Should ALPS Equal Sector Weight ETF (EQL) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Core Insights - The ALPS Equal Sector Weight ETF (EQL) is designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market and has assets over $557 million, making it an average-sized ETF in this category [1] - Large cap companies, with market capitalizations above $10 billion, are considered more stable and less volatile compared to mid and small cap companies [2] - The ETF has an annual operating expense of 0.25% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.7% [3] Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF has the heaviest allocation to the Energy sector, with a significant portion of the portfolio dedicated to it, followed by Industrials and Materials [4] - The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) accounts for approximately 9.77% of total assets, with the top 10 holdings representing about 91.65% of total assets under management [5] Performance Metrics - EQL aims to match the performance of the NYSE Select Sector Equal Weight Index, which includes various sectors such as Consumer Discretionary, Technology, and Health Care [6] - The ETF has returned roughly 10.72% year-to-date and 13.36% over the past year, with a trading range between $37.36 and $45.87 in the last 52 weeks [7] - It has a beta of 0.91 and a standard deviation of 14.44% over the trailing three-year period, indicating medium risk [7] Alternatives and Market Position - EQL holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating favorable expected returns and expense ratios [8] - Other ETFs in the same space include iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), which have significantly larger assets of $674.11 billion and $749.17 billion respectively, both with an expense ratio of 0.03% [9] Investment Trends - There is a growing trend among retail and institutional investors towards passively managed ETFs due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency, making them suitable for long-term investment strategies [10]