The ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (IDOG) made its debut on 06/28/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Foreign Large Value ETF category of the market.
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.
The fund is managed by Alps, and has been able to amass over $492.99 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Foreign Large Value ETF. Before fees and expenses, IDOG seeks to match the performance of the S-Network International Sector Dividend Dogs Index.
The S-Network International Sector Dividend Dogs Index identifies five high yielding securities, based on regular cash dividends, in each of the ten Global Industry Classification Standard sectors and is rebalanced quarterly.
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund’s return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for IDOG are 0.50%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It’s 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.70%.
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.
Looking at individual holdings, Equinor Asa (EQNR) accounts for about 2.51% of total assets, followed by Nokia Oyj (NOKIA) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd. (WDS).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.73% of IDOG’s total assets under management.
The ETF has added about 5.5% and was up about 31.16% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/30/2026), respectively. IDOG has traded between $28.28 and $42.79 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.60 and standard deviation of 14.22% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Foreign Large Value ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Vanguard International High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (VYMI) tracks FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index and the Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF (FNDF) tracks Russell RAFI Developed ex US Large Co. Index (Net). Vanguard International High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares has $17.34 billion in assets, Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF has $21.02 billion. VYMI has an expense ratio of 0.07% and FNDF changes 0.25%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Foreign Large Value ETF
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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ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (IDOG): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).