Launched on June 16, 2006, the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend ETF (DES) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $1.81 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Value
There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.
While value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, they also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.
Costs
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.38%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.71%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Energy sector -- about -999900% of the portfolio. Industrials and Materials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Us Dollar accounts for about 50.34% of total assets, followed by Dreyfus Trsy Oblig Cash Mgmt Cl Ins and Spire Inc (SR).
The top 10 holdings account for about 108.53% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
DES seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index measuring the performance of the small-capitalization segment of the US dividend-paying market.
The ETF has lost about 2.68% so far this year and is down about 0.43% in the last one year (as of 11/04/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $28.02 and $37.69.
The ETF has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 19.82% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 569 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, DES is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $11.57 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF has $30.94 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBR charges 0.07%.
Bottom-Line
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
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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WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend ETF (DES): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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