Is WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN) was launched on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value 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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Wisdomtree, and has been able to amass over $3.49 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. DLN seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses.
The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. dividend-paying market.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.28% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.65%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 18.30% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) accounts for about 4.03% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 26.1% of DLN's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, DLN has gained about 1.87%, and is up about 5.12% in the last one year (as of 06/13/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $55.26 and $64.63.
DLN has a beta of 0.89 and standard deviation of 15.09% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 301 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) tracks Russell 1000 Value Index and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Value Index. IShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $49.98 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $98.16 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VTV charges 0.04%.
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 - Large Cap Value.
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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Get it free >>WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN): ETF Research Reports
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Vanguard Value ETF (VTV): ETF Research Reports
iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD): ETF Research Reports
