Is FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF (HYGV) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF (HYGV) made its debut on 07/17/2018, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $1.14 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs. HYGV is managed by Flexshares. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NORTHERN TRUST HY VLU-SCRD US CORP BD ID.
The Northern Trust High Yield Value-Scored US Corporate Bond Index measures the performance of a diversified universe of high yield, US-dollar denominated bonds of companies exhibiting favorable fundamental qualities, market valuations and liquidity.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.37% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 8.59%.
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.
Taking into account individual holdings, Cash accounts for about 0.93% of the fund's total assets, followed by Cloud Software Group Holdings Inc Callable Notes-6.50%-3-31-2029 (TIBX) and Athenahealth Group Inc Callable Notes Fixed 6.5%-6.50%-2-15-2030 (ATHENA).
The top 10 holdings account for about 6.59% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF return is roughly 4.12% so far, and was up about 5.85% over the last 12 months (as of 07/10/2023). HYGV has traded between $38.86 and $43.43 in this past 52-week period.
HYGV has a beta of 0.49 and standard deviation of 8.63% for the trailing three-year period. With about 973 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (USHY) tracks BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Constrained Index and the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) tracks Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index. IShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $9.11 billion in assets, iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $14.90 billion. USHY has an expense ratio of 0.15% and HYG charges 0.48%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs.
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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FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF (HYGV): ETF Research Reports
iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG): ETF Research Reports
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (USHY): ETF Research Reports
