Category Review
The payout and the result came apart in option-income funds
First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF
$79.53−0.21 (−0.26%)
- 0.47%
- $25.5B
- +23.8%
- 0.85%
- 1.1M sh
- $79.56
- low $64.99high $84.02
The ETF.net RDVY Grade
C
Score 53 out of 100
- 29 of 53
Score 53 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.D26 out of 100Rank 39 of 53Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B63 out of 100Rank 45 of 50Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.D37 out of 100Rank 38 of 53Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A93 out of 100Rank 1 of 53Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B61 out of 100Rank 22 of 53Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A80 out of 100Rank 7 of 53
Our read on RDVY
CA dividend fund built around raises, not yield: roughly 50 equal-weighted US names, a quarter of the roster refreshed each quarter, and an index rule that ejects companies which slash or suspend the payout.
The Fund seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield of the Nasdaq US Rising Dividend AchieversTM Index before fees and expenses.
Why people hold it
- The index doesn't wait for the annual reshuffle. Under Nasdaq's rules, a holding that suspends its dividend or cuts it by 50% or more is removed the following month.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- Four sub-portfolios, each reconstituted in its own quarter and reset to 25% of the index every March. Turnover happens in rolling slices instead of one annual lump.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- Equal weighting across about 50 stocks. No single mega-cap steers the portfolio the way it can in cap-weighted dividend index funds.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- Live since 2014 and now a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded fund, so getting in and out is rarely the hard part.
Worth knowing
- 0.47% a year sits above the median US dividend-screen fund and runs many multiples of the category's index staples: SCHD at 0.06%, VIG at 0.04%, DGRO at 0.08%.
- About 50 equal-weighted names is a concentrated way to own dividend growth. Each position carries real weight, and sector tilts can run hotter than a broad-market fund's.indexes.nasdaqomx.com
- The mandate tracks an index of rising dividend payers, not the highest yields on offer. Different job than a high-yield fund. Distributions come quarterly.
RDVY Holdings
- Stocks
- 73
- 23%
- AMAT
Sectors
- Financials38.0%
- Technology27.1%
- Industrials12.4%
- Consumer Discretionary9.7%
- Communication4.2%
- Health Care3.9%
- Consumer Staples2.4%
- Energy1.8%
- Materials0.5%
Geography
- United States94.48%
- Switzerland2.51%
- Ireland1.94%
- Bermuda1.07%
RDVY Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
RDVY$12,378
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | RDVY |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +15.5% |
| 1 month | −0.9% |
| 3 months | −0.5% |
| 1 year | +23.8% |
| 3 years | +22.3% |
| 5 years | +12.4% |
| 10 years | +15.5% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | RDVY |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +15.5% | |
| 2025 | +18.9% | |
| 2024 | +16.4% | |
| 2023 | +20.4% | |
| 2022 | −13.3% | |
| 2021 | +31.1% | |
| 2020 | +13.4% |
RDVY in the news
RDVY Dividends
- 0.85%
- $0.68
- $0.15 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
RDVY Risk
- 15.3%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.04
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −25.3%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.94
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
RDVY Cost
0.47%
RDVY0.47%
- The middle half of US Dividend Index funds
- Median 0.38%
39 of the 52 US Dividend Index funds charge less.
Other funds in US Dividend Index
- CFVDFirst Trust Value Line Dividend Index FundExpense ratio 0.62%1 year return +8.2%
- CQDFNorthern Trust Quality Dividend ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +20.7%
- CSDVYFirst Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETFExpense ratio 0.58%1 year return +14.4%
- CVSDAVictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +12.3%
- CFDLFirst Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index FundExpense ratio 0.43%1 year return +23.6%