Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend category of the market, the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DGRS) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 07/25/2013.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
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.
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.
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
Because the fund has amassed over $354.58 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Blend. DGRS is managed by Wisdomtree. Before fees and expenses, DGRS seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index.
The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index is a fundamentally weighted index that consists of the small-capitalization segment of dividend-paying stocks with growth characteristics.
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 this ETF are 0.38%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.64%.
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector - about 25.5% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Western Union Co/the (WU) accounts for about 2.35% of the fund's total assets, followed by Exterran Holdings Inc (EXH) and Victory Capital Holding - A (VCTR).
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.83% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -9.77% and is down about -0.23% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 06/19/2025), respectively. DGRS has traded between $40.64 and $56.61 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 20.83% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 217 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO) tracks Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) tracks NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index. iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF has $31.14 billion in assets, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF has $89.92 billion. DGRO has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VIG changes 0.05%.
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 - Small Cap Blend
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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WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth ETF (DGRS): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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