Yahoo Finance Is iShares Paris-Aligned Climate MSCI USA ETF (PABU) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 04/08/2022, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares Paris-Aligned Climate MSCI USA ETF (PABU) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
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
Managed by Blackrock, PABU has amassed assets over $1.76 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA CLMT PARIS ALGN BNC EXT SLCT ID.
The MSCI USA Climate Paris Aligned Benchmark Extended Select Index composed of U.S. large & mid-capitalization stocks designed to be compatible with the objectives of the Paris Agreement by following a decarbonization trajectory, reducing exposure to climate-related transition & physical risks & increasing exposure to companies favourably positioned for the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.10% for PABU, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For PABU, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 35.40% of the portfolio --while Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 7.55% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA).
PABU's top 10 holdings account for about 35.01% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 6.53% so far this year and is up about 28.52% in the last one year (as of 03/07/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $41.86 and $56.56.
The fund has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 20.06% for the trailing three-year period. With about 265 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares Paris-Aligned Climate MSCI USA ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ) tracks ---------------------------------------- and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF has $10.93 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $13.51 billion. JEPQ has an expense ratio of 0.35% and ESGU charges 0.15%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Blend.
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.
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iShares Paris-Aligned Climate MSCI USA ETF (PABU): ETF Research Reports
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU): ETF Research Reports
JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ): ETF Research Reports