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Is iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) 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 iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 11/03/2003.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

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.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.

Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

DVY is managed by Blackrock, and this fund has amassed over $20.20 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index.

The Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index measures the performance of a selected group of equity securities issued by companies that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis over time.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.38%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

DVY's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 3.07%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

Representing 26.90% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Utilities sector; Financials and Energy round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Oneok Inc (OKE - Free Report) accounts for about 2.81% of the fund's total assets, followed by Altria Group Inc (MO - Free Report) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 18.94% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, DVY has added about 1.21%, and is up roughly 34.04% in the last one year (as of 01/06/2022). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $96.72 and $124.90.

DVY has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 25.22% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 106 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Select 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 $59.81 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $93.14 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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