RED BANK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WBI Investments, Inc. today announced the firm’s high-dividend exchange-traded fund WBI Power Factor High Dividend ETF (WBIY) has been shortlisted for the 26th Annual Mutual Fund Industry & ETF Awards “ETF of the Year” and “Smart Beta ETF of the Year” categories. Hosted by the analysis and intelligence firm Fund Intelligence, the Mutual Fund Industry & ETF Awards recognize the top performers and innovators in the mutual fund and ETF markets.
Winners of the Mutual Fund Industry Awards 2019 will be announced at an awards ceremony in New York City on April 11. For the complete list of finalists and an overview of the methodology, visit https://mutualfundindustryawards.awardstage.com.
The independently-owned, boutique wealth manager has been nominated alongside some of the industry’s largest and most respected firms. “This truly is a David versus Goliath story,” said WBI founder and CEO, Don Schreiber, Jr. “When you compare the size of our shop to the other nominees, it is really impressive what our team is able to accomplish.”
WBIY is a yield-focused fund with a 30-Day SEC yield of 5.03% (subsidized, 4.99% unsubsidized). According to Morningstar, the fund’s underlying dividend yield as of 3/5/19 was 5.34%, more than double their Large Value category average of 2.66%. The fund has deep underlying liquidity through a diverse group of high quality, value-oriented equities with a net expense ratio of 0.70%. The fund’s holdings are reconstituted quarterly and is typically heavily allocated to sectors not commonly found in other high dividend ETFs, such as consumer discretionary, information technology and communications services. For standardized performance and 30-day SEC yields, see the fact sheet.
The thoughtfully constructed, cost-efficient, multi-factor Smart Beta ETF is specially tailored for investors seeking more consistent capital growth with lower volatility and less risk. Designed to track the Solactive Power Factor High Dividend Index, stock selection is driven by WBI’s proprietary Power Factor® model, which identifies the top 50 stocks with the highest yield and strongest fundamentals out of the 3,000 in the Solactive all-cap US equity universe. As with all WBI ETFs, WBIY is structured to capture return while reducing the potential for incurring large bear market losses.
According to Morningstar, NYSE Arca-listed WBIY’s total return was 13.03% (market price) and 12.58% (net asset value) year-to-date as of February 28, 2019, outperforming the S&P 500 Total Return Index’s 11.48% and the category average year-to-date total return of 10.79%.
“WBI believes to be successful at investing, you need to buy low and sell high,” said Matt Schreiber, President and Chief Investment Strategist. “We also believe investors should get paid to wait during market volatility through dividends. WBIY does this by design and we feel it is one of the most sophisticated Smart Beta products on the market. We are honored to see it being recognized with these nominations.”
In addition to “ETF of the Year,” WBIY has been shortlisted for “Smart Beta ETF of the Year.” WBI’s Bull|Bear Yield 1000 ETF (WBIG) is up for “Active ETF of the Year” for the second year in a row. The firm’s communication efforts have also been shortlisted for the second year in a row in the “Social Media Leader of the Year” category.
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Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For most recent month-end performance, please visit wbietfs.com.
Any investment involves risk including the loss of principal. High yielding stocks involve risks. These companies can be paying out more than they can support and may reduce their dividends or stop paying dividends at any time, which could have a material adverse affect on the stock price of these companies and the funds’ performance. For important disclosure information, please click here.
SEC Yield reflects the dividends and interest earned during the most recent 30-day period covered by the Fund’s filings with the SEC, after the deduction of the Fund's expenses. The unsubsidized yield reflects the 30-day yield if the investment adviser were not waiving all or part of its fee or reimbursing the fund for part of its expenses. Dividend yield is the percentage of its stock price that a company is projected to pay out as dividends.
THIS INFORMATION MUST BE PRECEDED OR ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS. To view the prospectus, click on the link at www.wbishares.com/resources. Before investing you should carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.
Distributor: Foreside Fund Services, LLC.
