Category Review
Index option income was not one bet this year
State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF
$162.86+2.14 (+1.33%)
- 0.35%
- $23.8B
- +20.2%
- 2.35%
- 197K sh
- low $135.30high $162.31
The ETF.net SDY Grade
A
Score 75 out of 100
- 1 of 7
Score 75 of 100 falls in the A 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.B65 out of 100Rank 2 of 7Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A91 out of 100Rank 2 of 7Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B67 out of 100Rank 3 of 7Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A80 out of 100Rank 2 of 7Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B69 out of 100Rank 2 of 7Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A80 out of 100Rank 1 of 7
Our read on SDY
In short
AThe aristocrat fund that doesn't stop at the S&P 500. It fishes the whole S&P Composite 1500 for companies with at least 20 straight years of dividend increases, then weights them by yield, so the fattest payers get the biggest seats.
Stated mandate
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index. The index selects S&P Composite 1500 companies with at least 20 consecutive years of dividend increases and weights them by indicated yield.
Why people hold it
Worth knowing
SDY Holdings
- Stocks
- 158
- 21%
- ACN
Sectors
- Industrials18.6%
- Consumer Staples15.6%
- Utilities13.0%
- Financials12.1%
- Technology9.6%
- Health Care8.4%
- Materials7.4%
- Consumer Discretionary5.1%
- Energy3.9%
- Real Estate3.8%
- Communication2.8%
Geography
- United States98.57%
- United Kingdom0.90%
- Switzerland0.53%
SDY Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
SDY$12,019
Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 | SDY |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +17.7% |
| 1 month | +9.7% |
| 3 months | +4.3% |
| 1 year | +20.2% |
| 3 years | +15.8% |
| 5 years | +8.3% |
| 10 years | +10.3% |
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 | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +17.7% | |
| 2025 | +8.2% | |
| 2024 | +8.4% | |
| 2023 | +2.6% | |
| 2022 | −0.5% | |
| 2021 | +25.4% | |
| 2020 | +1.8% |
SDY in the news
SDY Dividends
- 2.35%
- $3.78
- $0.92 per share
- Quarterly
SDY Risk
- 13.2%
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.
- 0.85
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.
- −15.2%
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.
- 0.58
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.
SDY Cost
Overpaying vs SNPD, cheapest in Dividend Aristocrats
$3,989
On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.
SDY 0.35%
$7,126
SNPD 0.15% Cheapest
$3,137
Cost over time
Year by year
| Year | SDY | SNPD | Overpaying |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $634 | $274 | $360 |
| 20 | $2,454 | $1,071 | $1,383 |
| 30 | $7,126 | $3,137 | $3,989 |
Other funds in Dividend Aristocrats
- ANOBLProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +19.0%
- BREGLProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +15.2%
- BWDIVState Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +19.5%
- CKNGZFirst Trust S&P 500 Diversified Dividend Aristocrats ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +25.9%
- CSNPDXtrackers S&P Dividend Aristocrats Screened ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return +21.0%
