The superlatives for Apple AAPL in terms of stock price performance simply know no bounds. By now, the world knows this stock trades over $500 per share and with a forward P/E of less than 11, it's arguably not all that expensive.
Beyond that, at the close of markets on Monday, the gap between Apple and Exxon Mobil XOM for the title of largest U.S. company by market value had widened to around $70 billion. Translation: Croatia's GDP wouldn't be enough to help Exxon retake the the throne as the largest U.S. company.
Of course, this has been very good news for myriad ETFs and when it comes to Apple and ETFs, even though the stock is in found in over 80 funds, the conversation normally drifts to the PowerShares QQQ QQQ and the Technology Select Sector SPDR XLK.
Indeed, Apple's run to $500 and beyond has been a boon for those funds, but there are ETFs worth considering as Apple plays. Here are a few that Apple has certainly helped out in 2012 that aren't getting tons of headlines.
Rydex Russell Top 50 ETF XLG
Considering that XLG has over $455 million in assets under management, this ETF is hardly talked about. As the tracking ETF for the Russell Top 50 Index, that means XLG's top holding will be the largest U.S. company and that means Apple accounts for almost 8% of the ETF's weight. Overall, the technology sector represents over 27% of XLG's weight and if Apple continues to be the rising tide that lifts tech's sails, XLG could continue to be a winner.
Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT
Kudos to our friends at ETF Trends for mentioning the Vanguard Information Technology ETF as another ETF option for Apple exposure. VGT is home to 421 other stocks besides Apple, but the iPad maker dominates this fund with a 14.5% weighting and that probably helps explain VGT's recent parabolic move higher and a 13% year-to-date gain at the start of trading today.
Vanguard Growth ETF VUG
If volume and a conservative bias are concerns, than consider the Vanguard Growth ETF over VGT because VUG's daily turnover is far higher and the ETF offers exposure to more than just tech stocks. As we've noted before, VUG has a value feel to it with Coca-Cola KO and McDonald's MCD, just to name a pair, among its top-10 lineup. The value bias has probably restrained VUG's performance somewhat this year, but the ETF has been solid and Apple is its largest holding.
iShares S&P Global Technology ETF IXN
There are a couple of things to be aware of with IXN. First, the ETF isn't as "global" as the name implies as U.S. stocks account for almost 78% of the ETF's weight. That's sort of the bad news. The good news is Apple is almost 15% of the fund's total weight. IXN's year-to-date performance compares quite favorably to rivals such as XLK and VUG.
Global X NASDAQ 500 ETF QQQV
If price tag is an issue, and it is for some investors, than the unheralded Global X NASDAQ 500 ETF is a fine option for getting some Apple in your portfolio. The ETF, which is up over 12% year-to-date, gives an almost 13% allocation to the tech darling and currently trades for less than $28.
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