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Is State Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The State Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV - Free Report) made its debut on 05/29/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF 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.

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.

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.

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

Because the fund has amassed over $280.02 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF. WDIV is managed by State Street Investment Management. Before fees and expenses, WDIV seeks to match the performance of the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index.

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

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 WDIV are 0.40%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.22%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

Looking at individual holdings, Lenovo Group Ltd accounts for about 3.08% of total assets, followed by Gs Holdings (A078930) and Legal + General Group Plc (LGEN).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 17.78% of WDIV's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the State Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF has gained about 12.79% so far, and it's up approximately 18.87% over the last 12 months (as of 09/29/2026). WDIV has traded between $71.49 $85.82 in this past 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.55 and standard deviation of 11.24% for the trailing three-year period, which makes WDIV a low risk choice in this particular space. With about 118 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

State Street 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 $632.63 million in assets, Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF has $3.47 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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