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Is Invesco S&P 100 Equal Weight ETF (EQWL) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Invesco S&P 100 Equal Weight ETF (EQWL - Free Report) was launched on 12/01/2006, 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?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

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

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as 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.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

EQWL is managed by Invesco, and this fund has amassed over $679.72 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Russell Top 200 Equal Weight Index.

The S&P 100 Equal Weight Index is designed to provide equal-weighted exposure to the securities of the largest 200 companies in the US equity market.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.25% for EQWL, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

EQWL's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.93%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer 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.

Representing 18.60% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Information Technology and Industrials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA - Free Report) accounts for about 1.52% of the fund's total assets, followed by Broadcom Inc (AVGO - Free Report) and Qualcomm Inc (QCOM - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 12.65% of EQWL's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, EQWL has gained about 9.35%, and was up about 18.18% in the last one year (as of 07/05/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $74.98 and $95.04.

EQWL has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 15.41% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 100 Equal Weight 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 $499.53 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $553.57 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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