Designed to provide broad exposure to the Broad Developed World ETFs category of the market, the SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF (QEFA) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 06/04/2014.
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.
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.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $885.11 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Developed World ETFs. QEFA is managed by State Street Global Advisors. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index.
The MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index captures large and mid-cap representation across 22 developed market Europe, Australasia, and Far East countries and aims to represent the performance of value, low volatility, and quality factor strategies.
Cost & Other Expenses
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.30% for QEFA, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.87%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
When you look at individual holdings, Roche Holding Ag Genusschein (ROG) accounts for about 2.06% of the fund's total assets, followed by Nestle Sa Reg (NESN) and Novartis Ag Reg (NOVN).
QEFA's top 10 holdings account for about 15.43% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, QEFA return is roughly 10.56%, and was up about 8.42% in the last one year (as of 03/25/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $71.93 and $81.43.
The fund has a beta of 0.78 and standard deviation of 14.66% for the trailing three-year period, which makes QEFA a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 666 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Developed World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) tracks MSCI EAFE Index and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) tracks MSCI EAFE Investable Market Index. IShares MSCI EAFE ETF has $58.73 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF has $130.79 billion. EFA has an expense ratio of 0.32% and IEFA charges 0.07%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Developed World ETFs.
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 Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
