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Is Franklin U.S. Mid Cap Multifactor Index ETF (FLQM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The Franklin U.S. Mid Cap Multifactor Index ETF (FLQM - Free Report) made its debut on 04/26/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend category of the market.
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.
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.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
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
The fund is managed by Franklin Templeton Investments. FLQM has been able to amass assets over $1.45 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. FLQM seeks to match the performance of the LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity Index before fees and expenses.
The LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity Index includes U.S. mid-capitalization companies that have favorable exposure to four investment style factors - quality, value, momentum and low volatility.
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 FLQM are 0.30%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.16%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 21.50% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Consumer Discretionary and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Yum Brands Inc (YUM - Free Report) accounts for about 1.24% of total assets, followed by Kroger Co (KR - Free Report) and Ebay Inc (EBAY - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 11.31% of FLQM's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, FLQM has lost about -3%, and is up about 3.34% in the last one year (as of 03/19/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $49.87 and $58.81.
The fund has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 16.52% for the trailing three-year period. With about 206 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Franklin U.S. Mid Cap Multifactor Index ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Mid Cap Index and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH - Free Report) tracks S&P MidCap 400 Index. Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $72.31 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $89.93 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.
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 - Mid Cap Blend.
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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Is Franklin U.S. Mid Cap Multifactor Index ETF (FLQM) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The Franklin U.S. Mid Cap Multifactor Index ETF (FLQM - Free Report) made its debut on 04/26/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend category of the market.
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.
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.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
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
The fund is managed by Franklin Templeton Investments. FLQM has been able to amass assets over $1.45 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. FLQM seeks to match the performance of the LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity Index before fees and expenses.
The LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity Index includes U.S. mid-capitalization companies that have favorable exposure to four investment style factors - quality, value, momentum and low volatility.
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 FLQM are 0.30%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.16%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 21.50% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Consumer Discretionary and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Yum Brands Inc (YUM - Free Report) accounts for about 1.24% of total assets, followed by Kroger Co (KR - Free Report) and Ebay Inc (EBAY - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 11.31% of FLQM's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, FLQM has lost about -3%, and is up about 3.34% in the last one year (as of 03/19/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $49.87 and $58.81.
The fund has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 16.52% for the trailing three-year period. With about 206 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Franklin U.S. Mid Cap Multifactor Index ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Mid Cap Index and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH - Free Report) tracks S&P MidCap 400 Index. Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $72.31 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $89.93 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.
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 - Mid Cap Blend.
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.