SMDV

SMDV aims for strong total returns via a concentrated basket of small-cap stocks, each with a long history of increasing dividends. The investment thesis: small firms with a proven record of increasing dividends deliver stable growth. That the fund culls only about 50 names from a broad 2,000-stock universe indicates how few firms make the cut. SMDV's holdings are equally weighted, which will likely further distance its exposure from that of the Russell 2000. SMDV strictly holds firms with growing dividends. In all, the fund targets a narrow slice of the small-cap market rather than broad coverage of the entire small-cap space.