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Is Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV - Free Report) debuted on 09/12/2016, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - All 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.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as 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

Because the fund has amassed over $629.90 million, this makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. FDVV is managed by Fidelity. Before fees and expenses, FDVV seeks to match the performance of the Fidelity Core Dividend Index.

The Fidelity Core Dividend Index is designed to reflect the performance of stocks of large and mid-capitalization dividend-paying companies that are expected to continue to pay and grow their dividends.

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.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.29%.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.26%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 6.46% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) and Procter + Gamble Co/the (PG - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 30.48% of FDVV's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Fidelity High Dividend ETF has added about 1.72% so far, and was up about 3.13% over the last 12 months (as of 12/18/2020). FDVV has traded between $19.70 and $33.45 in this past 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 22.81% for the trailing three-year period. With about 118 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Fidelity High Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF (PEY - Free Report) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers 50 Index and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV - Free Report) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF has $739.80 million in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $7.56 billion. PEY has an expense ratio of 0.52% and IUSV 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 - All 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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