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Is SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 10/21/2015, the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD - 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.

Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

SPYD is managed by State Street Global Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $6.79 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. SPYD seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 High Dividend Index before fees and expenses.

The S&P 500 High Dividend Index is designed to measure the performance of the top 80 dividend-paying securities listed on the S&P 500 Index, based on dividend yield.

Cost & Other Expenses

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.07% for SPYD, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.26%.

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.

SPYD's heaviest allocation is in the Real Estate sector, which is about 22.90% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Kellanova (K - Free Report) accounts for about 1.72% of total assets, followed by Entergy Corp (ETR - Free Report) and Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 15.43% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 1.30% so far this year and is up roughly 20.48% in the last one year (as of 02/06/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $37.72 and $47.32.

The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 16.72% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 83 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

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 $67.97 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $134.65 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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