WisdomTree Earnings 500 Fund – EPS (NYSE Arca)
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS – August 1, 2015
Before you invest in the Fund, as defined below, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information (“SAI”), which contain more information about the Fund and the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s current prospectus and SAI are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and SAI, as well as other information about the Fund, online at www.wisdomtree.com/prospectus. You may also obtain this information at no charge by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by sending an e-mail request to getinfo@wisdomtree.com.
Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Earnings 500 Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Earnings 500 Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
| Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | None | |||
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||
| Management Fees |
0.28 | % | ||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None | |||
| Other Expenses |
0.00 | % | ||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.28 | % |
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||||
| $29 | $90 | $157 | $356 | |||||||||||||
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 16% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 1 |
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 earnings-generating companies within the large-capitalization segment of the U.S. stock market. Companies in the Index are incorporated and listed in the U.S. and have generated positive cumulative earnings over their most recent four fiscal quarters prior to the annual Index screening date. 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 Index screening date; (ii) average daily dollar trading volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the Index screening date; and (iii) a price to earnings ratio of at least 2 as of the Index screening date. The Index is comprised of the 500 largest companies ranked by market capitalization in the WisdomTree Earnings Index, which is comprised of earnings-generating companies within the broad U.S. stock market.
The Index is earnings-weighted annually to reflect the proportionate share of the aggregate earnings each component company has generated. Companies with greater earnings generally have larger weights in the Index. WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”), as index provider, uses “Core Earnings”, computed by Standard & Poor’s, as the earnings weighting metric. Core Earnings is a standardized calculation of earnings developed by Standard & Poor’s designed to include expenses, incomes and activities that reflect the actual profitability of an enterprise’s ongoing operations. The maximum weight of any one sector in the Index, at the time of the Index’s annual screening date, is capped at 25%, subject to the following volume factor adjustments. In response to market conditions and/or the volume factor adjustments discussed below, sector weights may fluctuate above the specified cap. After the foregoing methodology screens and weighting mechanisms are applied, each security’s calculated volume factor is determined by dividing the security’s average daily dollar trading volume for the three months preceding the Index screening date by its weight in the Index. In the event that a security has a calculated volume factor that is less than $200 million, such security is deleted from the Index and its weight is allocated pro rata among the remaining component securities. After deleting any such securities, if a component security has a calculated volume factor that is less than $400 million, but $200 million or greater, the company’s weight in the Index will be reduced. The company’s reduced weight is calculated by multiplying the company’s weight in the Index by the fraction of its calculated volume factor divided by $400 million. The reduction in weight is allocated pro rata among the other component securities in the Index.
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. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of June 30, 2015, a significant portion of the Index is comprised of companies in the financial 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.”
| n | 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. |
| n | 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. |
| n | 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. |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 2 |
| n | Financial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the financial sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. This sector can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis. |
| n | Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development and government regulation. |
| n | Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index. |
| n | Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund. |
| n | Large-Capitalization Investing. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. |
| n | Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. |
| n | Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund. |
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of June 30, 2015 was 0.15%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
| Return | Quarter/Year | |||||||
| Highest Return |
15.96 | % | 2Q/2009 | |||||
| Lowest Return |
(21.78 | )% | 4Q/2008 | |||||
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 3 |
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2014
| WisdomTree Earnings 500 Fund | 1 Year | 5 Years |
Since Inception (2/23/2007) |
|||||||||
| Return Before Taxes Based on NAV |
13.49 | % | 15.23 | % | 6.86 | % | ||||||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions |
12.94 | % | 14.81 | % | 6.50 | % | ||||||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
7.91 | % | 12.26 | % | 5.46 | % | ||||||
| S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
13.69 | % | 15.45 | % | 6.83 | % | ||||||
| WisdomTree Earnings 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
13.81 | % | 15.56 | % | 7.18 | % | ||||||
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Capital Management Corporation serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Equity Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since February 2008.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, Equity Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since February 2008.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, Equity Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since February 2008.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 50,000 shares. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus | 4 | WIS-EPS-SUM-0815 |