Should You Invest in the iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK)?

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market, the iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on June 12, 2000.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. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 15, placing it in bottom 6%.Index DetailsThe fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $1.36 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. IYK seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Consumer Goods Index before fees and expenses.The Russell 1000 Consumer Staples RIC 22.5/45 Capped Index measures the performance of the consumer goods sector of the U.S. equity market.CostsInvestors 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 0.4%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.49%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsEven though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector -- about 87.5% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Materials round out the top three.Looking at individual holdings, Procter & Gamble (PG) accounts for about 14.82% of total assets, followed by Philip Morris International Inc (PM) and Coca-cola (KO).The top 10 holdings account for about 66.57% of total assets under management.Performance and RiskThe ETF return is roughly 6.81% and is up about 3.67% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/07/2025), respectively. IYK has traded between $63.29 and $72.42 during this last 52-week period.The ETF has a beta of 0.54 and standard deviation of 12.32% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 60 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesiShares U.S. Consumer Staples 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, IYK is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has $7.67 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $16.25 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.09%, and XLP charges 0.08%.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.Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF InsightsZacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!Get it now >>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 iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK): 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