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Is ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (SMDV) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 02/03/2015, smart beta exchange traded fund ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (SMDV - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
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.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $714.79 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Value. SMDV is managed by Proshares. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Dividend Growth Index before fees and expenses.
The Russell 2000 Dividend Growth Index targets companies that are currently members of the Russell 2000 Index and have increased dividend payments each year for at least 10 years.
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 0.40% 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 2.66%.
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.
For SMDV, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 30.90% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Utilities round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Oil-Dri Corp Of America (ODC - Free Report) accounts for about 1.39% of the fund's total assets, followed by Allete Inc (ALE - Free Report) and Northwestern Energy Group In (NWE - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 10.08% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF has gained about 0.80% so far, and was up about 12.03% over the last 12 months (as of 01/27/2025). SMDV has traded between $59.31 and $75.88 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 19.38% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 100 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small 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 $31.08 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $90.01 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 - Small 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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Is ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (SMDV) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 02/03/2015, smart beta exchange traded fund ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (SMDV - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
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.
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.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Because the fund has amassed over $714.79 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Value. SMDV is managed by Proshares. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Dividend Growth Index before fees and expenses.
The Russell 2000 Dividend Growth Index targets companies that are currently members of the Russell 2000 Index and have increased dividend payments each year for at least 10 years.
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 0.40% 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 2.66%.
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.
For SMDV, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 30.90% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Utilities round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Oil-Dri Corp Of America (ODC - Free Report) accounts for about 1.39% of the fund's total assets, followed by Allete Inc (ALE - Free Report) and Northwestern Energy Group In (NWE - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 10.08% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF has gained about 0.80% so far, and was up about 12.03% over the last 12 months (as of 01/27/2025). SMDV has traded between $59.31 and $75.88 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 19.38% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 100 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small 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 $31.08 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $90.01 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 - Small 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.