Launched on 01/26/2011, the SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (XTN) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Industrials - Transportation/Shipping segment of the equity market.

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Industrials - Transportation/Shipping is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 9, placing it in bottom 44%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $433.44 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Industrials - Transportation/Shipping segment of the equity market. XTN seeks to match the performance of the S&P Transportation Select Industry Index before fees and expenses.

The S&P Transportation Select Industry Index represents the transportation segment of the S&P Total Market Index.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.02%.

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 in the Industrials sector--about 100% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc. (AAWW) accounts for about 3.13% of total assets, followed by Frontier Group Holdings Inc. (ULCC) and Amerco (UHAL).

The top 10 holdings account for about 25.10% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Transportation ETF has lost about -24.50% so far, and is down about -26.93% over the last 12 months (as of 11/08/2022). XTN has traded between $63.53 and $97.78 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.30 and standard deviation of 32.26% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR S&P Transportation 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, XTN is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Industrials ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

IShares U.S. Transportation ETF (IYT) tracks Dow Jones Transportation Average Index and the U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) tracks U.S. Global Jets Index. IShares U.S. Transportation ETF has $760.09 million in assets, U.S. Global Jets ETF has $2.18 billion. IYT has an expense ratio of 0.39% and JETS charges 0.60%.

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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SPDR S&P Transportation ETF (XTN): ETF Research Reports
 
Amerco (UHAL): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
iShares U.S. Transportation ETF (IYT): ETF Research Reports
 
U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS): ETF Research Reports
 
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. (ULCC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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