Launched on 12/19/2005, the Invesco FTSE RAFI US 1000 ETF (PRF) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
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.
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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
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
Because the fund has amassed over $6.96 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. PRF is managed by Invesco. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the FTSE RAFI US 1000 Index before fees and expenses.
The RAFI Fundamental Select US 1000 Index tracks the performance of the largest US equities, selected based on the following four fundamental measures of firm size: book value, cash flow, sales and dividends.
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.33%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.02%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Representing 21.10% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK/B) accounts for about 2.72% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM).
The top 10 holdings account for about 19.27% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -7.81% so far this year and is up about 2.88% in the last one year (as of 04/22/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $35.77 and $42.90.
PRF has a beta of 0.92 and standard deviation of 16.41% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1096 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Invesco FTSE RAFI US 1000 ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $64.36 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $123.11 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.04%.
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 - Large Cap Value.
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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Invesco FTSE RAFI US 1000 ETF (PRF): ETF Research Reports Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM): Free Stock Analysis Report Vanguard Value ETF (VTV): ETF Research Reports Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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