The Invesco Biotechnology & Genome ETF (PBE) made its debut on 06/23/2005, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Health Care ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
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.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $239.29 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Health Care ETFs. PBE, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Dynamic Biotechnology & Genome Intellidex Index.
The Dynamic Biotech & Genome Intellidex Index seeks to provide capital appreciation by thoroughly evaluating companies based on a variety of investment merit criteria, including price momentum, earnings momentum, quality, management action, and value.
Cost & Other Expenses
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.58% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.05%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Healthcare sector - about 99.70% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Natera Inc (NTRA) accounts for about 5.38% of total assets, followed by Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD) and Incyte Corp (INCY).
The top 10 holdings account for about 45.58% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -1.40% and it's up approximately 2.49% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/17/2025), respectively. PBE has traded between $59.62 and $72.24 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.80 and standard deviation of 22.18% for the trailing three-year period, which makes PBE a high risk choice in this particular space. With about 32 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
Invesco Biotechnology & Genome ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Health Care ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) tracks S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) tracks Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. SPDR S&P Biotech ETF has $5.74 billion in assets, iShares Biotechnology ETF has $6 billion. XBI has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IBB charges 0.45%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Health Care ETFs.
Bottom Line
To 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 >>Invesco Biotechnology & Genome ETF (PBE): ETF Research Reports
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Incyte Corporation (INCY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB): ETF Research Reports
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI): ETF Research Reports
Natera, Inc. (NTRA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
%20a%20Strong%20ETF%20Right%20Now%3F%20%7C%20Nasdaq&_biz_n=12&rnd=652753&cdn_o=a&_biz_z=1742702661029)
%20a%20Strong%20ETF%20Right%20Now%3F%20%7C%20Nasdaq&rnd=938143&cdn_o=a&_biz_z=1742702661033)