Is First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Core Viewpoint - The First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) is a smart beta ETF that aims to provide broad exposure to the large-cap value segment of the market, focusing on companies with a history of paying dividends [1][5]. Fund Overview - RDVY was launched on January 7, 2014, and has accumulated over $15.23 billion in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in its category [1][5]. - The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors and seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ US Rising Dividend Achievers Index [5]. Cost and Performance - The ETF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.48%, which is competitive within its peer group [6]. - It offers a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.43% [6]. - The ETF has returned approximately 8.19% and is up about 18.06% year-to-date as of July 10, 2025 [9]. Sector Exposure and Holdings - RDVY's largest sector allocation is in Financials, comprising approximately 38.6% of the portfolio, followed by Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary [7]. - Ebay Inc. (EBAY) represents about 2.52% of the fund's total assets, with the top 10 holdings accounting for around 23.33% of total assets under management [8]. Risk Profile - The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and a standard deviation of 19.07% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a medium risk profile [9]. - With approximately 77 holdings, RDVY effectively diversifies company-specific risk [9]. Alternatives - Other ETFs in the large-cap value space include Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and Vanguard Value ETF (VTV), which have significantly larger asset bases and lower expense ratios [11].