Is Invesco Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP) a Strong ETF Right Now?

The Invesco Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP) was launched on 06/23/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Health Care ETFs category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.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.There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.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 & IndexManaged by Invesco, PJP has amassed assets over $260.06 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. PJP, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index.The Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index is comprised of stocks of U.S. pharmaceutical companies. It is designed to provide capital appreciation by thoroughly evaluating companies based on a variety of investment merit criteria, including fundamental growth, stock valuation, investment timeliness and risk factors.Cost & Other ExpensesCost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.56% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.94%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsEven 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.For PJP, it has heaviest allocation in the Healthcare sector --about 100% of the portfolio.Looking at individual holdings, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) accounts for about 5.44% of total assets, followed by Eli Lilly & Co (LLY) and Abbvie Inc (ABBV).PJP's top 10 holdings account for about 47.44% of its total assets under management.Performance and RiskSo far this year, PJP has added about 3.39%, and is up roughly 11.58% in the last one year (as of 03/05/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $75.33 and $89.61.PJP has a beta of 0.56 and standard deviation of 15.47% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 31 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.AlternativesInvesco Pharmaceuticals ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.IShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index and the VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH) tracks MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index. IShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF has $634.03 million in assets, VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has $645.29 million. IHE has an expense ratio of 0.39% and PPH charges 0.36%.Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care ETFs.Bottom LineTo 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.Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.Get it free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Invesco Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP): ETF Research Reports Abbott Laboratories (ABT): Free Stock Analysis Report Eli Lilly and Company (LLY): Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV): Free Stock Analysis Report iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE): ETF Research Reports VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks