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Is ALPS (OUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the ALPS (OUSA - Free Report) debuted on 07/14/2015, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

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

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.

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

Managed by Alps, OUSA has amassed assets over $764.57 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. OUSA, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the FTSE US Qual / Vol / Yield Factor 5% Capped Index.

The OShares U.S. Quality Dividend Index measures the performance of publicly-listed large-capitalization and mid-capitalization dividend-paying issuers in the United States.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.48% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

OUSA's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.52%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

For OUSA, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 28.50% of the portfolio --while Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 5.89% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) and Broadcom Inc. (AVGO - Free Report) .

OUSA's top 10 holdings account for about 42.11% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 9.38% and is up about 12.90% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 07/25/2024), respectively. OUSA has traded between $40.56 and $51.50 during this last 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.88 and standard deviation of 13.71% for the trailing three-year period, which makes OUSA a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

ALPS is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $57 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $118.72 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

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 Value.

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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