ETF Evaluator:
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund ()
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Best Performing in Industrials Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund Overview
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund (WDEF) is a passively managed Sector Equity Industrials exchange-traded fund (ETF). WisdomTree launched the ETF in 2025.
The investment seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Europe Defense Index.
Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in constituents of the index and/or investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially similar to the economic characteristics of such constituents. The index provides exposure to common stock of European companies focused on the defense industry. The fund is non-diversified.
About WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund (WDEF)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.04 years: Marlene Walker-Smith (2025), David France (2025), Todd Frysinger (2025), Vlasta Sheremeta (2025) and Michael Stoll (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: WisdomTree Europe Defense TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund has 43 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 64.3% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund has 99.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.6% There is 99.3% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund has 2.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $97 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Industrials category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
WDEF Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Industrials category. WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund has an expense ratio of 0.45%, which is 12% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund has a portfolio turnover rate of 39%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 40% for the Industrials category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund returned 10.5%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Industrials category had an average return of -4.0%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund has a trailing yield of 0.07%, which is below the 1.11% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 3.8%, 8.8 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 4.8% over the past year (grade of F).
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WDEF Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| WDEF Return (NAV) | 10.5% | 0.2% | 4.8% | na | na | na |
| WDEF Return (Price) | 11.7% | 0.6% | 5.5% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -1.250% | -0.413% | -0.654% | na | na | na |
| Industrials Avg | -4.0% | -1.4% | 24.7% | 17.8% | 11.5% | 13.6% |
| WDEF Grade (NAV) | A | C | F | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 14.5% | 1.7% | -19.9% | na | na | na |
| WDEF Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.0% | na | na | na |
WDEF Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| WDEF Return (NAV) | 3.8% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| WDEF Return (Price) | 4.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.252% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Industrials Avg | 12.6% | 27.1% | 14.2% | 21.4% | -12.8% | 20.7% | 15.4% | 30.3% | -13.4% | 22.8% | 22.1% |
| WDEF Grade (NAV) | F | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -8.8% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.1% |
| Total Assets: | $ 97 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 97 Mil |
| Turnover: | 39.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.45% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | WisdomTree Europe Defense TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Walker-Smith Marlene (2025), France David (2025), Frysinger Todd (2025), Sheremeta Vlasta (2025), Stoll Michael (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 43 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 64.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 99.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 99.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -2.1% |
| Cash: | 2.2% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | WisdomTree |
| Phone Number: | 866-909-9473 |
| Website: | www.wisdomtree.com |
| Inception Date: | July 15, 2025 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.51% |
