The SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV) was launched on 02/23/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
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.
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 sponsored by State Street (NYSE:STT) Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $285.57 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. EDIV seeks to match the performance of the S&P Emerging Markets Dividend Opportunities Index before fees and expenses.
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
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for EDIV are 0.49%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.51%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
When you look at individual holdings, Formosa Plastics Corporation (1301-TW) accounts for about 3.11% of the fund's total assets, followed by Pegatron Corporation (4938-TW) and Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) De Mexico Sab De Cv (WALMEX-MX).
The top 10 holdings account for about 26.16% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -10.16% and is down about -10.01% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/29/2020), respectively. EDIV has traded between $19.98 and $32.48 during this last 52-week period.
EDIV has a beta of 0.81 and standard deviation of 23.28% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 129 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Emerging Market ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index. IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $66.94 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $68.49 billion. IEMG has an expense ratio of 0.11% and VWO charges 0.10%.
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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SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO): ETF Research Reports
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