Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is ProShares S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats ETF (TDV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The ProShares S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats ETF (TDV - Free Report) was launched on 11/05/2019, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

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

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.

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 Proshares. TDV has been able to amass assets over $278.24 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P TECHNOLOGY DIVIDEND ARISTOCRATS INDX.

The S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies from information technology, internet and direct marketing retail, interactive home entertainment, and interactive media and services segments of the economy.

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.

Annual operating expenses for TDV are 0.45%, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.16%.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, TDV return is roughly 2.03%, and it's up approximately 17.08% in the last one year (as of 04/03/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $57.80 and $72.09.

The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 19.84% for the trailing three-year period. With about 38 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

ProShares S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO - Free Report) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG - Free Report) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. IShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $26.95 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $77.75 billion. DGRO has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VIG charges 0.06%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs.

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