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Is WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DNL) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DNL - Free Report) was launched on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the World ETFs 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.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
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.
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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
DNL is managed by Wisdomtree, and this fund has amassed over $497.08 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the World ETFs. Before fees and expenses, DNL seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index.
The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of dividend paying stocks with growth characteristics in the developed and emerging markets outside of the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.42%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
DNL's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.07%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Us Dollaraccounts for about 78.74% of the fund's total assets, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd and Dreyfus Trsy Oblig Cash Mgmt Cl Ins.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 120.93% of DNL's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 14.24% so far this year and is up about 4.9% in the last one year (as of 10/01/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $32.16 and $41.06
The fund has a beta of 0.96 and standard deviation of 16.16% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DNL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 316 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
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 $34.43 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $97.82 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 World ETFs
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 Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DNL) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DNL - Free Report) was launched on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the World ETFs 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.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
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.
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.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
DNL is managed by Wisdomtree, and this fund has amassed over $497.08 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the World ETFs. Before fees and expenses, DNL seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index.
The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of dividend paying stocks with growth characteristics in the developed and emerging markets outside of the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.42%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
DNL's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 2.07%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Us Dollaraccounts for about 78.74% of the fund's total assets, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd and Dreyfus Trsy Oblig Cash Mgmt Cl Ins.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 120.93% of DNL's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 14.24% so far this year and is up about 4.9% in the last one year (as of 10/01/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $32.16 and $41.06
The fund has a beta of 0.96 and standard deviation of 16.16% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DNL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 316 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the World ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
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 $34.43 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $97.82 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 World ETFs
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.