Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 11/08/2005.

The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $22.50 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

While value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, they also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.55%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector--about 19.90% of the portfolio. Consumer Staples and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA - Free Report) accounts for about 1.88% of total assets, followed by 3m Company (MMM - Free Report) and National Retail Properties Inc. (NNN - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 14.21% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SDY seeks to match the performance of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses. The S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of the highest dividend yielding S&P Composite 1500 Index constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 20 consecutive years.

The ETF has lost about -1.19% so far this year and is up roughly 0.62% in the last one year (as of 05/09/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $111.50 and $132.34.

The ETF has a beta of 0.86 and standard deviation of 18.39% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 124 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR S&P Dividend ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, SDY is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $49.53 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $100.67 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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