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Is SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF category of the market, the SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 05/29/2013.
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.
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.
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 State Street Investment Management, and has been able to amass over $250.5 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of high dividend-yield companies included in the S&P Global BMI that have followed a managed-dividends policy of increasing or stable dividends for at least ten consecutive 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.
With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.40%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.14%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Bouygues Sa (EN) accounts for about 1.94% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apa Group (APA) and Sino Land Co.
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.89% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF has added about 3% so far, and is up about 30.9% over the last 12 months (as of 01/23/2026). WDIV has traded between $59.84 $77.71 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.56 and standard deviation of 11.58% for the trailing three-year period, which makes WDIV a low risk choice in this particular space. With about 119 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) tracks Global Dow Index and the Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF (GCOW) tracks Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend Index. State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF has $519.65 million in assets, Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF has $2.73 billion. DGT has an expense ratio of 0.50% and GCOW changes 0.60%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF
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 SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF category of the market, the SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 05/29/2013.
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.
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.
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 State Street Investment Management, and has been able to amass over $250.5 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses.
The S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of high dividend-yield companies included in the S&P Global BMI that have followed a managed-dividends policy of increasing or stable dividends for at least ten consecutive 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.
With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.40%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.14%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Bouygues Sa (EN) accounts for about 1.94% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apa Group (APA) and Sino Land Co.
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.89% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF has added about 3% so far, and is up about 30.9% over the last 12 months (as of 01/23/2026). WDIV has traded between $59.84 $77.71 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.56 and standard deviation of 11.58% for the trailing three-year period, which makes WDIV a low risk choice in this particular space. With about 119 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) tracks Global Dow Index and the Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF (GCOW) tracks Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend Index. State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF has $519.65 million in assets, Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF has $2.73 billion. DGT has an expense ratio of 0.50% and GCOW changes 0.60%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF
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.