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Is WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF (DON) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value category of the market, the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF (DON - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 06/16/2006.

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.

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.

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.

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

The fund is managed by Wisdomtree, and has been able to amass over $3.27 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the mid-capitalization segment of the US dividend-paying market.

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 0.38% for DON, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

DON's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.80%.

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.

For DON, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 23.60% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Packaging Corp Of America (PKG - Free Report) accounts for about 1.12% of the fund's total assets, followed by Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK - Free Report) and Paramount Global - Class B (PARA - Free Report) .

DON's top 10 holdings account for about 9.38% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, DON has gained about 3.85%, and is down about -1.36% in the last one year (as of 08/18/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $37.67 and $45.40.

The ETF has a beta of 1.08 and standard deviation of 19.73% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 346 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend 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 $12.92 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $15.73 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.

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