Designed to provide broad exposure to the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs category of the market, the FlexShares High Yield Value-Scored Bond ETF (HYGV) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 07/17/2018.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
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.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Flexshares, and has been able to amass over $1.22 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the High-Yield/Junk Bond ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund 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
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.37%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 7.56%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
Taking into account individual holdings, Cash (USD_CCASH) accounts for about 2.68% of the fund's total assets, followed by Warnermedia Holdings Inc Callable Notes Fixed-5.05%-3-15-2042 (55903VBW2) and Carvana Co Sr Sec Pik 31-9.00%-6-1-2031 (146869AM4).
The top 10 holdings account for about 9.38% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 6.41% so far this year and is up about 6.65% in the last one year (as of 10/21/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $38.45 and $41.51
The fund has a beta of 0.43 and standard deviation of 6.84% for the trailing three-year period. With about 1053 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 iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) tracks Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index and the iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (USHY) tracks BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Constrained Index. iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $19.25 billion in assets, iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has $25.82 billion. HYG has an expense ratio of 0.49% and USHY changes 0.08%.
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 ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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