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Is ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL - Free Report) debuted on 02/03/2015, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid 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.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other 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
The fund is managed by Proshares, and has been able to amass over $1.82 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and have increased dividend payments each year for at least 15 years.
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 REGL are 0.40%, which makes it one of the more expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.31%.
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.
Representing 31.1% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Utilities and Industrials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Ensign Group Inc/the (ENSG) accounts for about 2.28% of the fund's total assets, followed by Royal Gold Inc (RGLD) and Polaris Inc (PII).
REGL's top 10 holdings account for about 19.44% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 6.01% and is up roughly 6.5% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 10/10/2025), respectively. REGL has traded between $72.71 and $88.79 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.78 and standard deviation of 15.96% for the trailing three-year period, which makes REGL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value 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 $34.47 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $98.3 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 - Mid 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 MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL - Free Report) debuted on 02/03/2015, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid 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.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other 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
The fund is managed by Proshares, and has been able to amass over $1.82 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and have increased dividend payments each year for at least 15 years.
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 REGL are 0.40%, which makes it one of the more expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.31%.
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.
Representing 31.1% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Utilities and Industrials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Ensign Group Inc/the (ENSG) accounts for about 2.28% of the fund's total assets, followed by Royal Gold Inc (RGLD) and Polaris Inc (PII).
REGL's top 10 holdings account for about 19.44% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 6.01% and is up roughly 6.5% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 10/10/2025), respectively. REGL has traded between $72.71 and $88.79 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.78 and standard deviation of 15.96% for the trailing three-year period, which makes REGL a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value 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 $34.47 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $98.3 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 - Mid 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.