Should ALPS O'Shares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend ETF (OUSM) Be on Your Investing Radar?
If you're interested in broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the ALPS O'Shares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend ETF (OUSM), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/30/2016.
The fund is sponsored by Alps. It has amassed assets over $562.28 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Blend
There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.
Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.
Costs
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.48%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.56%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Consumer Discretionary sector--about 22.60% of the portfolio. Industrials and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM) accounts for about 2.78% of total assets, followed by Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (LECO) and Juniper Networks Inc. (JNPR).
The top 10 holdings account for about 21.46% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
OUSM seeks to match the performance of the FTSE Russell US Qual / Vol / Yield Factor 3% Capped Index before fees and expenses. The OShares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend Index is designed to reflect the performance of publicly-listed small-capitalization dividend-paying issuers in the United States exhibiting high quality, low volatility and high dividend yields.
The ETF has added roughly 3.13% so far this year and it's up approximately 14.83% in the last one year (as of 05/02/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $33.36 and $42.57.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 16.69% for the trailing three-year period. With about 108 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
ALPS O'Shares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend 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, OUSM is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $58.13 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $75.99 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
Bottom-Line
An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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.
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ALPS O'Shares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend ETF (OUSM): ETF Research Reports
Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (LECO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR): ETF Research Reports