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Is Vident International Equity Strategy ETF (VIDI) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Foreign Large Value ETF category of the market, the Vident International Equity Strategy ETF (VIDI - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 10/29/2013.

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.

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.

By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Managed by Vident Financial, VIDI has amassed assets over $416.56 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Foreign Large Value ETF. VIDI, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Vident International Equity Index.

The Vident Core International Equity Index is an international equity index that combines principles-based country and securities selection with sophisticated risk management. The index balances risk across developed and emerging economies and emphasizes those with favorable conditions for growth.

Cost & Other Expenses

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for VIDI are 0.61%, which makes it one of the more expensive products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 4.10%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Sasol Ltd (SOL) accounts for about 0.73% of total assets, followed by Equinor Asa (EQNR) and Hoegh Autoliners Asa (HAUTO).

VIDI's top 10 holdings account for about 6.46% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Vident International Equity Strategy ETF has added about 8.2% so far, and is up about 44.75% over the last 12 months (as of 04/02/2026). VIDI has traded between $23.03 $38.89 in this past 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.75 and standard deviation of 14.65% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VIDI a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 242 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Vident International Equity Strategy ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Foreign Large Value ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard International High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (VYMI) tracks FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index and the Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF (FNDF) tracks Russell RAFI Developed ex US Large Co. Index (Net). Vanguard International High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares has $18.07 billion in assets, Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF has $22.02 billion. VYMI has an expense ratio of 0.07% and FNDF changes 0.25%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Foreign Large Value 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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