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Is SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 11/08/2005, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $23.89 billion, this makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. SDY is managed by State Street Global Advisors. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index.
The S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of the highest dividend yielding S&P Composite 1500 Index constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 20 consecutive years.
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.51%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For SDY, it has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector --about 18.40% of the portfolio --while Financials and Consumer Staples round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA - Free Report) accounts for about 2.18% of the fund's total assets, followed by V.f. Corporation (VFC - Free Report) and National Retail Properties Inc. (NNN - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.77% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, SDY has added about 1.65%, and was up about 4.18% in the last one year (as of 01/31/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $111.50 and $132.34.
The ETF has a beta of 0.86 and standard deviation of 25.50% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 122 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P 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 $53.47 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $100.84 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% 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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Is SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 11/08/2005, smart beta exchange traded fund SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $23.89 billion, this makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. SDY is managed by State Street Global Advisors. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index.
The S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of the highest dividend yielding S&P Composite 1500 Index constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 20 consecutive years.
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.51%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For SDY, it has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector --about 18.40% of the portfolio --while Financials and Consumer Staples round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA - Free Report) accounts for about 2.18% of the fund's total assets, followed by V.f. Corporation (VFC - Free Report) and National Retail Properties Inc. (NNN - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.77% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, SDY has added about 1.65%, and was up about 4.18% in the last one year (as of 01/31/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $111.50 and $132.34.
The ETF has a beta of 0.86 and standard deviation of 25.50% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 122 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P 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 $53.47 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $100.84 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% 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.