Let’s face it: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is everywhere in financial media. And who can begrudge it? Apple is an all-time growth story that wrote its latest chapter when AAPL shares hit $500.
Of course, it’s not just individual investors bidding up those shares. Institutions, mutual funds — everyone wants a piece of Apple. And as Barron’s funds blogger Brendan Conway recently pointed out, exchange-traded funds are no exception. “Apple-flation,” as he calls it, is rampant in the ETF world, with funds boasting AAPL weightings as high as 19.24%!
But don’t think Apple is the lone culprit of top-heavy ETFs. It’s not. Several big-name companies — including Apple’s market-cap rival Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) — tip the scales for scores of ETFs.
Here’s a quick look — courtesy of XTF.com — at other companies that have a big say in how a number of exchange-traded funds perform:
Exxon Mobil
Not surprisingly, Exxon — American markets’ No. 2 company — is a major factor in energy ETFs, accounting for more than a quarter of three funds’ holdings, far beating Apple’s top weightings.
| ETF | Ticker | Market Cap | Weighting | YTD Return |
| Direxion Daily Energy Bear 3X Shares |
ERY | $98,713,200 | 26.28% | -16.8% |
| Direxion Daily Energy Bull 3X Shares |
ERX | $374,049,921 | 25.87% | +16.76% |
| ProShares Ultra Oil & Gas |
DIG | $272,893,500 | 25.07% | +12.71% |
| ProShares Ultra Short Oil & Gas |
DUG | $83,881,354 | 24.69% | -12.49% |
| ProShares Short Oil & Gas |
DDG | $7,389,000 | 24.69% | -5.48% |
| iShares Dow Jones US Energy |
IYE | $962,843,999 | 24.62% | +6.26% |
| Vanguard Energy Index | VDE | $1,889,704,019 | 21.58% | +6.55% |
| Focus Morningstar Energy Index ETF |
FEG | $4,756,560 | 19.75% | +6.57% |
| Select Sector Energy SPDR | XLE | $7,654,580,604 | 18.04% | +6.67% |
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers Fund |
FILL | $5,179,200 | 14.61% | -0.19% |
| Exxon is -0.11% YTD | ||||
IBM
Most of the ETFs with large holdings in ancient tech giant IBM (NYSE:IBM) are Dow-linked, though the Guggenheim Ocean Tomo Growth Index (NYSE:OTR) fund is based on the Ocean Tomo 300 Patent Growth Index, which harnesses the power of intellectual property.
| ETF | Ticker | Market Cap | Weighting | YTD Return |
| Guggenheim Ocean Tomo Growth Index |
OTR | $14,103,000 | 11.36% | +11.05% |
| ProShares Short Dow 30 | DOG | $277,548,000 | 11.32% | -5.54% |
| ProShares UltraShort Dow 30 |
DXD | $288,909,000 | 11.32% | -10.83% |
| ProShares UltraPro Short Dow 30 |
SDOW | $79,537,500 | 11.32% | -15.86% |
| SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF |
DIA | $11,687,913,767 | 11.31% | +5.58% |
| ProShares Ultra Dow 30 | DDM | $265,371,000 | 11.26% | +11.53% |
| ProShares UltraPro Dow 30 | UDOW | $69,012,000 | 11.19% | +17.83% |
| Direxion Daily Technology Bear 3X |
TYP | $31,105,914 | 9.66% | -32.64% |
| Direxion Daily Technology Bull 3X |
TYH | $190,296,000 | 9.54% | +46.06% |
| ProShares Ultra Short Technology |
REW | $10,343,198 | 9.34% | -23.42% |
| IBM is +4.54% YTD | ||||
Johnson & Johnson
While Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is widely known for its consumer goods division, most of the ETFs with large JNJ weightings are health care/pharma-related. A notable standout: the First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders (NYSE:FDL) fund, which is a tribute to JNJ’s 3.5% yield.
| ETF | Ticker | Market Cap | Weighting | YTD Return |
| Direxion Daily Healthcare Bear 3X Shares |
SICK | $2,733,027 | 12.64% | -11.67% |
| Select Sector Health Care SPDR |
XLV | $3,897,192,889 | 12.61% | +4.44% |
| ProShares Ultra Short Health Care |
RXD | $4,162,500 | 11.54% | -9.83% |
| iShares Dow Jones US Health Care |
IYH | $620,235,000 | 11.51% | +5.29% |
| ProShares Ultra Health Care | RXL | $40,320,000 | 11.44% | +10.61% |
| Focus Morningstar Health Care Index ETF |
FHC | $5,537,800 | 11% | +4.62% |
| Vanguard Healthcare Index Fund |
VHT | $789,575,015 | 10.37% | +5.82% |
| iShares Dow Jones US Pharmaceuticals |
IHE | $379,488,000 | 9.27% | +3.39% |
| First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders |
FDL | $471,595,534 | 9.19% | -1.13% |
| iShares S&P Global Healthcare Sector |
IXJ | $540,144,000 | 7.61% | +3.29% |
| Johnson & Johnson is -1.48% YTD | ||||
Kyle Woodley is the assistant editor of InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Follow him on Twitter at @KyleWoodley.
