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

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The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend ETF (DON - Free Report) made its debut on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value 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.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.

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

Managed by Wisdomtree, DON has amassed assets over $3.10 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. DON, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index.

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

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.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.38% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.41%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector - about 23.10% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Evergy Inc (EVRG - Free Report) accounts for about 1.28% of total assets, followed by Fidelity National Financial Inc (FNF - Free Report) and Omnicom Group Inc (OMC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 10.84% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, DON has lost about -4.67%, and is up about 2.27% in the last one year (as of 05/26/2022). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $40.05 and $45.36.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 28.43% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 343 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 MidCap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) tracks Russell MidCap Value Index and the Vanguard MidCap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index. IShares Russell MidCap Value ETF has $13.46 billion in assets, Vanguard MidCap Value ETF has $16.04 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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