Is Inspire Corporate Bond ETF (IBD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Core Insights - The Inspire Corporate Bond ETF (IBD) is a smart beta ETF launched on July 10, 2017, aimed at providing broad exposure to the Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFs category [1] - IBD has accumulated assets of over $391.96 million, positioning it as an average-sized ETF in its category [5] - The fund seeks to match the performance of the Inspire Corporate Bond Impact Equal Weight Index, which consists of 250 investment-grade corporate bonds from large-cap blue-chip companies in the U.S. [6] Fund Management and Costs - The fund is managed by Inspire and has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.43%, making it one of the more expensive options in the market [7] - IBD's 12-month trailing dividend yield stands at 4.20% [7] Holdings and Sector Exposure - The top holding, Trimble Inc, constitutes approximately 1.86% of the fund's total assets, with the top 10 holdings accounting for about 18.24% of total assets [8][9] - The ETF provides diversified exposure, which helps minimize single stock risk [8] Performance Metrics - As of July 29, 2025, IBD has gained approximately 4.14% year-to-date and 5.9% over the past year, with trading prices ranging between $23.28 and $24.29 in the last 52 weeks [10] - The fund has a beta of 0.19 and a standard deviation of 6.13% over the trailing three-year period, indicating effective diversification of company-specific risk [11] Alternatives and Market Position - IBD may not be suitable for investors looking to outperform the Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFs segment, with other ETFs available that may offer better performance [12] - Comparatively, the Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF and iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF have significantly larger asset bases and lower expense ratios, suggesting alternatives for cost-conscious investors [13]