Launched on 06/16/2006, the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend ETF (DFJ Quick QuoteDFJ - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

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.

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.

Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.

While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Managed by Wisdomtree, DFJ has amassed assets over $221.51 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. DFJ seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index is comprised of dividend-paying small capitalization companies in Japan.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.58% for this ETF, which makes it one of the more expensive products in the space.

DFJ's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.10%.

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.

When you look at individual holdings, Nippon Yusen Kk accounts for about 1.32% of the fund's total assets, followed by Sojitz Corp and Seven Bank Ltd.

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 7.21% of DFJ's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -1.29% and is down about -3.34% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 02/07/2022), respectively. DFJ has traded between $68.10 and $81.51 during this last 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.58 and standard deviation of 20.45% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DFJ a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 696 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP Quick QuoteBBJP - Free Report) tracks MORNINGSTAR JAPAN TRGT MRKT EXPOSURE ID and the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ Quick QuoteEWJ - Free Report) tracks MSCI Japan Index. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF has $7.60 billion in assets, iShares MSCI Japan ETF has $11.12 billion. BBJP has an expense ratio of 0.19% and EWJ charges 0.51%.

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