Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 03/21/2012.

The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $1.25 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.

Costs

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

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.91%.

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 Information Technology sector--about 36.30% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Charter Communications Inc-A (CHTR - Free Report) accounts for about 1.32% of total assets, followed by Mercadolibre Inc (MELI - Free Report) and Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.93% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.

The ETF has added about 2.38% so far this year and was up about 12.37% in the last one year (as of 09/11/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $70.45 and $92.06.

The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 21.79% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, QQQE is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $131.90 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $274.78 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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.

Published in