Is Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSEW) a Strong ETF Right Now?

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSEW) debuted on 09/12/2017, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend 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.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.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.This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.Fund Sponsor & IndexBecause the fund has amassed over $1.21 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. GSEW is managed by Goldman Sachs Funds. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index.The Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index is an equal-weight version of the Solactive US Large Cap Index including equity securities of approximately 500 of the largest U.S. companies.Cost & Other ExpensesSince 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.With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.09%.GSEW's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.50%.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 GSEW, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 17.40% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Financials round out the top three.Taking into account individual holdings, Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR) accounts for about 0.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Quanta Services Inc (PWR) and Netflix Inc (NFLX).GSEW's top 10 holdings account for about 2.51% of its total assets under management.Performance and RiskSo far this year, GSEW has added about 2.42%, and it's up approximately 12.36% in the last one year (as of 06/03/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $67.22 and $82.83.GSEW has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 17.58% for the trailing three-year period. With about 495 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesGoldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) tracks S&P 500 Index and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $605.43 billion in assets, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $648.28 billion. SPY has an expense ratio of 0.09% and VOO charges 0.03%.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 Blend.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 Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSEW): ETF Research Reports Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR): Free Stock Analysis Report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX): Free Stock Analysis Report SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research Reports Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks