Top Performing Large Cap Stock ETFs May 2013

Looking for the top performing large cap stock exchange traded funds 2013? The top funds are First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index, PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value, etc.

Top ETFs

Large cap stock funds invest mainly in common stocks of U.S. large companies. The large cap or large capitalization or big cap means the companies has a market capitalization value of more than $10 billion. Investing in these companies is typically less risky than investing in mid cap or small cap. You can invest in the large cap companies through 2 main investment funds: mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs).

These top performing ETFs are sorted based on its 1 year return (up to May 2013). You can find the fund review from this article. Other fund information can be found below such as expense ratio, Morningstar rating, fund’s NAV, managers, fund’s holdings, yield, etc.

The top performing large cap stock exchange traded funds 2013 are:

Top ETFs

1. First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index (FDL)
2. PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value (PWV)
3. PowerShares Fundamental Pure Large Value (PXLV)
4. SPDR S&P Dividend (SDY)
5. PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility (SPLV)
6. Guggenheim Defensive Equity (DEF)
7. WisdomTree Equity Income (DHS)
8. Vanguard Russell 1000 Value Index ETF (VONV)
9. iShares Russell 1000 Value Index (IWD)
10. iShares Russell 3000 Value Index (IWW)
11. iShares High Dividend Equity (HDV)
12. WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials (DTN)
13. First Trust Value Line Dividend Index (FVD)
14. iShares Morningstar Large Core Index (JKD)
15. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD)
16. iShares Russell Top 200 Value Index (IWX)
17. Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF (SCHV)
18. Vanguard Value ETF (VTV)
19. Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index ETF (VYM)
20. PowerShares Fundamental Pure Large Core (PXLC)

Updated on 5/27/2013

FDL fund profile

First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index fund (FDL)

First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index fund utilizes its assets to purchase stocks listed on one of the 3 major market exchanges, NYSE, NYSE Amex or the NASDAQ, that provide dividend consistency and sustainability. This best large cap stock fund is currently traded at 0.72% from its NAV. The fund has total net assets of $618.71 million. The annual expense ratio is 0.45% and the yield is 0.45%.

Morningstar analysts rank this top performing large cap stock ETF with 4-stars rating. As of March 2013, the fund has 99 holdings. The top holdings are Johnson & Johnson (9.92%), Verizon Communications Inc (9.90%), AT&T Inc (9.55%), Merck & Co Inc (8.29%) and ConocoPhililips (5.32%). The top sectors are Utilities (28.47%) and Health Care (25.01%).

PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value (PWV)

Ranked with 5-stars rating, PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value Portfolio invests in common stocks that comprise the Dynamic Large Cap Value Intellidex Index. The fund’s CUSIP is 73935X708. This index ETF has been in the market since 2005. The fund’s expense ratio is 0.59% per year. It also has a 12-month dividend yield of 2.17%. It has $577.76 million of total assets. S&P 500 Value Index and Russell 1000 Value Index are the fund’s benchmarks.

More: Top Performing Large Growth Mutual Funds February 2013

The top 5 stocks in its portfolio as of March 2013 are Microsoft Corp (3.76%), Verizon Communications (3.55%), Wal-Mart Stores Inc (3.47%), Johnson & Johnson (3.44%) and ConocoPhillips (3.31%). The top sector allocations are Financials (22.27%) and Health Care (20.53%).

Dividend Fund

SPDR S&P Dividend (SDY)

SDY fund

SPDR S&P Dividend ETF is an index fund which tracks the returns and characteristics of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index (ticker: SPHYDATR). With $11.82 billion of total net assets, it has high dividend yield of 2.77%. The expense ratio is 0.35% per year. It is managed by SSgA Funds Management Inc. This equity fund has 5-stars ranking from Morningstar.

As one of the best performing large cap ETF, its top 5 holdings are Pitney Bowes Inc (2.59%), AT&T Inc (2.52%), HCP Inc (2.3%), Consolidated Edison Inc (2.2%) and Abbvie Inc (2.16%). The top sector allocations are Consumer Staples (17.25%), Industrials (15.96%) and Financials (15.82%).

Guggenheim Defensive Equity ETF (DEF)

Guggenheim Defensive Equity ETF invests mainly in common stock, American depositary receipts (ADRs) and master limited partnerships (MLPs) that comprise the Sabrient Defensive Equity Index and depositary receipts. This ETF was incepted in 2006 and is ranked with 5-stars by Morningstar. The fund’s total net assets are $110.10 million. It is currently traded at 0.27% from its NAV. The expense ratio is 0.65%. It distributes the 2.24% yield annually. In December 2012, the distribution amount is $0.747.

As part of best performing large cap stock ETF, the top 3 fund sectors are Utilities (21.33%), Financials (17.87%) and Consumer Staples (16.57%). The top 5 stocks in its holdings are Nippon Telegraph & Telephone-SP ADR, SK Telecom Co Ltd, Oaktree Capital Group LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and Apartment Investment & Management Company.

WisdomTree fund

WisdomTree Equity Income fund (DHS)

WisdomTree Equity Income fund is a suitable choice for investors who seek income. This index ETF invests in companies which provide consistent dividend. This DHS fund has a low expense ratio of 0.38%. It has a high dividend yield of 3.76%. The total net assets are $690.3 million. Morningstar analysts rank this top fund with 4-stars rating.  The fund is invested 100% in the United States.

More: Best Performing Mid Cap Growth Mutual Funds December 2012

As one of the top performing large cap stock ETFs, the top holdings of this fund are AT&T Inc (6.37%), Microsoft Corp (5.45%), Johnson & Johnson (4.62%), Chevron Corp (4.50%) and Pfizer Inc (4.18%). And the top sector breakdown is Health Care (15.0%), Consumer Staples (14.96%), Utilities (13.38%), Financials (12.06%) and Telecommunication Services (11.95%).

Large Cap Stock Fund Information

No	Fund Description	Ticker	Rating	Expense Ratio	Yield	Net Assets (mil)
1	First Trust Morningstar Div Leaders Idx	FDL	4	0.45%	3.41%	$618.7
2	PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value	PWV	5	0.59%	2.07%	$577.8
3	PowerShares Fundamental Pure Large Value	PXLV	N/A	0.39%	2.00%	$7.6
4	SPDR S&P Dividend	SDY	5	0.35%	2.77%	$11,820.0
5	PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility	SPLV	N/A	0.25%	2.64%	$5,490.0
6	Guggenheim Defensive Equity	DEF	5	0.65%	2.24%	$110.1
7	WisdomTree Equity Income	DHS	4	0.38%	3.76%	$690.3
8	Vanguard Russell 1000 Value Index ETF	VONV	N/A	0.15%	2.08%	$101.5
9	iShares Russell 1000 Value Index	IWD	3	0.20%	2.06%	$17,380.0
10	iShares Russell 3000 Value Index	IWW	3	0.25%	2.01%	$412.6
11	iShares High Dividend Equity	HDV	N/A	0.40%	3.07%	$3,530.0
12	WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials	DTN	5	0.38%	4.04%	$1,140.0
13	First Trust Value Line Dividend Index	FVD	5	0.70%	2.53%	$648.8
14	iShares Morningstar Large Core Index	JKD	5	0.20%	1.99%	$340.7
15	Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	SCHD	N/A	0.07%	2.66%	$957.7
16	iShares Russell Top 200 Value Index	IWX	3	0.20%	2.22%	$97.2
17	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF	SCHV	4	0.07%	2.49%	$607.7
18	Vanguard Value ETF	VTV	3	0.10%	2.47%	$9,630.0
19	Vanguard High Dividend Yield Indx ETF	VYM	4	0.10%	2.88%	$5,830.0
20	PowerShares Fundamental Pure Large Core	PXLC	4	0.39%	2.22%	$28.2

Fund Performance

No	Fund Description	YTD Return %	1 Year Return %	3 Year Return %	5 Year Return %
1	First Trust Morningstar Div Leaders Idx	16.85%	23.49%	18.04%	6.83%
2	PowerShares Dynamic Large Cap Value	16.48%	26.05%	14.26%	7.62%
3	PowerShares Fundamental Pure Large Value	15.97%	28.18%	N/A	N/A
4	SPDR S&P Dividend	17.80%	24.67%	13.82%	8.59%
5	PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility	17.55%	23.28%	N/A	N/A
6	Guggenheim Defensive Equity	17.22%	20.79%	16.64%	8.33%
7	WisdomTree Equity Income	17.42%	22.73%	18.28%	5.15%
8	Vanguard Russell 1000 Value Index ETF	14.93%	23.04%	N/A	N/A
9	iShares Russell 1000 Value Index	14.47%	22.94%	11.81%	3.75%
10	iShares Russell 3000 Value Index	14.37%	22.84%	11.55%	3.91%
11	iShares High Dividend Equity	17.48%	22.15%	N/A	N/A
12	WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials	15.48%	22.50%	17.42%	7.59%
13	First Trust Value Line Dividend Index	16.37%	22.13%	14.82%	8.26%
14	iShares Morningstar Large Core Index	17.46%	23.60%	13.97%	6.64%
15	Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	17.47%	22.32%	N/A	N/A