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Is SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Financials ETFs category of the market, the SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF (KCE - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 11/08/2005.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

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

Because the fund has amassed over $488.03 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Financials ETFs. KCE is managed by State Street Global Advisors. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Capital Markets Select Industry Index.

The S&P Capital Markets Select Industry Index represents the capital markets segment of the S&P Total Market Index.

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.35%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector.

When you look at individual holdings, Virtu Financial Inc Class A (VIRT - Free Report) accounts for about 2.07% of the fund's total assets, followed by Lazard Inc (LAZ - Free Report) and Jefferies Financial Group In (JEF - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 19.77% of KCE's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF return is roughly 24.62% so far, and is up about 42.21% over the last 12 months (as of 09/20/2024). KCE has traded between $80.30 and $126.01 in this past 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 1.19 and standard deviation of 22.78% for the trailing three-year period, which makes KCE a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 63 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR S&P Capital Markets ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.

IShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF (IAI - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Investment Services Index. The fund has $1.43 billion in assets. IAI has an expense ratio of 0.40%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Financials ETFs.

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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