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Is Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIGI) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 03/03/2016, smart beta exchange traded fund Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIGI - Free Report) provides investors 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.

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.

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 Vanguard, VIGI has amassed assets over $3.51 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the World ETFs. VIGI seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ International Dividend Achievers Select Index before fees and expenses.

The S&P Global Ex-U.S. Dividend Growers 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.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.15% for VIGI, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

VIGI's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.86%.

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, Novo Nordisk A/s (NOVO) accounts for about 4.63% of the fund's total assets, followed by Novartis Ag and Nestle Sa (NESN).

VIGI's top 10 holdings account for about 35.59% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -22.95% and is down about -21.11% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 10/27/2022), respectively. VIGI has traded between $61.33 and $91.64 during this last 52-week period.

VIGI has a beta of 0.76 and standard deviation of 21.13% for the trailing three-year period. With about 317 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 - Free Report) tracks FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index and the Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA - Free Report) tracks FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF has $44.55 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF has $90.01 billion. VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.07% 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.

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