Launched on 10/09/2013, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
The ETF universe continued to expand in 2025, with a growing number of high-income products incorporating options strategies to enhance payouts. However, for many investors and advisors, traditional ETFs that own dividend-paying stocks remain a core component of a well-rounded portfolio.
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) is initiated at Hold, favored over some dividend peers but not top-ranked. NOBL offers strong diversification, equal-weighting, and low sector concentration, with a 0.35% fee and $11.1B AUM across 69 holdings. Recent performance lags the S&P 500 and key dividend ETF peers; NOBL returned 6.8% in 2025 versus SPY's 17.7%.
NOBL is the only ETF to track the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, which holds S&P 500 Index stocks with at least 25 consecutive years of increasing dividends. The strategy is no longer effective, which I'll prove with a factor analysis that compares NOBL to 25 other dividend ETFs on the dividend, quality, growth, value, and risk factors. Essentially, NOBL has become a one-trick pony that's built primarily for flat or declining markets. Instead, I recommend readers take a multi-factor approach and will suggest six superior long-term alternatives.
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) debuted on 10/09/2013, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
I am upgrading NOBL to a "Buy," driven by falling Treasury yields and the potential for renewed interest in dividend growth stocks. NOBL offers a 2.03% yield, solid fundamentals, and a track record of dividend growth, despite recent underperformance versus the S&P 500. Valuation remains a concern, but sector headwinds may ease as lower rates favor defensive, high-quality dividend payers like those in NOBL.
The S&P Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) may be trailing the rest of the market in the past two years, but the above-average yield (2.1%), track record of long-time dividend growers, and value focus make for a rather intriguing fund to diversify into, especially if you're ready to play more defense as you look beyond the tech sector for opportunities.
NOBL and DGRW both provide exposure to a variety of high-quality dividend growers.
Launched on 10/09/2013, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
NOBL's reputation as a safe, reliable dividend ETF is overrated, offering little true risk management during market downturns. The lack of tech exposure has caused NOBL to significantly underperform the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and even the Dow Jones in recent years. Dividend growth and yield have not compensated for price declines or underperformance, especially since the Fed began raising rates; those rates may stay longer than we like, impacting NOBL.
Launched on 10/09/2013, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.
The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF is poised to outperform in a market downturn due to its focus on stable high-quality companies. NOBL's strategy of including companies with 25+ years of consecutive dividend increases makes it resilient in volatile markets. NOBL has started to outperform the S&P 500 and NASDAQ year-to-date, signaling a potential trend shift.