Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF (USMF) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF (USMF - Free Report) was launched on 06/29/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend 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.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

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.

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.

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

Managed by Wisdomtree, USMF has amassed assets over $277.77 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, USMF seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index.

The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index is comprised of 200 U.S. companies with the highest composite scores based on two fundamental factors, value and quality measures, and two technical factors, momentum and correlation.

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 0.28%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

USMF's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.33%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

For USMF, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 30% of the portfolio --while Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 3.97% of total assets, followed by Google Inc (GOOGL) and Apple Inc (AAPL).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 20.15% of USMF's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, USMF return is roughly 2.8%, and it's up approximately 1.91% in the last one year (as of 09/15/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $48.60 and $54.47.

The ETF has a beta of 0.76 and standard deviation of 12.63% for the trailing three-year period. With about 201 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $95.92 billion in assets, Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF has $684.58 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI changes 0.03%.

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 - All Cap Blend

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.

Published in