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Is WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN - Free Report) debuted on 06/16/2006, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large 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.

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

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.

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 Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $3.51 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. dividend-paying market.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.28% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.64%.

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 Healthcare sector - about 16.70% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) accounts for about 3.87% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) .

DLN's top 10 holdings account for about 25.03% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 1.29% so far this year and is down about -2.55% in the last one year (as of 04/13/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $55.26 and $66.91.

DLN has a beta of 0.89 and standard deviation of 16.53% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 302 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $50.69 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $102.01 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

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 - Large 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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