objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in
the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 95% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from
securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is a fundamentally weighted index that is comprised
of large-cap value companies. As of June 30, 2016, the Index had a market capitalization range from $925.8 million to $158.8 billion, with an average market capitalization of $12.8 billion. The Index consists of U.S. companies that have positive
earnings over the past four fiscal quarters. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must also meet the following criteria: (i) market capitalization of at least $100 million as of the annual Index screening date; (ii) average daily
dollar trading volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the annual Index screening date; and (iii) a price to earnings ratio of at least 2 as of the annual Index screening date. Additionally, companies must have positive
earnings per share, positive book value per share, and positive sales per share statistics as of the Index screening date. WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”), as Index provider, creates a “value” score
for each company based on the company’s price to earnings ratio, price to sales ratio, and price to book value and 1-year change in stock price. The top 30% of companies with the highest value scores within the 1,000 largest companies by
market capitalization are included in the Index.
Companies are weighted in the Index annually based on
earnings. The maximum weight of any one sector in the Index, at the time of the Index’s annual screening date, is capped at 25%; however, sector weights may fluctuate above the specified cap in response to market conditions and/or the
application of volume factor adjustments. The Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce a component security’s weight in the Index and reallocate the reduction in weight pro rata among the other securities if, as of the
annual Index screening date, a component security no longer meets certain trading volume thresholds.
WisdomTree Investments currently uses Standard &
Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care,
industrials, information technology, materials, telecommunication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. As of September 1, 2016, S& P GICS will recognize real estate as a new sector, separate from the financial
sector. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of June 30, 2016, a significant portion of the Index is comprised of companies in the consumer discretionary and
information technology sectors.
To the extent that the
Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as
the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the
risks described below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of
investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
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Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long
periods of time. |
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Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and
market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. |
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Shares of
the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the
Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times
of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. |