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Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market? You should consider the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 11/08/2005.
The fund is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $21.85 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Value
Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.
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
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, 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
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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Utilities sector--about 16.10% of the portfolio. Consumer Staples and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) accounts for about 2.18% of total assets, followed by Leggett & Platt Incorporated (LEG) and Amcor Plc (AMCR).
The top 10 holdings account for about 16.55% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
SDY seeks to match the performance of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index before fees and expenses. The S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of the highest dividend yielding S&P Composite 1500 Index constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 20 consecutive years.
The ETF has lost about -2.93% so far this year and is up about 1.86% in the last one year (as of 09/01/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $114.07 and $132.34.