Launched on 02/23/2012, the iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (DVYE) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Broad Emerging Market ETFs category of the 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Blackrock, and has been able to amass over $733.31 million, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Broad Emerging Market ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index.
The Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index measures the performance of the companies in emerging market countries that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis over time.
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.49%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 11.56%.
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.
When you look at individual holdings, Petroleo Brasileiro Pref Sa (PETR4) accounts for about 6.32% of the fund's total assets, followed by Cia Vale Do Rio Doce Sh (VALE3) and Industrial And Commercial Bank Of.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 31.29% of DVYE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 5.18% and is up about 13.20% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 04/28/2025), respectively. DVYE has traded between $23.95 and $29.76 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.62 and standard deviation of 17.55% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 133 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares 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.
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index and the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) tracks MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has $81.25 billion in assets, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has $82.81 billion. VWO has an expense ratio of 0.07% and IEMG charges 0.09%.
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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iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (DVYE): ETF Research Reports iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG): ETF Research Reports Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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