Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value category of the market, the ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL Quick QuoteREGL - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 02/03/2015.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.

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.

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

The fund is sponsored by Proshares. It has amassed assets over $1.65 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses.

The S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and have increased dividend payments each year for at least 15 years.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.40% for REGL, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.39%.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -1.57% and is down about -0.29% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 04/11/2023), respectively. REGL has traded between $64.43 and $76.42 during this last 52-week period.

REGL has a beta of 0.83 and standard deviation of 19.86% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO Quick QuoteDGRO - Free Report) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG Quick QuoteVIG - Free Report) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. IShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $23.31 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $65.58 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 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.