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.