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BROL vs DFAC

Baron Risk Optimized Large Cap ETF

BROLBNYSE

Dimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

DFACANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

DFAC −0.28pt a year

BROL0.45%DFAC0.17%

Avg volume · 30D

DFAC 633.2×the volume

BROL3.17KDFAC2M

BROL vs DFAC Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

+2.3%BROL+1.1%DFAC

Jul 31, 2026 to Oct 30, 2026. BROL +2.3%. DFAC +1.1%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%3%4%5%6%Jul 2026Sep 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
BROL 0.45%
DFAC 0.17%, better
Fund size
BROL $308M
DFAC $87.7B
1Y total return
BROL No data
DFAC +16.1%
Yield (12M)
BROL No data
DFAC 0.88%
Holdings
BROL 66
DFAC 2553
Avg volume (30D)
BROL 3.17K sh
DFAC 2M sh, better
NAV per share
BROL $25.74
DFAC $44.87
52W range

ETF.net Grade

BROL: Cost 71, Risk 63, Mission not scored, Tradability 27, Holdings 63, Durability 54. DFAC: Cost 94, Risk 66, Mission 100, Tradability 87, Holdings 87, Durability 97.
Pillar letters and Scores for BROL, DFAC, with each pillar’s weight
PillarBROLDFAC
Cost30% weightA71A94Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredA100
Risk15% weightB63B66Higher
Tradability15% weightD27A87Higher
Holdings10% weightB63A87Higher
Durability5% weightC54A97Higher

Rank among US Active Equity funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. BROL and DFAC are both graded against the same 121 US Active Equity funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Active Equity⁠

Category · 121 funds
See all 121 ›

DFAC ranks 3rd and BROL 48th of 121 funds in the US Active Equity Category.

  1. Rank 1AAVLCAvantis U.S. Large Cap Equity ETFScore 87
  2. Rank 2ADFAUDimensional US Core Equity Market ETFScore 86
  3. Rank 3ADFACDimensional US Core Equity 2 ETFScore 85
  4. Rank 4ADYNFiShares U.S. Equity Factor Rotation Active ETFScore 83
  5. Rank 44BXCHGAb US Equity ETFScore 59
  6. Rank 48BBROLBaron Risk Optimized Large Cap ETFScore 58
  7. Rank 48BLCDSJPMorgan Fundamental Data Science Large Core ETFScore 58

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

BROLBBaron Risk Optimized Large Cap ETF

DFACADimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

In short

BROL Baron has picked growth stocks since 1982. BROL is the buttoned-up version: the same bottom-up research, wrapped in a risk framework targeting low beta and low tracking error so the portfolio strays less from its large-cap benchmark.

DFAC Dimensional's whole-market workhorse: roughly 2,600 US stocks in one ticker, run by managers who weigh federal tax consequences before they trade, at a fee closer to index funds than to active ones.

Stated mandate

BROL The Fund seeks capital appreciation.

DFAC The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation while considering federal income-tax implications in its investment decisions.

Why people hold it

  • BROL Active management for 0.45% a year, against a 0.70% median for US active equity funds. Cheap-for-active pricing on a strategy built around Baron's own stock research.
  • Risk optimization is the product, not a footnote: defined parameters for beta, growth factor exposure and tracking error sit on top of the stock picks.businesswire.com
  • Run by Michael Lippert, a Baron portfolio manager and its head of technology research, inside an active ETF lineup from a firm that has invested this way since 1982.businesswire.com
  • DFAC 0.17% a year for an actively run fund, well under the median fee among active US equity ETFs.
  • About 2,600 US stocks under one ticker, so it holds the market broadly rather than a narrow slice of it.
  • Federal income-tax implications sit inside the stated objective, not in a footnote, so they factor into what managers buy and sell.
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund with a track record running back to 2007 and one of the strongest implementations in its peer group.

Worth knowing

  • BROL Launched in 2026, so the track record is short, the asset base is small and trading is thin. Spreads can run wider than on the giant funds sharing its shelf.
  • Cheap for active is not cheap outright: systematic large-cap peers such as DFAU (0.12%) and AVLC (0.15%) charge a fraction of it.
  • Low tracking error cuts both ways: the design keeps the fund close to large-cap growth rather than dramatically different from it.businesswire.com
  • DFAC Actively managed, so there's no published index to check it against. Holdings and tilts shift at the managers' discretion.
  • Dimensional's own DFAU runs a US core equity mandate for 0.12%, a slightly lighter fee for a similar shelf.
  • All stocks, all US: the mandate is capital appreciation from equities, so it takes the market's full swings, and cash arrives quarterly.

Full BROL profile⁠

Full DFAC profile⁠

BROL vs DFAC Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

BROL vs DFAC Cost

Overpaying BROL vs DFAC

$5,495

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • BROL 0.45%

    $9,041

  • DFAC 0.17%

    $3,546

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BROL 0.45%
  • DFAC 0.17%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K$10K051015202530BROL $9,041DFAC $3,546

Year by year

YearBROLDFACOverpaying
10$812$310$502
20$3,128$1,211$1,917
30$9,041$3,546$5,495

Expense ratio

  • 0.45%BROL
  • 0.17%DFAC, cheaper
  • Middle half of US Active Equity funds
  • Median 0.68%

DFAC 8th cheapest of 121 funds

BROL 34th cheapest of 121 funds

BROL vs DFAC Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
BROL No data
DFAC 0.88%
Payout (12M)
BROL None
DFAC $0.39
Last payment
BROL No data
DFAC $0.10
Ex-dividend
BROL No data
DFAC Sep 22, 2026
Paid on
BROL No data
DFAC Sep 24, 2026
Frequency
BROL No data
DFAC Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2021 to 2026, same scale for both

BROLAll BROL payments⁠

No distribution history available.

DFACQuarterly · 22 paymentsAll DFAC payments⁠
One bar per payment. 22 payments from 2021 to 2026 YTD. Jun 22, 2021 $0.06; Sep 21, 2021 $0.08; Dec 16, 2021 $0.11; Mar 22, 2022 $0.06; Jun 22, 2022 $0.09; Sep 20, 2022 $0.09; Dec 20, 2022 $0.12; Mar 21, 2023 $0.06; Jun 21, 2023 $0.09; Sep 19, 2023 $0.10; Dec 19, 2023 $0.10; Mar 19, 2024 $0.07; Jun 18, 2024 $0.10; Sep 17, 2024 $0.09; Dec 17, 2024 $0.10; Mar 25, 2025 $0.08; Jun 24, 2025 $0.11; Sep 23, 2025 $0.11; Dec 16, 2025 $0.09; Mar 24, 2026 $0.10; Jun 23, 2026 $0.11; Sep 22, 2026 $0.10. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.1020232026YTD

BROL vs DFAC Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
BROL No dataDFAC 12.6%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
BROL No dataDFAC 1.32
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
BROL No dataDFAC −23.1%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
BROL 1.09DFAC 0.99

BROL and DFAC in the news

All news⁠

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