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Is WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend ETF (DHS) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend ETF (DHS - Free Report) made its debut on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides 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.

Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.

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.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

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

The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $1.10 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. DHS, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index.

The WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of companies with high dividend yields selected from the WisdomTree Dividend Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.38% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.84%.

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 24.30% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Energy and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) accounts for about 6.66% of total assets, followed by Abbvie Inc (ABBV - Free Report) and Chevron Corp (CVX - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 38.99% of DHS's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 10.09% and is up roughly 12.55% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/12/2024), respectively. DHS has traded between $73.70 and $91.38 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.79 and standard deviation of 14.73% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 378 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. High 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.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD - Free Report) tracks Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $56.90 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $118.58 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% 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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