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Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 04/15/2015.

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.29 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

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

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

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.15%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.44%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 25.80% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 3% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Broadcom Inc (AVGO).

The top 10 holdings account for about 20.55% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QUS seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Index before fees and expenses. The MSCI USA Factor Mix A-Series Index measures the equity market performance of large and mid-cap companies across the U.S. equity market. It aims to represent the performance of a combination of three factors: value, quality, and low volatility.

The ETF has gained about 9.29% so far this year and is up about 30.89% in the last one year (as of 03/21/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $111.17 and $144.39.

The ETF has a beta of 0.91 and standard deviation of 15.30% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 610 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, QUS is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

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 $455.90 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $516.87 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also 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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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.