Northern Trust’s FlexShares launched a suite of dividend exchange traded funds, adding to the growing number of income-generating investment options as investors scrounge for yields.
On Wednesday, three new FlexShares ETFs started trading:
FlexShares Quality Dividend Index Fund (NYSEArca: QDF). QDF tries to reflect the performance of the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Index, which holds high-quality income-oriented U.S. companies with a targeted overall beta similar to the Northern Trust 1250 Index, or the parent index.
Sector allocations include financials 19.5%, information technology 15.6%, energy 12.2%, consumer staples 10.1%, consumer discretionary 9.2%, health care 8.9%, industrials 7.8%, utilities 6.6%, telecom services 5.3% and materials 4.8%.
FlexShares Quality Dividend Dynamic Index Fund (NYSEArca: QDYN). QDYN tries to reflect the performance of the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Dynamic Index, which has a targeted overall beta that is between 1.0 to 1.5 times that of the parent index.
Sector allocations include financials 19.5%, information tech 15.6%, consumer discretionary 11.3%, energy 10.4%, industrials 10.4%, health care 8.8%, consumer staples 7.1%, utilities 6.5%, telecom services 5.3% and materials 5.1%.
FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (NYSEArca: QDEF). QDEF tries to reflect the performance of the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Index, which has a targeted overall beta that is between 0.5 to 1.0 times that of the parent index.
Sector allocations include financials 19.3%, information tech 15.7%, consumer staples 12.6%, energy 11.3%, consumer discretionary 9.2%, health care 8.9%, industrials 7.7%, utilities 6.7%, telecom services 5.4% and materials 3.3%.
All three ETFs come with a 0.37% expense ratio.
“Our research shows that a high-quality, yield-focused equity position can potentially act as a return stabilizer for a broader portfolio, mitigate risk in volatile markets and provide higher dividend growth,” Shundrawn Thomas, head of Northern Trust’s Exchange Traded Funds Group, said in a note. “The new equity funds are designed to outperform in a variety of market environments, including upward- and downward-trending markets.”
In a SEC filing, the fund provider also planned three other international dividend ETFs to fill out its suite of dividend-focused products, including FlexShares International Quality Dividend Index Fund (NYSEArca: IQDF), FlexShares International Quality Dividend Dynamic Index Fund (NYSEArca: IQDY) and FlexShares International Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (NYSEArca: IQDE).
For more information on new product launches, visit our new ETFs category.
Max Chen contributed to this article.