Three Retail ETFs For Black Friday - Top 5 Best Performing ETFs
November 25 2011 - 3:16AM
Zacks
Although online purchases are becoming an increasingly important
part of retail sales, Black Friday is still a critical day for the
shopping world. According to the National Retail Federation, up to
152 million people plan to shop on the weekend, a 14 million
increase from just a year ago. Obviously, with nearly half of the
country hitting stores over the next few days it will be an
important time for the sector, especially if realized trends
deviate from expectations.
Luckily for those in the sector, many recent data points have
been looking relatively positive, suggesting that retailers could
be in for a solid Holiday season. Jobless claims continue to trend
lower with the 4-week moving average moving below 395,000 while
consumer sentiment continues to hold steady. Furthermore, recent
stats on personal income and consumer spending also suggest a
bullish trend in the marketplace, with income figures rising above
market consensus in month-over-month terms.
Nevertheless, with home prices still stuck in doldrums, high
unemployment levels, and storm clouds building over the global
economy, there is a very real worry that people will not spend as
they have in years past. If initial reports suggest that this
happens, it could lead to a sell-off in the sector and push retail
stocks, which have held up surprisingly well so far, sharply lower
heading into December. With this backdrop, we suggest that
investors keep a watchful eye on the retail sector and especially
ETFs tracking the segment. Below, we highlight three retail ETFs
that could be in for an active day both on Friday and when the
markets resume trading on Monday, no matter what the data says
about the spending:
SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT)
This retail fund is by far the most popular in the space with
close to $778 million in assets with average volume exceeding 10
million shares a day. The fund holds just under 100 securities
while charging investors an expense ratio of 0.35%. However, this
ratio is more than made up for by the dividend yield of XRT which
comes in just under 1%. In terms of individual holdings, Barnes
& Noble (BKS) takes the top spot and is closely followed by
Aeropostale (ARO) and Charming Shoppes Inc. (CHRS) This gives the
fund a tilt towards apparel retail while specialty stores and
automotive retail also make up double digit allocations as well.
For performance, XRT has gained about 1.2% on the year although it
has fallen by about 6.2% in the past one month period.
Retail HOLDRS Trust (RTH)
This fund, which will soon be moving to a new home under the Van
Eck umbrella, is another choice for investors in the space. Like
most funds under the HOLDR name, this product is extremely
concentrated with 18 securities making up the entire basket and
nearly 83% going towards the top ten holdings. Individual
securities making up the top spots include Wal-Mart (WMT) at 18.7%,
Amazon.com (AMZN) at 13.7%, and Home Depot (HD) at 13.2%. Thanks to
this focus on larger securities, RTH has lost just 4.8% in the past
month, but over the year-to-date period the product has lagged its
more popular counterpart, gaining just 0.2%.
PowerShares Dynamic Retail Portfolio (PMR)
For investors seeking a slightly more active approach, PMR could
be a way to play the sector. The fund tracks the Dynamic Retail
Intellidex Index, which is a benchmark that thoroughly evaluates
companies based on a variety of investment criteria, including
fundamental growth, stock valuation, investment timeliness and risk
factors. Securities shown to possess the greatest capital
appreciation potential are selected by the index, and those that do
not have these qualities are removed from the basket. This results
in a slightly smaller portfolio than what investors see in XRT as
the fund has just under 30 securities in total. Furthermore, thanks
to the fund’s methodology, the product has a heavier tilt towards
mid and small cap securities making the fund a more volatile
choice. Nevertheless, the fund’s methodology, which does cost
investors nearly twice as much as other products in the space, has
resulted in some level of outperformance as the fund has beaten out
the retail ETF competition on both a one month and year-to-date
basis.
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AMAZON.COM INC (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report
AEROPOSTALE INC (ARO): Free Stock Analysis Report
BARNES & NOBLE (BKS): Free Stock Analysis Report
CHARMING SHOPPE (CHRS): Free Stock Analysis Report
HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report
WAL-MART STORES (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report
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