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Is WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market, the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 06/16/2006.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $3.23 billion, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. DLN is managed by Wisdomtree. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index.

The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. dividend-paying market.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.28%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.10%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

DLN's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 22.60% of the portfolio. Its Healthcare and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 6.34% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 29.38% of DLN's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 22.19% so far this year and was up about 27.89% in the last one year (as of 11/10/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $101.93 and $127.52.

The fund has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 22.49% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DLN a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 296 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $57.84 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $88.61 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Value.

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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