DGRO vs FTDS: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

DGROANYSE Arca

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF

FTDSCNasdaq

Overlap

8.0%by weight

Expense ratio

DGRO −0.62pt a year

DGRO0.08%FTDS0.70%

Avg volume · 30D

DGRO 634.3×the volume

DGRO1.39MFTDS2.19K

10Y return · a year

DGRO +2.2pt

DGRO+14.1%FTDS+11.9%

DGRO vs FTDS Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+71.0%DGRO+48.9%FTDS

Expense ratio: DGRO 0.08%, better; FTDS 0.70%
Fund size: DGRO $45.3B; FTDS $40M
1Y total return: DGRO +21.5%; FTDS +26.8%, better
Yield (12M): DGRO 1.84%, better; FTDS 1.57%
Holdings: DGRO 394; FTDS 51
Avg volume (30D): DGRO 1.39M sh, better; FTDS 2.19K sh
NAV per share: DGRO $81.00; FTDS $67.47
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for DGRO, FTDS, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	DGRO	FTDS
Cost30% weight	A88Higher	F0
Mission25% weight	A98Higher	A83
Risk15% weight	A77Higher	C46
Tradability15% weight	A90Higher	D27
Holdings10% weight	B62Higher	B61
Durability5% weight	A87Higher	C54

Rank among US Dividend Index funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. DGRO and FTDS are both graded against the same 52 US Dividend Index funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Dividend Index⁠

Category · 52 funds

See all 52 ›

DGRO ranks 1st and FTDS 46th of 52 funds in the US Dividend Index Category.

Rank 1ADGROiShares Core Dividend Growth ETFScore 86
Rank 2ASCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFScore 81
Rank 45CPEYInvesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETFScore 41
Rank 46CFTDSFirst Trust Dividend Strength ETFScore 40
Rank 46CTMDVProShares Russell U.S. Dividend Growers ETFScore 40

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DGROAiShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

FTDSCFirst Trust Dividend Strength ETF

In short

DGRO BlackRock's dividend-growth screen casts a wider net than most: five straight years of raises rather than ten, plus a payout-ratio cap that filters out stretched payers. About 400 US dividend raisers, large through small cap, for 0.08% a year.

FTDS A yield fund with a bouncer at the door: companies must clear debt, return-on-equity, payout and dividend-growth tests before the index ranks them by yield. The roughly 50 survivors get equal weight, rechecked every quarter.

Stated mandate

DGRO The fund seeks to follow an index of U.S. equities whose dividends have grown consistently.

FTDS The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance of The Dividend Strength Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

DGRO Costs 0.08% a year, a small fraction of the typical fee among US dividend-screen ETFs.
The screen has teeth: a qualified dividend, five years of uninterrupted dividend growth, a payout ratio under 75%, and the top decile of yielders cut before the other tests run.ishares.com
Roughly 400 names across large, mid and small caps, weighted by the dividend dollars each company pays rather than by market cap.ishares.com cib.barclays
Tracks the Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index about as tightly as this group gets, and it's an actively traded, multi-billion-dollar fund that has run since 2014.

FTDS Balance sheet first: long-term debt under 40% of market cap, ROE above 10%, payout under 50%, five-year dividend growth above 5%. Yield ranking comes after those gates.nasdaqomx.com ftportfolios.com
Equal weight across roughly 50 names, rebuilt quarterly, so no single mega-cap sets the tone.ftportfolios.com
Rules-based and passive: a Nasdaq-maintained index drawn from the Nasdaq US Benchmark, with liquidity screens. No manager picking favorites. Pays quarterly.nasdaqomx.com

Worth knowing

DGRO Chopping the highest-yielding decile is deliberate: this is built around payout growth and dividend durability, not the fattest current yield on the shelf.ishares.com
Only dividend payers qualify, so some of the market's biggest non-paying growth companies sit outside the portfolio by rule.ishares.com
Income arrives quarterly, not monthly, and this is plain US stock exposure: no buffer, no hedge, full equity risk.

