Should FlexShares US Quality Large Cap ETF (QLC) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Core Viewpoint - The FlexShares US Quality Large Cap ETF (QLC) is a passively managed fund aimed at providing broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, with assets exceeding $547.58 million [1] Group 1: Fund Overview - Launched on September 23, 2015, QLC is designed to match the performance of the Northern Trust Quality Large Cap Index [1][6] - The fund is sponsored by Flexshares and is considered an average-sized ETF in its category [1] Group 2: Investment Characteristics - Large cap companies, typically with market capitalizations above $10 billion, are viewed as more stable investments due to predictable cash flows and lower volatility compared to mid and small cap stocks [2] - QLC holds a mix of growth and value stocks, providing characteristics of both investment styles [2] Group 3: Costs and Performance - The annual operating expenses for QLC are 0.25%, which is competitive within its peer group, and it has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.93% [3] - As of July 31, 2025, QLC has increased by approximately 10.11% year-to-date and 18.84% over the past year, with a trading range between $56.84 and $73.22 in the last 52 weeks [7] Group 4: Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF has a significant allocation to the Information Technology sector, comprising about 34% of the portfolio, followed by Financials and Telecom [4] - Nvidia Corp (NVDA) is the largest holding at approximately 7.02% of total assets, with Apple Inc (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT) also among the top three holdings [5] Group 5: Risk Profile - QLC has a beta of 0.99 and a standard deviation of 16.71% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a medium risk profile [7] - The ETF effectively diversifies company-specific risk with around 167 holdings [7] Group 6: Alternatives and Market Position - QLC holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating strong potential based on expected returns, expense ratio, and momentum [9] - Other ETFs in the same space include the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), which have significantly larger asset bases and lower expense ratios [10]