Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY - Free Report) was launched on 11/03/2003, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $21.72 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

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%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.63%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Utilities sector--about 26.60% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD - Free Report) accounts for about 2.49% of total assets, followed by Valero Energy Corp (VLO - Free Report) and Altria Group Inc (MO - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 15.05% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

DVY seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index before fees and expenses. 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.

The ETF has lost about -2% so far this year and is down about -5.22% in the last one year (as of 04/03/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $107.22 and $132.14.

The ETF has a beta of 0.88 and standard deviation of 21.03% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 104 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Select Dividend ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, DVY is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $50.56 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $101.13 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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.

Published in