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Is WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF (USMF) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Making its debut on 06/29/2017, smart beta exchange traded fund WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF (USMF - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Wisdomtree, and has been able to amass over $410.49 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index.
The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index is comprised of 200 U.S. companies with the highest composite scores based on two fundamental factors, value and quality measures, and two technical factors, momentum and correlation.
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.
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 1.32%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For USMF, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 31.6% of the portfolio --while Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Verisign Inc (VRSN) accounts for about 1.6% of the fund's total assets, followed by Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR) and Roper Technologies Inc (ROP).
USMF's top 10 holdings account for about 13.17% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 4.47% and is up about 15.32% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 07/02/2025), respectively. USMF has traded between $44.42 and $52.86 during this last 52-week period.
USMF has a beta of 0.81 and standard deviation of 14.01% for the trailing three-year period. With about 201 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $70.28 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $496.34 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI changes 0.03%.
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 - All Cap Blend
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 WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF (USMF) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 06/29/2017, smart beta exchange traded fund WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF (USMF - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Wisdomtree, and has been able to amass over $410.49 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index.
The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index is comprised of 200 U.S. companies with the highest composite scores based on two fundamental factors, value and quality measures, and two technical factors, momentum and correlation.
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.
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 1.32%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For USMF, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 31.6% of the portfolio --while Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Verisign Inc (VRSN) accounts for about 1.6% of the fund's total assets, followed by Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR) and Roper Technologies Inc (ROP).
USMF's top 10 holdings account for about 13.17% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 4.47% and is up about 15.32% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 07/02/2025), respectively. USMF has traded between $44.42 and $52.86 during this last 52-week period.
USMF has a beta of 0.81 and standard deviation of 14.01% for the trailing three-year period. With about 201 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $70.28 billion in assets, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has $496.34 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI changes 0.03%.
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 - All Cap Blend
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.