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DFMC vs SMIZ

U.S. Micro Cap Portfolio ETF

DFMCANYSE Arca

Zacks Small/Mid Cap ETF

SMIZBNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

DFMC −0.12pt a year

DFMC0.43%SMIZ0.55%

Avg volume · 30D

SMIZ 1.3×the volume

DFMC25.9KSMIZ32.6K

DFMC vs SMIZ Performance

Aug 3, 2026 – Nov 3, 2026

−3.7%DFMC−3.8%SMIZ

Aug 3, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026. DFMC −3.7%. SMIZ −3.8%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−6%−2%0%2%4%Aug 2026Sep 2026Nov 2026
Expense ratio
DFMC 0.43%, better
SMIZ 0.55%
Fund size
DFMC $7.64B
SMIZ $275M
1Y total return
DFMC No data
SMIZ +10.5%
Yield (12M)
DFMC No data
SMIZ 0.56%
Holdings
DFMC 1733
SMIZ 200
Avg volume (30D)
DFMC 25.9K sh
SMIZ 32.6K sh, better
NAV per share
DFMC $58.70
SMIZ $40.90
52W range

ETF.net Grade

DFMC: Cost 68, Risk 80, Mission not scored, Tradability 74, Holdings 93, Durability 99. SMIZ: Cost 54, Risk 32, Mission 59, Tradability 64, Holdings 80, Durability 68.
Pillar letters and Scores for DFMC, SMIZ, with each pillar’s weight
PillarDFMCSMIZ
Cost30% weightB68HigherC54
Mission25% weightNot scoredB59
Risk15% weightA80HigherD32
Tradability15% weightA74HigherB64
Holdings10% weightA93HigherA80
Durability5% weightA99HigherB68

Rank among US Active Small/Mid-Cap funds

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

Same Category. DFMC and SMIZ are both graded against the same 47 US Active Small/Mid-Cap funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Active Small/Mid-Cap⁠

Category · 47 funds
See all 47 ›

DFMC ranks 3rd and SMIZ 16th of 47 funds in the US Active Small/Mid-Cap Category.

  1. Rank 1AAVMCAvantis U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETFScore 89
  2. Rank 2AFEMVFidelity Enhanced Mid Cap Value ETFScore 80
  3. Rank 3ADFMCU.S. Micro Cap Portfolio ETFScore 77
  4. Rank 4AJMEEJPMorgan Small & Mid Cap Enhanced Equity ETFScore 74
  5. Rank 16BSMIGBahl & Gaynor Small/Mid Cap Income Growth ETFScore 56
  6. Rank 16BSMIZZacks Small/Mid Cap ETFScore 56
  7. Rank 18BSMCOHilton Small-MidCap Opportunity ETFScore 55

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFMCAU.S. Micro Cap Portfolio ETF

SMIZBZacks Small/Mid Cap ETF

In short

DFMC Dimensional's micro-cap workhorse: a systematic sweep of the smallest US listed companies, a strategy dating to 1981, now in an ETF wrapper. Not an index tracker, and it charges less than the typical active US equity fund.

SMIZ Zacks built its name on tracking analyst earnings-estimate revisions. SMIZ is that research run as an active US small/mid blend: 150-250 names, rebalanced monthly, at 0.55% net of a waiver through April 1, 2027.

Stated mandate

DFMC The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

SMIZ The Fund seeks positive risk-adjusted returns through investments in equity securities of small and midsize U.S. companies and related derivatives.

Why people hold it

  • DFMC Charges 0.43% a year, well under the median for active US equity funds, so the fee takes a smaller bite out of a hard-to-reach corner of the market.
  • The strategy dates to 1981 and now runs as a multi-billion-dollar portfolio: an unusually long run for anything pointed at micro caps.
  • Systematic rather than index-bound. Dimensional sifts the small end of the US market by its own rules instead of copying a published micro-cap benchmark.dimensional.com
  • One of the stronger implementations among the active US equity funds we grade, with risk control and portfolio construction the standout pieces.
  • SMIZ The engine is Zacks' home turf: upward earnings estimate revisions, their size, how recent estimates land versus consensus, and the frequency of earnings surprises. Scored on Zacks data, rebalanced monthly.sec.gov
  • Genuinely blended, not small-cap wearing a smid label: the prospectus pins about 30%-70% of assets in each sleeve, so neither end of the size range quietly takes over the portfolio.sec.gov
  • Wide for a stock-picking fund: 150-250 positions, any economic sector, drawn from the Russell 2000 and Russell Midcap universes. One bad quarter at one holding stays a rounding error.sec.gov
  • Priced near the middle of the active small/mid pack: 0.55% net of a waiver through April 1, 2027, against a 0.60% gross ratio.

Worth knowing

  • DFMC Thinly traded next to the big index names, so the cost of getting in and out can matter as much as the expense ratio, especially for larger orders.
  • It costs more than Dimensional's broad-market siblings, DFAU at 0.12% and DFAC at 0.17%, which own far bigger, more liquid companies.
  • Micro caps are the choppy end of the US market, and owning them is the entire job here. The mandate is long-term capital appreciation, not income.
  • SMIZ You pay for the human and the model. Rules-based rivals in the same aisle run cheaper, including AVMC at 0.18% and JMEE at 0.35%, both without waivers propping up the number.
  • Thinly traded next to the category's heavyweights, so bid-ask spreads and order timing carry more weight here than with the big index smid funds.
  • Young by fund standards (listed in 2023), and distributions arrive annually or semiannually rather than on a monthly drip.

Full DFMC profile⁠

Full SMIZ profile⁠

DFMC vs SMIZ 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.

DFMC vs SMIZ Cost

Overpaying SMIZ vs DFMC

$2,242

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

  • DFMC 0.43%

    $8,662

  • SMIZ 0.55%

    $10,904

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • DFMC 0.43%
  • SMIZ 0.55%
  • 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$12.5K051015202530SMIZ $10,904DFMC $8,662

Year by year

YearDFMCSMIZOverpaying
10$776$988$212
20$2,994$3,790$796
30$8,662$10,904$2,242

Expense ratio

  • 0.43%DFMC, cheaper
  • 0.55%SMIZ
  • Middle half of US Active Small/Mid-Cap funds
  • Median 0.55%

DFMC 15th cheapest of 47 funds

SMIZ 20th cheapest of 47 funds

DFMC vs SMIZ Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 3, 2026
Yield (12M)
DFMC No data
SMIZ 0.56%
Payout (12M)
DFMC No data
SMIZ $0.23
Last payment
DFMC $0.15
SMIZ $0.23
Ex-dividend
DFMC Sep 29, 2026
SMIZ Dec 29, 2025
Paid on
DFMC Oct 1, 2026
SMIZ Jan 2, 2026
Frequency
DFMC Quarterly
SMIZ Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

DFMCQuarterly · 2 paymentsAll DFMC payments⁠
One bar per payment. 2 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Jun 29, 2026 $0.13; Sep 29, 2026 $0.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD
SMIZAnnual · 3 paymentsAll SMIZ payments⁠
One bar per payment. 3 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Dec 22, 2023 $0.02; Dec 27, 2024 $0.52; Dec 29, 2025 $0.23. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD

DFMC vs SMIZ Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
DFMC No dataSMIZ 17.2%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
DFMC No dataSMIZ 0.92
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
DFMC No dataSMIZ −25.0%since Oct 2023
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
DFMC 0.53SMIZ 1.17

DFMC and SMIZ in the news

All news⁠

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