Is iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Making its debut on 04/16/2013, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.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.These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.Fund Sponsor & IndexBecause the fund has amassed over $7.47 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. VLUE is managed by Blackrock. VLUE seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index before fees and expenses.The MSCI USA Enhanced Value Index is based on a traditional market capitalization-weighted parent index, the MSCI USA Index which includes U.S. large and mid capitalization stocks.Cost & Other ExpensesExpense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.15% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.59%.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.This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 32.60% of the portfolio. Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.Looking at individual holdings, Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) accounts for about 6.28% of total assets, followed by International Business Machines Co (IBM) and At&t Inc (T).VLUE's top 10 holdings account for about 34.15% of its total assets under management.Performance and RiskYear-to-date, the iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF return is roughly 5.14% so far, and is up about 11.70% over the last 12 months (as of 02/27/2025). VLUE has traded between $99.14 and $115.38 in this past 52-week period.VLUE has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 17.02% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 154 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesIShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $69.20 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $135.11 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.04%.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 - Large Cap Value.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 iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE): ETF Research Reports AT&T Inc. (T): Free Stock Analysis Report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Vanguard Value ETF (VTV): ETF Research Reports Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD): 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