The First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY) was launched on 11/01/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value 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.
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.
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
SDVY is managed by First Trust Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $6.97 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, SDVY seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index.
The NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index is composed of the securities of 100 small and mid-cap companies with a history of raising their dividends and exhibit the characteristics to continue to do so in the future.
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 this ETF are 0.59%, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.39%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For SDVY, it has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector --about 34.10% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Genpact Limited (G) accounts for about 1.36% of the fund's total assets, followed by Texas Pacific Land Corporation (TPL) and Insperity, Inc. (NSP).
SDVY's top 10 holdings account for about 12.48% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, SDVY has lost about -15.54%, and is down about -10.15% in the last one year (as of 04/08/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $30.03 and $40.33.
The fund has a beta of 1.10 and standard deviation of 21.99% for the trailing three-year period. With about 96 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS) tracks Russell MidCap Value Index and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE) tracks CRSP U.S. Mid Cap Value Index. IShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $11.80 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $15.54 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.
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 - Mid 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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First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY): ETF Research Reports Genpact Limited (G): Free Stock Analysis Report Insperity, Inc. (NSP): Free Stock Analysis Report Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE): ETF Research Reports iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS): ETF Research Reports Texas Pacific Land Corporation (TPL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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