Launched on 03/03/2016, the Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIGI Quick QuoteVIGI - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the World ETFs 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.

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.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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

VIGI is managed by Vanguard, and this fund has amassed over $4.14 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the World ETFs. VIGI, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ International Dividend Achievers Select Index.

The Nasdaq International Dividend Achievers Select Index focuses on high quality companies located in developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States, that have both the ability and the commitment to grow their dividends over time.

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.

With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.20%.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.09%.

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.

Taking into account individual holdings, Nestle Sa (NESN) accounts for about 4.07% of the fund's total assets, followed by Roche Holding Ag (ROG Quick QuoteROG - Free Report) and Novartis Ag .

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 10.06% so far this year and was up about 12.84% in the last one year (as of 12/16/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $79.45 and $93.17.

VIGI has a beta of 0.76 and standard deviation of 19.49% for the trailing three-year period. With about 368 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS Quick QuoteVXUS - Free Report) tracks FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index and the Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA Quick QuoteVEA - Free Report) tracks FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF has $50.60 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF has $104.46 billion. VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VEA charges 0.05%.

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