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Is iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (DVYE) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (DVYE - Free Report) debuted on 02/23/2012, and offers broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market.

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 offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.

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.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Blackrock, and has been able to amass over $571.27 M, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. DVYE, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index.

The Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index measures the performance of the companies in emerging market countries that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis over time.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for DVYE are 0.49%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

DVYE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 5.46%.

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.

Taking into account individual holdings, Severstal (CHMF) accounts for about 2.23% of the fund's total assets, followed by Eregli Demir Ve Celik Fabrikalari (EREGL) and Magnitogorskiy Metallurgicheskiy K (MAGN).

DVYE's top 10 holdings account for about 18.38% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 9.28% and is up about 2.48% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 04/30/2019), respectively. DVYE has traded between $36.59 and $42.19 during this last 52-week period.

The fund has a beta of 0.79 and standard deviation of 15.57% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DVYE a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 121 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares 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 $60.79 B in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $65.23 B. IEMG has an expense ratio of 0.14% and VWO charges 0.12%.

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.

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