Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DGRW) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DGRW - Free Report) debuted on 05/22/2013, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

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.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.

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.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $14.73 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. DGRW is managed by Wisdomtree. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index before fees and expenses.

The WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index is a fundamentally weighted index that consists of dividend-paying stocks with growth characteristics.

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.28%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.54%.

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.

For DGRW, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 31.40% of the portfolio --while Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) accounts for about 6.80% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and Broadcom Inc (AVGO - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 36.61% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF has added about 0.31% so far, and it's up approximately 17.28% over the last 12 months (as of 01/09/2025). DGRW has traded between $69.98 and $85.66 in this past 52-week period.

DGRW has a beta of 0.87 and standard deviation of 14.24% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 300 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth 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 Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO - Free Report) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG - Free Report) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. IShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $30.11 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $87.14 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 - 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.

Published in