Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should You Invest in the Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (FSTA)?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market, the Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (FSTA - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 10/21/2013.

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 12, placing it in bottom 25%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Fidelity. It has amassed assets over $470.65 M, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. FSTA seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples Index before fees and expenses.

MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples Index represents the performance of the consumer staples sector in the U.S. equity market.

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 0.08%, making it the least expensive product in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.68%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector--about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Procter + Gamble Co/the (PG - Free Report) accounts for about 13.80% of total assets, followed by Coca Cola Co/the (KO - Free Report) and Pepsico Inc (PEP - Free Report) .

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 11.73% and was up about 9.60% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 04/01/2019), respectively. FSTA has traded between $29.30 and $34.26 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.62 and standard deviation of 11.23% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 95 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, FSTA is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP - Free Report) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has $4.76 B in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund has $10.95 B. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLP charges 0.13%.

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.

Published in