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

The SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV) made its debut on 02/23/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the U.S. equity market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

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.

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 Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $442.60 M, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. This particular fund 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

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.49% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.53%.

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.

When you look at individual holdings, Ptt Public Co. Ltd. Nvdr (PTT.R-TH) accounts for about 3.31% of the fund's total assets, followed by United Microelectronics Corp. (2303-TW) and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (5347-MY).

EDIV's top 10 holdings account for about 27.84% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The fund's year-to-date return has lost about -5.35%, and was up about 5.88% in the last one year (as of 06/27/2018). EDIV has traded between $29.62 and $36.54 in the past 52-week period.

EDIV has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 19.10% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium choice in the space. With about 138 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) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China An Inclusion Index. IShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $46.42 B in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $61.97 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.

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SPDR-SP EM DVD (EDIV): ETF Research Reports
 
VANGD-FTSE EM (VWO): ETF Research Reports
 
ISHARS-CR MS EM (IEMG): ETF Research Reports
 
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