Should Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 10/20/2011.

The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $34.27 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies typically 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.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.06%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.98%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 20.10% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Amgen Inc (AMGN) accounts for about 4.47% of total assets, followed by Coca-Cola (KO) and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ).

The top 10 holdings account for about 41.04% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SCHD seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index before fees and expenses. The Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index is designed to measure the performance of high dividend yielding stocks issued by U.S. companies that have a record of consistently paying dividends, selected for fundamental strength relative to their peers, based on financial ratios.

The ETF has lost about -5.40% so far this year and it's up approximately 4.92% in the last one year (as of 05/03/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $73.97 and $81.94.

The ETF has a beta of 0.92 and standard deviation of 22.68% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 105 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity 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, SCHD is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $53.70 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $97.76 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also 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.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.