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Should You Invest in the Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (FSTA)?

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

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.

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. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 14, placing it in bottom 13%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Fidelity. It has amassed assets over $1.11 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. FSTA seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples Index before fees and expenses.

The MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples Index represents the performance of the consumer staples 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 the least expensive product in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.51%.

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 in the Consumer Staples sector--about 99.90% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Procter + Gamble Co/the Common Stock (PG - Free Report) accounts for about 11.99% of total assets, followed by Costco Wholesale Corp Common Stock Usd.005 (COST - Free Report) and Coca Cola Co/the Common Stock Usd.25 (KO - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 60.22% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF has added about 5.85% so far, and it's up approximately 12.54% over the last 12 months (as of 03/13/2024). FSTA has traded between $40.85 and $47.24 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.60 and standard deviation of 13.31% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 110 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

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

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP - Free Report) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has $6.54 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $15.48 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLP charges 0.09%.

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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