX - Free Report) accounts for about 2.67% of total assets, followed by Marathon Pete Corp (MPC - Free Report) and Valero Energy Corp (VLO - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 22.31% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

COWZ seeks to match the performance of the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index before fees and expenses. The Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index uses an objective, rules-based methodology to provide exposure to large and mid-capitalization U.S. companies with high free cash flow yields.

The ETF has added about 7.88% so far this year and is up about 13.91% in the last one year (as of 10/20/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $44.32 and $51.65.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 19.75% for the trailing three-year period. With about 100 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Pacer US Cash Cows 100 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, COWZ is a great 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 Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF has $47.38 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $97.08 billion. VYM has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

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.

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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