Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY - Free Report) debuted on 11/01/2017, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid 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.

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.

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.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Managed by First Trust Advisors, SDVY has amassed assets over $6.05 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index.

The NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index is composed of the securities of 100 small and mid-cap companies with a history of raising their dividends and exhibit the characteristics to continue to do so in the future.

Cost & Other Expenses

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.60% for this ETF, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.60%.

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 SDVY, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 32.10% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (EBC - Free Report) accounts for about 1.23% of total assets, followed by Genpact Limited (G - Free Report) and Mueller Industries, Inc. (MLI - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.56% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 10.93% and it's up approximately 29.42% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 10/02/2024), respectively. SDVY has traded between $26.48 and $36.69 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 21.83% for the trailing three-year period. With about 101 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) tracks Russell MidCap Value Index and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index. IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $13.53 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $17.80 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

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 - Mid 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