Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV) a Hot ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV - Free Report) debuted on 02/23/2011, and offers broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs 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.

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.

Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.

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

Because the fund has amassed over $402.13 M, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. EDIV is managed by State Street Global Advisors. Before fees and expenses, EDIV seeks to match the performance of the S&P Emerging Markets Dividend Opportunities Index.

This Index generally includes 100 tradable, exchange-listed common stocks from emerging market countries that offer high dividend yields. Additionally, stocks must have positive 3-year earnings growth and profitability. Stocks are weighted by annual dividend yield. To ensure diverse exposure, no single country or sector has more than a 25% weight and no single stock has more than a 3% weight.

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 0.49%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.60%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Vodacom Group Limited (VOD-ZA) accounts for about 2.67% of total assets, followed by Ptt Global Chemical Plc Nvdr (PTTGC.R-TH) and Land & Houses Public Co. Ltd. Nvdr (LH.R-TH).

EDIV's top 10 holdings account for about 22.95% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

EDIV has lost about -7.23% so far this year, and as of 08/21/2018, is up about 0.71% in the last one year. In the past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $29.68 and $36.54.

EDIV has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 19.04% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium choice in the space. With about 136 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG - Free Report) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO - Free Report) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China An Inclusion Index. IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $47.72 B in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $58.88 B. IEMG has an expense ratio of 0.14% and VWO charges 0.14%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Emerging Market ETFs.

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.