The FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) made its debut on 12/14/2012, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.
FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund is rated a hold due to mixed qualities and higher fees compared to similar ETFs. QDEF's heavy IT sector concentration presents potential risks, especially given high valuations of top holdings like Apple and NVIDIA. Despite a solid 10-year CAGR of 10.31%, QDEF lags behind peer funds like VIG, SCHD, and DGRW in performance and dividend growth.
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market, the FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 12/14/2012.
Launched on 12/14/2012, the FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.
The FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (QDEF) focuses on high-quality, low-volatility stocks, outperforming peers with significant technology exposure and underweight in energy and utilities sectors. QDEF's portfolio targets U.S. mid and large-cap companies, emphasizing management efficiency, profitability, and cash flow, with a dividend yield higher than the broader market. Despite a lower yield than other dividend ETFs, QDEF's quality bias and defensive sector allocation offer potential for capital gains with limited volatility.
The FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive ETF (QDEF) made its debut on 12/14/2012, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market.
QDEF relies on a proprietary model to optimize a portfolio based on quality, beta, and dividend yield. At current prices, QDEF yields 1.98%. QDEF's expense ratio is 0.37%, which isn't a deal-breaker on its own. However, QDEF's fundamentals aren't as strong as VIG's and arguably, DGRO's, both of which are lower-cost options. The Index's security constraints result in high allocations to low-yielding mega-cap stocks like Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and potentially Nvidia, come August. Technology exposure is currently 30%.
The FlexShares Quality Dividend Defense Index Fund aims to capture defensive, high-quality dividend stocks. However, the top holdings of the fund, such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Broadcom, do not align with the defensive strategy. The sector composition of QDEF, with a large allocation to Information Technology, raises concerns about its defensive positioning.