Is SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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?
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.
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.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination 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 State Street Global Advisors, and has been able to amass over $424.29 M, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, 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 EDIV are 0.49%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
EDIV's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 4.03%.
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.
Taking into account individual holdings, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (2330-TW) accounts for about 3.67% of the fund's total assets, followed by China Resources Land Limited (1109-HK) and Ptt Public Co. Ltd. Nvdr (PTT.R-TH).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 29.42% of EDIV's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 7.62% and is up about 9.93% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 11/21/2019), respectively. EDIV has traded between $28.88 and $33.14 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.78 and standard deviation of 15.87% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 130 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 $57.04 B in assets, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $63.50 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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SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (EDIV): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG): ETF Research Reports
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