If you're interested in broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Invesco FTSE RAFI US 1500 Small-Mid ETF (PRFZ Quick QuotePRFZ - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/20/2006.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $2.40 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Blend

Small cap companies have market capitalization below $2 billion. They usually have higher potential than large and mid cap companies with stocks but higher risk.

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

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

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.39%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.29%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a 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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 19.10% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Emergent Biosolutions Inc (EBS Quick QuoteEBS - Free Report) accounts for about 0.37% of total assets, followed by Carvana Co (CVNA Quick QuoteCVNA - Free Report) and Carpenter Technology Corp (CRS Quick QuoteCRS - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 2.78% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

PRFZ seeks to match the performance of the FTSE RAFI US 1500 Small-Mid Index before fees and expenses. The FTSE RAFI US 1500 Small-Mid Index is comprised of approximately 1,500 U.S. stocks. The FTSE US 1500 Small-Mid Index is designed to track the performance of small and medium-sized U.S. equity stocks selected based on the following four fundamental measures of firm size: book value, income, cash flow and dividends.

The ETF return is roughly 5.18% so far this year and was up about 16.44% in the last one year (as of 09/11/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $30.38 and $41.81.

The ETF has a beta of 1.17 and standard deviation of 21.69% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1482 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco FTSE RAFI US 1500 Small-Mid 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, PRFZ is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM Quick QuoteIWM - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR Quick QuoteIJR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $66.22 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $81.33 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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.