Launched on June 16, 2006, the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend ETF (DES) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $2.16 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Value
There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.
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. 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 0.38%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.29%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector -- about 24.8% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Tfs Financial Corp (TFSL) accounts for about 1.06% of total assets, followed by Sonoco Products Co (SON) and Kodiak Gas Services Inc (KGS).
The top 10 holdings account for about 9.38% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
DES seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index measuring the performance of the small-capitalization segment of the US dividend-paying market.
The ETF return is roughly 21.13% so far this year and was up about 23.54% in the last one year (as of 07/13/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $31.31 and $40.80.
The ETF has a beta of 0.89 and standard deviation of 18.54% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 532 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, DES is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF Shares (VBR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $14.29 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund ETF Shares has $36.81 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBR charges 0.05%.
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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WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend ETF (DES): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).