WisdomTree
Global Hedged SmallCap Dividend Fund – HGSD (Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.)
Summary Prospectus
– November 1, 2017
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/resource-library/prospectus-regulatory-reports. 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 Global Hedged SmallCap Dividend Fund (the “Fund”)
seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Global Hedged SmallCap Dividend 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 | 0.43% |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
| Other Expenses | 0.00% |
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.43% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.86% 1 |
| Fee Waivers | (0.43)% 2 |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers | 0.43% 2 |
| 1 | The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights and financial statements because the financial highlights and financial statements reflect only the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its investments in certain underlying investment companies. |
| 2 | WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its Management Fee in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in the Underlying Fund, as defined below, through October 31, 2018, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time. |
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 | |
| $ 44 | $ 231 | $ 435 | $ 1,021 |
WisdomTree
Trust Prospectus 1
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 3% 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 will invest in a sample of securities in the Index (including indirect investments through the WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Fund
(the “Underlying Fund”)) whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of
collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index (including indirect investments in the Underlying Fund) and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the
economic characteristics of such component securities. The Underlying Fund tracks the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index (the “Underlying Fund Index”). The Index and
the Underlying Fund Index have identical component securities and employ identical methodologies except that the Underlying Fund Index does not hedge against currency fluctuations; whereas, the Index hedges against currency fluctuations by applying
an applicable published one-month currency forward rate to the total equity exposure of each country in the Index. The Underlying Fund, which is also advised by WisdomTree Asset Management, may constitute a substantial portion of the Fund’s
assets.
The Index is a fundamentally weighted index
designed to provide exposure to small-capitalization companies selected from the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index (“Parent Index”), which defines the dividend-paying universe of companies in the United States, developed countries, and
emerging markets throughout the world, while at the same time neutralizing exposure to fluctuations between the value of foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The starting universe of the Index consists of the bottom 5% of the total market
capitalization of the Parent Index that have (i) a market capitalization of at least $200 million as of the Index screening date; (ii) an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for the three months preceding the Index screening date; and
(iii) trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Index screening date. The Index then selects the largest 1,000 companies after the initial market cap and liquidity screens are applied. Securities are then
weighted based on dividends paid. Companies that pay a greater total dollar amount of dividends are more heavily weighted. As of September 30, 2017, the Index had a market capitalization range from $296 million to $12.4 billion, with an average
market capitalization of $1.6 billion. As noted above, the Underlying Fund Index applies the same eligibility criteria and weighting scheme with respect to its component stocks.
To derive a company’s initial Index weight, (i) multiply the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company (the “Cash Dividend
Factor”); (ii) calculate the Cash Dividend Factor for each company; (iii) add together all of the companies’ Cash Dividend Factors; and (iv) divide the company’s Cash Dividend Factor by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors. After a company’s initial weight is determined by cash dividends, the Index will apply a regional adjustment factor. This factor adjusts the weight allocated to each
region (i.e., three regions—U.S., developed and emerging market countries) of the Index so the regional weights match those of
the float- adjusted market cap weighted universe of dividend and non-dividend paying companies that meet the liquidity and market capitalization criteria for the Parent Index. “Float-adjusted” market cap means that the share amounts used
in calculating the market cap reflect only shares available to investors. To the extent a region’s weight in the Index needs to be increased or decreased, the weight of each component security in that region will be increased or decreased,
respectively, on a pro rata basis. After the regional adjustment factor is applied, the Index will cap any one sector at 25%; however, sector weights may fluctuate above the specified cap in response to market conditions and/or the application of
volume factor adjustments. If a component security no longer meets applicable trading volume thresholds as of the annual Index screening date, the Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce such component security’s weight
in the Index and reallocates the reduction in the weight pro rata among the other remaining securities. The Fund’s investment adviser expects that, under normal circumstances, non-U.S. equity securities will comprise at least 40% of the Fund
(either directly or via investments in the Underlying Fund).
| 2 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree
Investments”), as index provider, 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, real estate, 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 September 30, 2017, a significant portion of the Index is comprised of companies in the industrial and consumer discretionary sectors.
The Index “hedges” against fluctuations in the
relative value of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar. This Index is designed to have higher returns than an equivalent unhedged investment when foreign currencies are falling relative to the dollar. Conversely, the Index is designed to have
lower returns than an equivalent unhedged investment when foreign currencies are rising relative to the U.S. dollar. The Index applies an applicable published one-month currency forward rate to the total equity exposure of each country in the Index
to hedge against fluctuations in the relative value of each such foreign currency against the U.S. dollar.
Forward currency contracts or futures contracts are used to
offset the Fund’s exposure to the foreign currencies represented in the Index. The amount of forward contracts and futures contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Index to these foreign currencies. While this
approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, it does not necessarily eliminate the Fund’s exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts and currency futures
contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of these foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.
To the extent 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.”
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political 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. |
| ■ | 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. Because securities held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs. |
| ■ | Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value. |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 3 |
| ■ | Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer discretionary sector includes, for example, automobile, textile, retail, and media companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, economic growth, worldwide demand, social trends, consumers’ disposable income levels, and propensity to spend. |
| ■ | Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund uses various strategies to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies against the U.S. dollar. These strategies may not be successful. In order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to such currencies may not be fully hedged at all times. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money. |
| ■ | Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. |
| ■ | Derivatives Risk. The Fund invests in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or futures contracts. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts at any particular time. |
| ■ | Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund. |
| ■ | Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. |
| ■ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging markets countries. |
| ■ | Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies organized in the |
| 4 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
| United States and Europe, although this may change from time to time. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”). It is currently expected that the United Kingdom will withdraw from the EU by March 2019, but the precise timeframe for “Brexit” is uncertain. Brexit may have a significant impact on the economies of the United Kingdom and Europe as well as the broader global economy, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth in these markets. |
| ■ | Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments. |
| ■ | Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies represented in the Index may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies represented in the Index appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund's equity holdings fall. |
| ■ | Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers. |
| ■ | Industrial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the industrial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The industrial sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense, non-residential construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and commercial and professional services companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for specific products and manufacturing, and government regulation. |
| ■ | Investment in the Underlying Fund Risk. The Fund’s investment performance and risks may be directly related to the investment performance and risks of the Underlying Fund. |
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund. |
| ■ | Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies. |
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | 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. |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 5 |
| ■ | Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund invests primarily in the securities of small-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than funds that invest in larger, more established companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Small-capitalization companies may be particularly sensitive to adverse economic developments as well as changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings. |
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. If WisdomTree Asset Management had not waived certain fees during certain periods, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. 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 September 30, 2017 was 8.46%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in
the bar chart above)
| Return | Quarter/Year | |
| Highest Return | 10.49% | 4Q/2016 |
| Lowest Return | 2.46% | 1Q/2016 |
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, 2016
| WisdomTree Global Hedged SmallCap Dividend Fund | 1 Year | Since
Inception November 19, 2015 |
| Return Before Taxes Based on NAV | 24.26% | 20.26% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | 23.14% | 19.16% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 14.20% | 15.19% |
| WisdomTree Global Hedged SmallCap Dividend Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 24.53% | 20.63% |
| MSCI AC World Small Cap Local Currency Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 12.76% | 10.16% |
| 6 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Mellon Capital Management Corporation (“Mellon Capital”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by Mellon Capital's Equity Portfolio Management team. The
individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Equity
Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2015.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director and Senior
Portfolio Manager, Equity Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2015.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director and Senior
Portfolio Manager, Equity Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2015.
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 Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (formerly known as BATS Exchange, Inc.), 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 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or 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 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 7 |
WIS-HGSD
-SUM-1117