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DFAC vs THRO

Dimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

DFACANYSE Arca

iShares U.S. Thematic Rotation Active ETF

THROBNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

DFAC −0.40pt a year

DFAC0.17%THRO0.57%

Avg volume · 30D

DFAC 2.7×the volume

DFAC2MTHRO740K

3Y return · a year

THRO +2.0pt

DFAC+22.3%THRO+24.3%

DFAC vs THRO Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+16.1%DFAC+11.7%THRO

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. DFAC +16.1%. THRO +11.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−10%−5%0%5%20%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
DFAC 0.17%, better
THRO 0.57%
Fund size
DFAC $87.7B
THRO $7.33B
1Y total return
DFAC +16.1%, better
THRO +11.7%
Yield (12M)
DFAC 0.88%, better
THRO 0.30%
Holdings
DFAC 2553
THRO 248
Avg volume (30D)
DFAC 2M sh, better
THRO 740K sh
NAV per share
DFAC $44.87
THRO $43.06
52W range

ETF.net Grade

DFAC: Cost 94, Risk 66, Mission 100, Tradability 87, Holdings 87, Durability 97. THRO: Cost 61, Risk 56, Mission 72, Tradability 95, Holdings 57, Durability 89.
Pillar letters and Scores for DFAC, THRO, with each pillar’s weight
PillarDFACTHRO
Cost30% weightA94HigherB61
Mission25% weightA100HigherA72
Risk15% weightB66HigherB56
Tradability15% weightA87A95Higher
Holdings10% weightA87HigherB57
Durability5% weightA97HigherA89

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. DFAC and THRO 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 THRO 28th 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 28BLCAPPrincipal Capital Appreciation Select ETFScore 68
  6. Rank 28BTHROiShares U.S. Thematic Rotation Active ETFScore 68
  7. Rank 31BESNEssential 40 Stock ETFScore 67

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFACADimensional US Core Equity 2 ETF

THROBiShares U.S. Thematic Rotation Active ETF

In short

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.

THRO Most thematic ETFs make you pick the theme and the timing. THRO hands both jobs to BlackRock's active team, rotating a roughly 240-stock U.S. portfolio as themes move in and out of favor.

Stated mandate

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

THRO The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by actively adjusting its exposure to changing themes in the U.S. market.

Why people hold it

  • 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.
  • THRO You're buying the rotation, not one theme. Managers actively shift exposure across changing U.S. themes, spread over roughly 240 stocks instead of a dozen pure plays.ishares.com
  • Sits among the stronger implementations in the U.S. thematic group, and it's a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively rather than a thin novelty listing.
  • Live since 2021 and run under the iShares banner, so it comes with full-scale fund operations behind the stock picking.

Worth knowing

  • 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.
  • THRO 0.57% a year is what the theme calls cost. Broad U.S. index funds charge a small fraction of that, so the manager has ground to make up.
  • Active and index-free: no benchmark to check the work against, and the portfolio can look very different from the broad U.S. market at any moment.ishares.com
  • Built for long-term capital appreciation. Distributions come quarterly and are a byproduct, not the mandate.

Full DFAC profile⁠

Full THRO profile⁠

DFAC vs THRO 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.

DFAC vs THRO Cost

Overpaying THRO vs DFAC

$7,725

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

  • DFAC 0.17%

    $3,546

  • THRO 0.57%

    $11,271

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • DFAC 0.17%
  • THRO 0.57%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530THRO $11,271DFAC $3,546

Year by year

YearDFACTHROOverpaying
10$310$1,023$713
20$1,211$3,921$2,710
30$3,546$11,271$7,725

Expense ratio

  • 0.17%DFAC, cheaper
  • 0.57%THRO
  • Middle half of US Active Equity funds
  • Median 0.68%

DFAC 8th cheapest of 121 funds

THRO 50th cheapest of 121 funds

DFAC vs THRO Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
DFAC 0.88%, better
THRO 0.30%
Payout (12M)
DFAC $0.39
THRO $0.13
Last payment
DFAC $0.10
THRO $0.05
Ex-dividend
DFAC Sep 22, 2026
THRO Sep 15, 2026
Paid on
DFAC Sep 24, 2026
THRO Sep 18, 2026
Frequency
DFAC Quarterly
THRO Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2021 to 2026, same scale for both

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$0.2020232026YTD
THROQuarterly · 20 paymentsAll THRO payments⁠
One bar per payment. 20 payments from 2021 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2022 $0.04; Jun 9, 2022 $0.03; Sep 26, 2022 $0.05; Dec 13, 2022 $0.06; Mar 23, 2023 $0.04; Jun 7, 2023 $0.02; Sep 26, 2023 $0.03; Dec 20, 2023 $0.04; Mar 21, 2024 $0.01; Jun 11, 2024 $0.01; Sep 25, 2024 $0.03; Dec 17, 2024 $0.18; Dec 30, 2024 $0.0045; Mar 18, 2025 $0.0049; Jun 16, 2025 $0.008; Sep 16, 2025 $0.03; Dec 16, 2025 $0.01; Mar 17, 2026 $0.02; Jun 15, 2026 $0.05; Sep 15, 2026 $0.05. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.2020232026YTD

DFAC vs THRO Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
DFAC 12.6%, betterTHRO 13.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
DFAC 1.32THRO 1.33, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
DFAC −23.1%THRO −26.5%since Dec 2021
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
DFAC 0.99THRO 1.06

DFAC and THRO in the news

All news⁠

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