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Is ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL - Free Report) was launched on 10/09/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large 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.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.
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.
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
The fund is managed by Proshares, and has been able to amass over $11.6 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 DividendAristocrats Index.
The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P 500, have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years & meet certain market capitalization & liquidity requirements.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% 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 2.04%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For NOBL, it has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector --about 22.8% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Financials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, C.h. Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW) accounts for about 1.65% of the fund's total assets, followed by Walmart Inc (WMT) and Lowe's Cos Inc (LOW).
The top 10 holdings account for about 14.02% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF return is roughly 5.86% so far, and it's up approximately 3.45% over the last 12 months (as of 09/09/2025). NOBL has traded between $90.85 $108.47 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.85 and standard deviation of 14.32% for the trailing three-year period, which makes NOBL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 70 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $33.75 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $95.95 billion. DGRO has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VIG changes 0.05%.
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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Is ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL - Free Report) was launched on 10/09/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large 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.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.
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.
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
The fund is managed by Proshares, and has been able to amass over $11.6 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P 500 DividendAristocrats Index.
The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P 500, have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years & meet certain market capitalization & liquidity requirements.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.35% 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 2.04%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For NOBL, it has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector --about 22.8% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Financials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, C.h. Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW) accounts for about 1.65% of the fund's total assets, followed by Walmart Inc (WMT) and Lowe's Cos Inc (LOW).
The top 10 holdings account for about 14.02% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF return is roughly 5.86% so far, and it's up approximately 3.45% over the last 12 months (as of 09/09/2025). NOBL has traded between $90.85 $108.47 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.85 and standard deviation of 14.32% for the trailing three-year period, which makes NOBL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 70 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $33.75 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $95.95 billion. DGRO has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VIG changes 0.05%.
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.