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Is Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSEW) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 09/12/2017, smart beta exchange traded fund Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSEW - Free Report) provides investors 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 offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.

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 sponsored by Goldman Sachs Funds. It has amassed assets over $632.10 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, GSEW seeks to match the performance of the Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index.

The Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index is an equal-weight version of the Solactive US Large Cap Index including equity securities of approximately 500 of the largest U.S. companies.

Cost & Other Expenses

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

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.09% for GSEW, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.53%.

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.

GSEW's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 17.50% of the portfolio. Its Industrials and Financials round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Usd U.s. Dollar (USD - Free Report) accounts for about 0.46% of the fund's total assets, followed by Block Inc (SQ - Free Report) and Datadog Inc (DDOG - Free Report) .

GSEW's top 10 holdings account for about 2.81% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF return is roughly 7.11% so far, and was up about 25.81% over the last 12 months (as of 03/21/2024). GSEW has traded between $56.58 and $71.83 in this past 52-week period.

GSEW has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 17.92% for the trailing three-year period. With about 498 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity 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 $455.90 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $516.87 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.

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