For those seeking long-term market exposure, a dividend growing exchange traded fund strategy may help diversify a portfolio, diminish volatility and generate some cash on the side.
On the upcoming webcast, Re-Think Your Core: the Case for Dividend Growth, Simeon Hyman, head of investment strategy at ProShares, Anil Rao, V.P. of index applied research for MSCI, and Dan Sanborn, senior U.S. market analyst for Ned Davis Research Group, come together to explain how dividend growth can help enhance a core portfolio position.
ETF investors can capture dividend growth opportunities in both the U.S. and overseas. For instance, the ProShares S&P 500 Aristocrats ETF (NYSEArca: NOBL) covers high-quality company stocks that have consistently raised their dividends for at least 25 straight years. NOBL has been trading less than a year and generates a 1.95% 30-day SEC yield. [Checking in on Dividend Aristocracy]
Additionally, the recently launched ProShares MSCI EAFE Dividend Growers ETF (NYSEArca: EFAD) provides access to developed market stocks outside of North America that have raised their dividends for at least 10 years. It is worth noting dividend growers in the MSCI EAFE Index have historically outperformed the index with less volatility. EFAD has a 1.75% 30-day SEC yield. [Going Global for Dividend Growth]
The only drawback of targeting consistent dividend payers is that these types of strategies will not be able to include new quality dividend-paying stocks that are coming to market. For instance, Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL), which announced it would increase its dividend payments this year, is not included in the portfolios since it only recently started issuing a dividend.
Market research has revealed that high-quality stocks typically have better risk-adjusted returns compared to lower-quality stocks over time. Additionally, quality stocks typically reflect the companies’ competitive advantage, or economic moat, in their respective markets.
Looking ahead, a rising interest rate environment may have a smaller impact on these ETFs as they have a small exposure to rate-sensitive utilities sector stocks. Specifically, NOBL shows a 1.8% tilt toward utilities and EFAD has a 9.8% weight in the sector.
Both ETFs are heavily allocated toward other defensive sectors, with NOBL showing a 39% position in consumer staples and EFAD including a 21.8% position in healthcare and 21.7% in consumer staples.
Financial advisors who are interested in learning more about investing dividend ETF strategies can register for the Tuesday, October 7 webcast here.