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Should Schwab 1000 Index ETF (SCHK) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 10/11/2017, the Schwab 1000 Index ETF (SCHK - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $3.68 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to 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.

Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.05%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.23%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 28.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 6.34% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 31% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SCHK seeks to match the performance of the Schwab 1000 Index before fees and expenses. The Schwab 1000 Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that includes the 1,000 largest stocks of publicly traded companies in the United States, with size being determined by market capitalization. The index is designed to be a measure of the performance of large- and mid-cap U.S. stocks.

The ETF has added roughly 16.91% so far this year and it's up approximately 26.58% in the last one year (as of 07/12/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $39.52 and $53.85.

The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 17.53% for the trailing three-year period. With about 994 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Schwab 1000 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, SCHK is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $504.25 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $547.93 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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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