Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF (XLG), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/04/2005.
The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $2.34 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.
Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.20%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.99%.
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 37.10% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 11.65% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN).
The top 10 holdings account for about 53.26% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
XLG seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Index measures the cap-weighted performance of 50 of the largest companies in the S&P 500 Index, reflecting U.S. mega-cap performance.
The ETF has added about 29.54% so far this year and is up roughly 34.58% in the last one year (as of 11/10/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $270.30 and $365.07.
The ETF has a beta of 0.98 and standard deviation of 22.51% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 52 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, XLG is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box – Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $323.32 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $427.12 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Bottom-Line
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.
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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