If the first half of 2025 had a story to tell in ETF land, it may well be the performance of international equities. Non-U.S. stocks and ETFs performed well amid serious tariff concerns, as many investors sought to diversify their portfolios. While that performance has since tapered off somewhat, international ETF exposure can still make a great addition for portfolios.
For the international dividend ETF IDOG, for example, three stocks have been driving performance and can speak to the case for further international equities exposure to end 2025.
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The ALPS International Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (IDOG ) charges a 50 basis point fee for its approach. The strategy tracks an equal-weighted index that equally weights sectors internationally and then invests in the five highest dividend yielding names within a given sector.
That has helped the fund return 26.4% YTD, according to ETF Database data. That return has outpaced both the strategy’s ETF Database Category and FactSet Segment averages in the same time period.
What’s more, the international ETF has continued to do well even after that tariff-related spring spike. Which stocks, then, have contributed the most to the fund’s overall performance?
3 Stocks to Watch in International ETF IDOG
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMWKY) presents one notable example. The key German automobile name and its high quality vehicles in the BMW, Rolls-Royce, and MINI brands has returned 26.9% YTD per YCharts. It has continued to outperform the S&P 500 index over the last month, as well. It offered a 4.9% dividend yield as of September 5.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) also bears mentioning. One of Japan’s premier vehicle manufacturers, Honda has returned 19.1% YTD and 9.8% over the last month, according to YCharts. It provided a 4% dividend yield as of September 5, as well.
Finally, a third firm to note for its impact in IDOG, Vodafone (VOD) bears mentioning. VOD has returned 42% YTD per YCharts, a strong performance for the telecoms name. The company offers a 4.3% dividend yield.
Looking ahead, those firms can offer steady performance for interested investors. Those stocks can help investors diversify abroad, as well. Their strong dividends suggest healthy internal outlooks that could make for durable foreign exposure.
VettaFi.com is owned by VettaFi LLC (“VettaFi”). VettaFi is the index provider for IDOG, for which it receives an index licensing fee. However, IDOG is not issued, sponsored, endorsed, or sold by VettaFi. VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of IDOG.
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