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Is Global X SuperDividend U.S. ETF (DIV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market, the Global X SuperDividend U.S. ETF (DIV - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 03/11/2013.

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.

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.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Global X Management. It has amassed assets over $642.76 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the INDXX SuperDividend U.S. Low Volatility Index.

The INDXX SuperDividend U.S. Low Volatility Index tracks the performance of 50 equally weighted common stocks, MLPs & REITs that rank among the highest dividend yielding equity securities in the US.

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.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.45%.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 6.70%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

DIV's heaviest allocation is in the Energy sector, which is about 21.80% of the portfolio. Its Utilities and Consumer Staples round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR - Free Report) accounts for about 2.96% of the fund's total assets, followed by Iron Mountain Inc (IRM - Free Report) and Consolidated Edison Inc (ED - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 21.89% of DIV's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Global X SuperDividend U.S. ETF has lost about -9.28% so far, and is down about -4.46% over the last 12 months (as of 10/18/2022). DIV has traded between $17.61 and $21.67 in this past 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 27.71% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DIV a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 52 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Global X SuperDividend U.S. 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.

WBI Power Factor High Dividend ETF (WBIY - Free Report) tracks Solactive Power Factor High Dividend Index and the Global X SuperDividend ETF (SDIV - Free Report) tracks Solactive Global SuperDividend Index. WBI Power Factor High Dividend ETF has $71.28 million in assets, Global X SuperDividend ETF has $673.08 million. WBIY has an expense ratio of 0.70% and SDIV charges 0.58%.

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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