Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is WisdomTree Global exU.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DNL) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The WisdomTree Global exU.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DNL - Free Report) was launched on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the World 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.

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.

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.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix 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, DNL has amassed assets over $438.05 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the World ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of dividend paying stocks with growth characteristics in the developed and emerging markets outside of the United States.

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 0.42% for DNL, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

DNL's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 3.88%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Taking into account individual holdings, Novo Nordisk A/s (NOVOB) accounts for about 7.96% of the fund's total assets, followed by Bhp Group Ltd (BHP - Free Report) and Anglo American Plc (AAL - Free Report) .

DNL's top 10 holdings account for about 46.76% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -22.64% so far this year and is down about -20.14% in the last one year (as of 08/24/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $30.24 and $43.87.

The fund has a beta of 0.88 and standard deviation of 24.02% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DNL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 274 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree Global exU.S. Quality Dividend Growth 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.

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 $24 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $64.09 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 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.

Published in