Is ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (IDOG) a Strong ETF Right Now?

A smart beta exchange traded fund, the ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (IDOG) debuted on 06/28/2013, and offers broad exposure to the Broad Developed World ETFs category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.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.By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.Fund Sponsor & IndexThe fund is managed by Alps, and has been able to amass over $287.53 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Broad Developed World ETFs. IDOG seeks to match the performance of the S-Network International Sector Dividend Dogs Index before fees and expenses.The S-Network International Sector Dividend Dogs Index identifies five high yielding securities, based on regular cash dividends, in each of the ten Global Industry Classification Standard sectors and is rebalanced quarterly.Cost & Other ExpensesCost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.50% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.IDOG's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 4.99%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsMost 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.When you look at individual holdings, Citic Ltd. Accounts for about 2.29% of the fund's total assets, followed by Norsk Hydro Asa (NHY) and Fortescue Ltd. (FMG).The top 10 holdings account for about 21.33% of total assets under management.Performance and RiskSo far this year, IDOG return is roughly 0.86%, and is up about 11.71% in the last one year (as of 11/14/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $27.86 and $32.07.The fund has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 16.06% for the trailing three-year period, which makes IDOG a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Broad Developed World ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) tracks FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index and the Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) tracks FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF has $75.70 billion in assets, Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF has $134.97 billion. VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VEA charges 0.06%.Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Broad Developed World ETFs.Bottom LineTo 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.Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.Get it free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (IDOG): ETF Research Reports Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks