Is Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Making its debut on 10/18/2012, smart beta exchange traded fund Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.Fund Sponsor & IndexThe fund is managed by Invesco. SPHD has been able to amass assets over $3.18 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. SPHD seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility High Dividend Index before fees and expenses.The S&P 500 Low Volatility High Dividend Index comprises of 50 securities traded on the S&P 500 Index that historically have provided high dividend yields and low volatility.Cost & Other ExpensesWhen considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.30% for SPHD, making it on par with most peer products in the space.It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.49%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.For SPHD, it has heaviest allocation in the Real Estate sector --about 20% of the portfolio --while Utilities and Consumer Staples round out the top three.Taking into account individual holdings, Crown Castle Inc (CCI) accounts for about 3.68% of the fund's total assets, followed by Altria Group Inc (MO) and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ).The top 10 holdings account for about 28.37% of total assets under management.Performance and RiskThe ETF has lost about -1.51% and is up about 9.72% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/26/2025), respectively. SPHD has traded between $43.57 and $51.75 during this last 52-week period.SPHD has a beta of 0.72 and standard deviation of 15.13% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 52 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesInvesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.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 $67.43 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $131.73 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 Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD): ETF Research Reports Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report Altria Group, Inc. (MO): Free Stock Analysis Report Crown Castle Inc. (CCI): 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