FTDS 0.70% net of a waiver through April 30, 2027 (0.81% gross), above the category median. Big index rivals cost far less: SCHD 0.06%, VIG 0.04%.
A small fund that trades thinly, so the bid/ask spread is part of the cost of getting in and out.
The ticker dates to 2006, the strategy does not: it tracked Value Line, then AlphaDEX indexes, before switching to The Dividend Strength Index in April 2022.sec.gov

Full DGRO profile⁠

Full FTDS profile⁠

DGRO vs FTDS Holdings

How DGRO and FTDS differ

Overlap by weight

8.0%

Shared holdings make up 75.7% of FTDS and 8.0% of DGRO.

Level by level

Holdings38 in both8.0%
Sector10 Sectors68.6%
Countryby domicile99.2%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in DGRO and FTDS, widest gap first
Sector	More in DGROMore in FTDS	DGRO	FTDS
Energy	FTDS +16.3 points	5.8%	22.1%
Health Care	DGRO +13.7 points	17.6%	3.9%
Financials	FTDS +8.6 points	19.4%	28.0%
Utilities	DGRO +7.1 points	7.1%	0.0%
Consumer Staples	DGRO +6.8 points	12.6%	5.8%
Industrials	FTDS +5.0 points	11.2%	16.2%
Technology	DGRO +3.5 points	17.8%	14.3%
Materials	FTDS +1.5 points	2.4%	3.9%
Consumer Discretionary	DGRO +0.3 points	6.1%	5.8%
Communication	DGRO +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in DGRO and FTDS, widest gap first
Country	More in DGROMore in FTDS	DGRO	FTDS
United States	FTDS +0.8 points	99.2%	100.0%
Other countries (4)	DGRO +0.8 points	0.8%	0.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

DGRO27.1%
FTDS21.1%

Securities held

DGRO391
FTDS50

Asset class

DGRO: Equity
FTDS: Equity

Holdings

Only in DGRO353
In both38
Only in FTDS12

Only in DGRO

353 securities, 91.8% of DGRO by weight

Exxonmobil Holdings Corp3.33%
AbbVie3.05%
Microsoft3.04%
Apple3.04%
Johnson & Johnson2.78%
JPMorgan Chase & Co2.66%
Procter & Gamble2.42%
Broadcom Inc2.40%
Philip Morris International2.27%
Home Depot2.07%
Coca-Cola1.92%
UnitedHealth Group1.85%
Merck & Co Inc1.81%
Pepsico1.75%
International Business Machines Co1.52%
Eli Lilly1.48%
Cisco Systems Inc1.38%
Amgen Inc1.26%
Bank of America1.26%
Wells Fargo1.22%
Accenture PLC Class A1.20%
Mcdonalds Corp1.15%
Nextera Energy1.13%
Visa Class A1.09%
Walmart1.08%
Morgan Stanley1.00%
Gilead Sciences1.00%
Goldman Sachs Group0.98%
Abbott Laboratories0.93%
Citigroup0.87%
Rtx0.85%
Medtronic PLC0.82%
Southern0.81%
Duke Energy Corp0.78%
Lockheed Martin0.71%
BlackRock0.71%
Linde PLC0.69%
Mastercard Class A0.67%
Pnc Financial Services Group0.64%
Costco Wholesale Corp0.63%
Lowes Companies Inc0.62%
Automatic Data Processing Inc0.62%
Oracle0.61%
Mondelez International Class A0.59%
Analog Devices0.54%
Caterpillar Inc0.50%
Tjx0.49%
American Electric Power Inc0.47%
Cme Group Class A0.44%
American Express0.43%

Only in FTDS

12 securities, 24.1% of FTDS by weight

Equifax Inc.2.22%
Halliburton Company2.09%
APA Corporation2.08%
Targa Resources Corp.2.07%
Regions Financial Corporation2.02%
Devon Energy Corporation1.99%
Occidental Petroleum Corporation1.99%
CF Industries Holdings, Inc.1.98%
Chord Energy Corporation1.97%
Target Corporation1.94%
Baker Hughes Company (Class A)1.92%
Expand Energy Corporation1.88%

