The Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF (XLG) was launched on 05/04/2005, 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 $7.89 billion, making it one of the largest 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.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.20%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.71%.
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 Information Technology sector--about 44% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 12.16% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
The top 10 holdings account for about 59.79% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
XLG seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Top 50 Index is composed of 50 of the largest companies in the S&P 500 Index.
The ETF return is roughly 2.18% so far this year and it's up approximately 38.61% in the last one year (as of 01/07/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $37.73 and $51.62.
The ETF has a beta of 1 and standard deviation of 19.23% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, XLG is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $594.99 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $635.81 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Bottom-Line
Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.
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.
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SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports
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