The SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) was launched on 09/25/2000, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $33.83 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.
Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. When you consider growth versus value, growth stocks are usually the clear winner in strong bull markets but tend to fall flat in nearly all other environments.
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 0.04%, making it the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.61%.
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 39.40% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 12.92% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
The top 10 holdings account for about 54.29% of total assets under management.
SPYG seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Growth Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization growth sector in the U.S. equity market.
The ETF has lost about -0.75% so far this year and is up roughly 33.82% in the last one year (as of 01/14/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $65.22 and $91.38.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 21.63% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 211 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
