Is iShares International Equity Factor ETF (INTF) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Launched on 04/28/2015, the iShares International Equity Factor ETF (INTF) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Foreign Large Blend ETF category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.

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.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Blackrock, and has been able to amass over $3.02 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Foreign Large Blend ETF. INTF seeks to match the performance of the MSCI World ex USA Diversified Multi-Factor Index before fees and expenses.

The STOXX International Equity Factor Index composes of global developed market large and mid-capitalization stocks, excluding the US, that have favourable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for INTF are 0.16%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.88%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

When you look at individual holdings, Novartis Ag (NOVN) accounts for about 2.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Asml Holding Nv (ASML) and Roche Holding Par Ag (ROG).

The top 10 holdings account for about 12.07% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, INTF has lost about -0.66%, and it's up approximately 21.63% in the last one year (as of 03/23/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $27.60 and $41.76.

INTF has a beta of 0.76 and standard deviation of 14.34% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 491 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

iShares International Equity Factor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Foreign Large Blend ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS) tracks FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index and the Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index Fund ETF Shares (VEA) tracks FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index. Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares has $129.52 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index Fund ETF Shares has $195.52 billion. VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.05% and VEA changes 0.03%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Foreign Large Blend ETF

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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iShares International Equity Factor ETF (INTF): ETF Research Reports

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

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