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Should Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 05/05/2011, the Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV - 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 Invesco. It has amassed assets over $7.29 billion, making it one of the largest 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. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

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 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.80%.

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 19.30% of the portfolio. Utilities and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Coca-Cola Co/the (KO - Free Report) accounts for about 1.43% of total assets, followed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK/B) and Republic Services Inc (RSG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 12.33% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPLV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index consists of the 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index with the lowest realized volatility over the past 12 months.

The ETF return is roughly 2.06% so far this year and it's up approximately 15.06% in the last one year (as of 02/03/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $62.61 and $74.85.

The ETF has a beta of 0.72 and standard deviation of 12.77% 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

Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility 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, SPLV 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 Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO - Free Report) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $603.82 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $629.71 billion. VOO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

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.

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