Should You Invest in the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI)?

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Healthcare - Biotech segment of the equity market, the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 01/31/2006.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.Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Healthcare - Biotech is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 3, placing it in top 19%.Index DetailsThe fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $7.62 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Healthcare - Biotech segment of the equity market. XBI seeks to match the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.The S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index represents the biotechnology sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Markets Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the U.S. common stocks listed on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges. The Biotech Index is a modified equal weight index.CostsExpense 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 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.14%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsIt 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.This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Healthcare sector--about 100% of the portfolio.Looking at individual holdings, Incyte Corp (INCY) accounts for about 3% of total assets, followed by United Therapeutics Corp (UTHR) and Exact Sciences Corp (EXAS).The top 10 holdings account for about 26.34% of total assets under management.Performance and RiskSo far this year, XBI has added about 11.71%, and was up about 35.09% in the last one year (as of 12/02/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $78.80 and $104.18.The ETF has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 34.75% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 147 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesSPDR S&P Biotech 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, XBI is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT) tracks NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF has $1.19 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $7.06 billion. FBT has an expense ratio of 0.56% and IBB charges 0.45%.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 SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI): ETF Research Reports United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR): Free Stock Analysis Report Incyte Corporation (INCY): Free Stock Analysis Report iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB): ETF Research Reports Exact Sciences Corporation (EXAS): Free Stock Analysis Report First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology ETF (FBT): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks