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Should You Invest in the VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH)?

Looking for broad exposure to the Healthcare - Pharma segment of the equity market? You should consider the VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 12/20/2011.

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.

Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Healthcare - Pharma is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 14, placing it in bottom 13%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Van Eck. It has amassed assets over $234.41 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Healthcare - Pharma segment of the equity market. PPH seeks to match the performance of the MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index before fees and expenses.

The MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index tracks the overall performance of companies involved in pharmaceuticals, including pharmaceutical research and development as well a production, marketing and sales of pharmaceuticals.

Costs

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 0.36%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.71%.

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.

Looking at individual holdings, Pfizer Inc (PFE) accounts for about 5.19% of total assets, followed by Astrazeneca Plc (AZN) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).

The top 10 holdings account for about 49.64% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF has lost about -2.71% so far, and it's up approximately 8.01% over the last 12 months (as of 09/23/2020). PPH has traded between $47.54 and $67.62 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.87 and standard deviation of 21% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 26 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical 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, PPH is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Health Care ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

Invesco Dynamic Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP) tracks Dynamic Pharmaceutical Intellidex Index and the iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. Invesco Dynamic Pharmaceuticals ETF has $320.47 million in assets, iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF has $350.58 million. PJP has an expense ratio of 0.56% and IHE charges 0.42%.

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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VanEck Vectors Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH): ETF Research Reports
 
Johnson Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Invesco Dynamic Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP): ETF Research Reports
 
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE): ETF Research Reports
 
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