The Invesco S&P 100 Equal Weight ETF (EQWL) was launched on 12/01/2006, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $1.11 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.
Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.
Costs
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.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.38%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 17.80% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD) accounts for about 1.25% of total assets, followed by Cvs Health Corp (CVS) and Philip Morris International Inc (PM).
The top 10 holdings account for about 12.02% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
EQWL seeks to match the performance of the Russell Top 200 Equal Weight Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 100 Equal Weight Index is designed to provide equal-weighted exposure to the securities of the largest 200 companies in the US equity market.
The ETF return is roughly 1.61% so far this year and it's up approximately 12.29% in the last one year (as of 03/21/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $90.17 and $108.28.
The ETF has a beta of 0.96 and standard deviation of 15.09% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Invesco S&P 100 Equal Weight 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, EQWL is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $592.43 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $607.06 billion. VOO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Bottom-Line
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
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 S&P 100 Equal Weight ETF (EQWL): ETF Research Reports
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
CVS Health Corporation (CVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research Reports
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.
