Is State Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

The State Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV) was launched on 05/29/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader 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.While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.Fund Sponsor & IndexBecause the fund has amassed over $243.75 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF. WDIV is managed by State Street Investment Management. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index.The S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of high dividend-yield companies included in the S&P Global BMI that have followed a managed-dividends policy of increasing or stable dividends for at least ten consecutive years.Cost & Other ExpensesInvestors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.Annual operating expenses for WDIV are 0.40%, which makes it one of the cheaper products in the space.It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.32%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsWhile 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.Looking at individual holdings, Telus Corp (T) accounts for about 1.82% of total assets, followed by Verizon Communications Inc (VZ) and Altria Group Inc (MO).WDIV's top 10 holdings account for about 14.86% of its total assets under management.Performance and RiskSo far this year, WDIV has gained about 1.04%, and is up about 21.45% in the last one year (as of 03/27/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $59.84 and $82.67.The ETF has a beta of 0.55 and standard deviation of 11.60% for the trailing three-year period, making it a low risk choice in the space. With about 125 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .AlternativesState Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) tracks Global Dow Index and the Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF (GCOW) tracks Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend Index. State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF has $535.52 million in assets, Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF has $3.19 billion. DGT has an expense ratio of 0.50% and GCOW changes 0.60%.Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Global Large-Cap Value Equity ETFBottom 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.Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF InsightsZacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!Get it now >>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 State Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF (WDIV): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks