The Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index and Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index complement the widely successful Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index, which tracks the leading 100 yielding stocks in the U.S.
“The Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index and Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index were created in response to the expanding popularity of the concept of dividend investing, both in the U.S. and Europe,” said Michael A. Petronella, president of Dow Jones Indexes/Ventures. “The Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index allows U.S. investors to diversify their portfolios with returns from leading dividend-paying companies in Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. Likewise, the Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index gives investors access to the top dividend-paying companies in the Canadian market.”
The Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index components are selected from the Dow Jones World Developed-Ex.U.S. Index, which represents 95% of free-float market capitalization for developed countries excluding the U.S.
To be included in the Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index, stocks must have a non-negative, historical, three-year dividend-per-share growth rate; a dividend payout ratio of less than 1.5 times the payout ratio (of annual dividend payout to per share earnings) of the Dow Jones country index to which it belongs; and a daily average dollar volume (shares times price) of $3 million for three months prior to the annual review. Eligible stocks are then ranked in descending order by indicated annual dividend yield, and the top 100 components are selected for the index.
The Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index—calculated in U.S. dollars—uses a combination of yield and dividend weighting. Represented countries are weighted by dividend yield and within each represented country. Components then are weighted by their dividend per share. Component weightings are capped at 10% of the index.
The Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index’s 30 components are selected from the Dow Jones Canada Total Market Index, which represents 95% of the country’s float-adjusted market capitalization. To be included in the index—which is calculated in both Canadian and U.S. dollars—stocks must have a non-negative, historical, five-year dividend-per-share growth rate; a payout ratio of less than 80% for all companies; and daily average dollar volume of $1 million for three months prior to the annual review. Stocks that meet these criteria are then ranked in descending order by indicated annual dividend yield, and the top 30 components are selected for the index.
The index is weighted by indicated annual dividend, and the weight of any one component is capped at 10%.
The Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index and Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index are reviewed annually in December. Price and total return versions of both indexes are available. For both indexes, daily history also is available back to Dec. 31, 1998, with a base value of 100. Components, weightings and performance data can be found at www.djindexes.com.
