Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL - Free Report) was launched on 10/09/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

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.

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

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking 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

Managed by Proshares, NOBL has amassed assets over $12.34 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. NOBL, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 DividendAristocrats Index.

The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P 500, have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years & meet certain market capitalization & liquidity requirements.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for NOBL are 0.35%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.04%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector - about 24.50% of the portfolio. Industrials and Materials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Stanley Black & Decker Inc (SWK - Free Report) accounts for about 1.67% of total assets, followed by C.h. Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW - Free Report) and Air Products & Chemicals Inc (APD - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 14.49% of NOBL's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 10.05% and was up about 13.54% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 08/27/2024), respectively. NOBL has traded between $84.12 and $103.83 during this last 52-week period.

NOBL has a beta of 0.90 and standard deviation of 14.88% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 67 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats 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 $29.64 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $83.68 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.

Published in