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Is WisdomTree International High Dividend ETF (DTH) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The WisdomTree International High Dividend ETF (DTH - Free Report) was launched on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Broad Developed 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 work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

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.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Wisdomtree. DTH has been able to amass assets over $267.14 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Developed World ETFs. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree International High Dividend Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree International High Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted Index that measures the performance of companies with high dividend yields selected from the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

Cost & Other Expenses

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.58% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 5.66%.

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.

Looking at individual holdings, Bhp Group Ltd (BHP - Free Report) accounts for about 5.76% of total assets, followed by Rio Tinto Plc (RIO - Free Report) and Novartis Ag .

The top 10 holdings account for about 21.88% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -1.94% so far this year and is down about -0.65% in the last one year (as of 12/28/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $30.01 and $41.22.

DTH has a beta of 0.81 and standard deviation of 23.28% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 406 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree International High Dividend ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Developed World ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.

IShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA - Free Report) tracks MSCI EAFE Index and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA - Free Report) tracks MSCI EAFE Investable Market Index. IShares MSCI EAFE ETF has $45.97 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF has $89.25 billion. EFA has an expense ratio of 0.33% and IEFA 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 Broad Developed 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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