Is FlexShares Quality Dividend ETF (QDF) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Group 1: Core Insights - The FlexShares Quality Dividend ETF (QDF) debuted on December 14, 2012, and provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market [1] - The ETF industry has been traditionally dominated by market capitalization weighted indexes, but smart beta strategies offer alternatives for investors seeking to outperform the market through stock selection [2][3] - QDF has amassed over $1.96 billion in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in its category, and it aims to match the performance of the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Index [5] Group 2: Fund Characteristics - The Northern Trust Quality Dividend Index focuses on high-quality income-oriented U.S. equity securities, emphasizing long-term capital growth and expected dividend payments [6] - QDF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.37% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.74% [7] - The ETF has a significant allocation in the Information Technology sector, comprising about 33.1% of the portfolio, with top holdings including Apple Inc (7.63%), Nvidia Corp, and Microsoft Corp [8][9] Group 3: Performance Metrics - As of September 17, 2025, QDF has a return of approximately 12.09% and has increased by about 13.63% year-to-date [11] - The ETF has traded between $59.99 and $78.78 over the past 52 weeks, with a beta of 0.93 and a standard deviation of 15.46% over the trailing three-year period, indicating medium risk [11] - QDF effectively diversifies company-specific risk with around 139 holdings [11] Group 4: Alternatives - Other ETFs in the market include iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) and Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI), which have significantly larger assets and lower expense ratios of 0.03% [13] - Investors seeking lower-cost options may consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Blend [14]