Advertisement
Singapore markets open in 2 hours 54 minutes

  • Straits Times Index

    3,144.76
    -38.85 (-1.22%)
     

  • S&P 500

    5,051.41
    -10.41 (-0.21%)
     

  • Dow

    37,798.97
    +63.86 (+0.17%)
     

  • Nasdaq

    15,865.25
    -19.77 (-0.12%)
     

  • Bitcoin USD

    63,946.83
    +797.45 (+1.26%)
     

  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     

  • FTSE 100

    7,820.36
    -145.17 (-1.82%)
     

  • Gold

    2,399.50
    -8.30 (-0.34%)
     

  • Crude Oil

    85.31
    -0.05 (-0.06%)
     

  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.6590
    +0.0310 (+0.67%)
     

  • Nikkei

    38,471.20
    -761.60 (-1.94%)
     

  • Hang Seng

    16,248.97
    -351.49 (-2.12%)
     

  • FTSE Bursa Malaysia

    1,535.00
    -7.53 (-0.49%)
     

  • Jakarta Composite Index

    7,164.81
    -7,286.88 (-50.42%)
     

  • PSE Index

    6,404.97
    -157.46 (-2.40%)
     

Should WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund (EPS) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Zacks Equity Research

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund (EPS) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 02/23/2007.

The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $332.29 M, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies typically 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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.77%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even 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 to the Information Technology sector--about 23% of the portfolio. Financials and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 6.61% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Jpmorgan Chase & Co (JPM).

The top 10 holdings account for about 25.97% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

EPS seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.

The ETF has added about 26.99% so far this year and was up about 19.68% in the last one year (as of 11/21/2019). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $26.55 and $35.54.

The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 12.78% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 490 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, EPS is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $41.10 B in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $53.06 B. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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.


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
 
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund (EPS): ETF Research Reports
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Vanguard Value ETF (VTV): ETF Research Reports
 
iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD): ETF Research Reports
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.