JPY: LAZARD JAPANESE EQUITY ETF
Understanding the LAZARD JAPANESE EQUITY ETF (JPY)
The LAZARD JAPANESE EQUITY ETF (ticker: JPY) is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide exposure to Japanese equities. As of October 9, 2026, the fund is trading at $39.33.
What this ETF is trying to do
This ETF invests in companies based in Japan. While the specific strategy details are not provided, the fund holds 65 different companies. Its Top Holdings include major Japanese firms such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (5.61%), Recruit Holdings Co Ltd (4.90%), and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (4.49%). Because the holdings list is partial, these represent only the largest companies in the portfolio. Please note that holdings can change over time.
What the numbers show
The fund has shown significant growth in its share price recently.
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The price return is approximately 22.92%. When including distributions, the YTD total return is approximately 23.67%.
• One-Year Performance: The one-year price return is approximately 24.01%. The one-year total return is approximately 25.59%.
To put this in perspective, the estimated price from roughly one year ago was $31.72. Comparing that to the current price of $39.33 shows a clear upward trend in the share price.
Income and distribution explanation
This ETF provides some cash income through distributions. The trailing distributions are $0.4395, which results in a distribution yield of approximately 1.12%.
It is important to understand that the distribution yield is not the same as the total return. The price return only tracks how much the share price moves, while the total return includes both price changes and the cash distributions paid out. For this ETF, the total return is higher than the price return, meaning distributions added to the overall value. The fund has a distribution frequency described as "irregular/less frequent," with 2 payouts recorded over the last 12 months.
NAV erosion explanation
"NAV erosion" refers to a decline in the Net Asset Value (the actual value of the assets held by the fund). The supplied data is sufficient to evaluate price erosion, but it does not include enough historical NAV-per-share data to confirm or rule out NAV erosion.
However, looking at price-based evidence, the fund has an erosion score of 100, which is labeled as "No price erosion detected." The erosion severity is rated as "good," and there is no severe erosion-risk flag present.
Pros
• Strong Price Growth: The fund has seen high price returns both year-to-date and over the last year.
• Positive Total Returns: The total return figures are higher than the price-only returns, showing that distributions have added value.
• Low Erosion Risk: Based on the supplied erosion score, there are no signs of price deterioration.
Cons
• Irregular Income: The distributions do not happen on a regular, predictable schedule.
• Limited Data: Three-year return data was not supplied, so long-term performance cannot be viewed here.
Beginner takeaway
The JPY ETF has recently experienced strong growth in its share price and total return. While it pays a small amount of cash through distributions, the primary driver of its recent performance has been the increase in share price. Investors should remember that a distribution yield is just one part of an ETF's performance and does not represent the total amount an investor earns.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP INC | n/a | 5.61% |
| 2 | RECRUIT HOLDINGS CO LTD | n/a | 4.90% |
| 3 | SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP INC | n/a | 4.49% |
| 4 | TOKYO ELECTRON LTD | n/a | 3.77% |
| 5 | MIZUHO FINANCIAL GROUP INC | n/a | 3.74% |
| 6 | HITACHI LTD | n/a | 3.65% |
| 7 | SONY GROUP CORP | n/a | 3.17% |
| 8 | SOFTBANK GROUP CORP | n/a | 2.86% |
| 9 | TOKIO MARINE HOLDINGS INC | n/a | 2.81% |
| 10 | RESONA HOLDINGS INC | n/a | 2.60% |