Steel Dynamics Insider Sold Shares Worth $950,950, According to a Recent SEC Filing

If you're interested in broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market, look no further than the First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 11/01/2017.

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $7.02 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Value

Compared to large and small cap companies, mid cap businesses tend to have higher growth prospects and are less volatile, respectively, with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

Costs

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.60%, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.47%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 33.80% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) accounts for about 1.14% of total assets, followed by A.o. Smith Corporation (AOS) and Cf Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF).

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.07% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SDVY seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index is composed of the securities of 100 small and mid-cap companies with a history of raising their dividends and exhibit the characteristics to continue to do so in the future.

The ETF has added roughly 20.54% so far this year and was up about 43.38% in the last one year (as of 11/12/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $27.63 and $39.11.

The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 22.15% for the trailing three-year period. With about 97 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, SDVY is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS) and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE) track a similar index. While iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $14.11 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $18.57 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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