Is Fidelity Value Factor ETF (FVAL) a Strong ETF Right Now?

The Fidelity Value Factor ETF (FVAL) was launched on 09/12/2016, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well 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.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

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 Fidelity, and has been able to amass over $1.09 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Fidelity U.S. Value Factor Index.

The Fidelity U.S. Value Factor Index reflects the performance of stocks of large and mid-capitalization U.S. companies that have attractive valuations.

Cost & Other Expenses

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

Annual operating expenses for FVAL are 0.15%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.71%.

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.

For FVAL, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 30.8% of the portfolio --while Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 7.41% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 40.57% of FVAL's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Fidelity Value Factor ETF has lost about -3.26% so far, and was up about 16.08% over the last 12 months (as of 03/26/2026). FVAL has traded between $52.80 $74.40 in this past 52-week period.

FVAL has a beta of 0.96 and standard deviation of 14.07% for the trailing three-year period. With about 129 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Fidelity Value Factor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value Index Fund ETF Shares (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $83.64 billion in assets, Vanguard Value Index Fund ETF Shares has $165.52 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV 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 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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Fidelity Value Factor ETF (FVAL): ETF Research Reports

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

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