Should Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on May 5, 2011.

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $7.06 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.

Costs

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.25%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.98%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Utilities sector -- about 24.3% of the portfolio. Financials and Real Estate round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Loews Corp (L) accounts for about 1.37% of total assets, followed by Firstenergy Corp (FE) and Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK/B).

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.43% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SPLV seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index before fees and expenses. The S&P 500 Low Volatility Index consists of the 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index with the lowest realized volatility over the past 12 months.

The ETF return is roughly 6.79% so far this year and is up about 3.63% in the last one year (as of 08/24/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $70.30 and $77.97.

The ETF has a beta of 0.54 and standard deviation of 11.07% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 111 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility 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, SPLV is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $894.59 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $1,023.56 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

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.

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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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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