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Is WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DGRW) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 05/22/2013, the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DGRW - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

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.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

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.

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.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

DGRW is managed by Wisdomtree, and this fund has amassed over $9.75 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. DGRW seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index is a fundamentally weighted index that consists of dividend-paying stocks with growth characteristics.

Cost & Other Expenses

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for DGRW are 0.28%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

DGRW's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.94%.

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.

DGRW's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 30.20% of the portfolio. Its Consumer Staples and Industrials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 8.85% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and Broadcom Inc (AVGO - Free Report) .

DGRW's top 10 holdings account for about 35.91% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF has added roughly 5.32% so far, and is up about 9.32% over the last 12 months (as of 10/26/2023). DGRW has traded between $58.09 and $68.50 in this past 52-week period.

DGRW has a beta of 0.88 and standard deviation of 14.67% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 297 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth 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 Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO - Free Report) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG - Free Report) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. IShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $22.54 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $65.20 billion. DGRO has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VIG charges 0.06%.

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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