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

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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market, look no further than 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 $6.93 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. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios. They also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Considering long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets; however, they are more likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

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

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.61%.

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 to the Financials sector--about 23.90% of the portfolio. Real Estate and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Amgen Inc (AMGN - Free Report) accounts for about 1.70% of total assets, followed by Seagate Technology Holdings (STX - Free Report) and Packaging Corp Of America (PKG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 15.18% 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 added about 1.25% so far this year and was up about 4.87% in the last one year (as of 01/03/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $33 and $43.09.

The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 17.90% 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 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, SPYD 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 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 $55.55 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $106.05 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% 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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