FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (QDEF US) – Portfolio Construction MethodologyThe underlying Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Index targets a lower-beta (generally 0.5–1.0 vs the Northern Trust 1250 Index) U.S. equity portfolio emphasizing dividend payers with strong fundamentals. From the Northern Trust 1250 universe, non-dividend payers and the lowest quality quintile by a proprietary model (management efficiency, profitability, cash flow) are removed. Remaining stocks are mean–v ...