

Despite continued concentration in mega-cap technology stocks, US dividend-focused strategies have generally remained competitive and historically experienced more shallow drawdowns than broader equity markets. Last year, US companies paid a record US$704.8 billion in dividends - the 15th consecutive annual record. Concurrently, dividend growth accelerated across several international markets, highlighting the continued strength of shareholder-return trends.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in SP Funds S&P 500 Sharia Industry Exclusions ETF (NYSEARCA:SPUS) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 115,189 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,261 shares during

SP Funds S&P 500 Sharia Industry Exclusions ETF (NYSEARCA:SPUS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 159,511 shares, an increase of 84.9% from the November 30th total of 86,256 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company's stock are

SPUS is a leading Shariah-compliant U.S. equity comprised of roughly 200 S&P 500 Index stocks. Its expense ratio is 0.45%, and the ETF has $1.64B in assets under management. Despite the suggestion, SPUS is not a substitute for S&P 500 Index ETFs like SPY. In fact, it's heavily concentrated in tech, and consequently, it's much more risky and growth-oriented. Complementing SPUS with a lower P/E fund like HLAL is one solution, but I think readers should consider the ten stocks listed below, selected for their fundamental characteristics.

SPUS is comprised of 200+ Shariah-compliant S&P 500 Index stocks. Its expense ratio is 0.45% and the ETF has an impressive $1.36 billion in assets under management. SPUS excludes stocks in the Aerospace & Defense, Financial Exchanges & Data, and Transaction & Payment Processing Services sub-industries and also applies several sector-based screens. The ETF is market-cap-weighted, so the weights of these excluded stocks get redistributed to the top, resulting in nearly 53% allocated to the Magnificent Seven.

For investors seeking to align their financial decisions with their personal values, faith-based ETFs may present a unique opportunity. However, understanding the fee structures associated with these funds is necessary for making informed choices.

SPUS tracks the S&P 500 Shariah Industry Exclusions Index, selecting large-cap companies meeting specific screens related to how they derive net income. Fees are 0.45% and AUM is $575 million. SPUS also screens constituents for debt, and the fund ranks an impressive #18/57 on profitability among the large-cap growth ETFs I track. High quality is SPUS' best fundamental feature. The downside is SPUS is highly concentrated, with 47% allocated to Magnificent Seven stocks and two-thirds of assets in only 25 companies.

The Federal Reserve kept rates steady and maintained a hawkish stance toward inflation while acknowledging an outstanding economy and progress in vanquishing inflationary pressure. Expectations for rate cuts in March were dampened by a change in statement language and Powell's comments in the press conference.