Weight gaps

All 38 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in DGRO and FTDS, widest gap first
Holding	More in DGROMore in FTDS	DGRO	FTDS
Oshkosh CorpOSK	FTDS +2.10 points	0.03%	2.13%
Texas Roadhouse IncTXRH	FTDS +2.06 points	0.04%	2.10%
ToroTTC	FTDS +2.04 points	0.04%	2.08%
Houlihan Lokey Class AHLI	FTDS +2.03 points	0.03%	2.06%
Jack Henry and Associates IncJKHY	FTDS +2.00 points	0.04%	2.04%
Everest GroupEG	FTDS +1.99 points	0.06%	2.05%
Nxp Semiconductors NVNXPI	FTDS +1.95 points	0.24%	2.19%
Avery Dennison CorpAVY	FTDS +1.94 points	0.07%	2.01%
Southstate Bank CorpSSB	FTDS +1.95 points	0.05%	2.00%
Rpm International IncRPM	FTDS +1.93 points	0.06%	1.99%
Cincinnati FinancialCINF	FTDS +1.92 points	0.13%	2.05%
Cullen Frost BankersCFR	FTDS +1.92 points	0.05%	1.97%
CdwCDW	FTDS +1.91 points	0.07%	1.98%
East West BancorpEWBC	FTDS +1.90 points	0.10%	2.00%
Tractor SupplyTSCO	FTDS +1.88 points	0.10%	1.98%
Commerce BancsharesCBSH	FTDS +1.89 points	0.03%	1.92%
Mccormick & Co Non-VotingMKC	FTDS +1.88 points	0.10%	1.98%
Ingredion IncINGR	FTDS +1.88 points	0.04%	1.92%
Broadridge Financial Solutions IncBR	FTDS +1.88 points	0.10%	1.98%
Wr BerkleyWRB	FTDS +1.87 points	0.03%	1.90%
PopularBPOP	FTDS +1.87 points	0.04%	1.91%
Principal Financial Group IncPFG	FTDS +1.84 points	0.15%	1.99%
Snap On IncSNA	FTDS +1.78 points	0.10%	1.88%
Cognizant Technology Solutions ClaCTSH	FTDS +1.78 points	0.13%	1.91%
Hartford Insurance GroupHIG	FTDS +1.76 points	0.14%	1.90%
AflacAFL	FTDS +1.75 points	0.25%	2.00%
General Dynamics CorpGD	FTDS +1.75 points	0.35%	2.10%
Northrop Grumman CorpNOC	FTDS +1.75 points	0.33%	2.08%
IntuitINTU	FTDS +1.74 points	0.29%	2.03%
Zoetis Inc Class AZTS	FTDS +1.75 points	0.20%	1.95%
MarshMRSH	FTDS +1.63 points	0.44%	2.07%
Cummins IncCMI	FTDS +1.59 points	0.23%	1.82%
Elevance Health IncELV	FTDS +1.58 points	0.32%	1.90%
Eog ResourcesEOG	FTDS +1.50 points	0.53%	2.03%
Phillips 66PSX	FTDS +1.38 points	0.49%	1.87%
Union PacificUNP	FTDS +1.27 points	0.77%	2.04%
ConocophillipsCOP	FTDS +1.04 points	1.00%	2.04%
QualcommQCOM	FTDS +1.03 points	0.83%	1.86%

All 391 DGRO holdings⁠All 50 FTDS 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.

DGRO vs FTDS Cost

Overpaying FTDS vs DGRO

$11,917

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

DGRO 0.08%
$1,689
FTDS 0.70%
$13,606

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

DGRO 0.08%
FTDS 0.70%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	DGRO	FTDS	Overpaying
10	$147	$1,250	$1,103
20	$575	$4,760	$4,185
30	$1,689	$13,606	$11,917

Expense ratio

0.08%DGRO, cheaper
0.70%FTDS

DGRO0.08%FTDS0.70%

0.04%0.70%

Middle half of US Dividend Index funds
Median 0.35%

DGRO 8th cheapest of 52 funds

FTDS 52nd cheapest of 52 funds

DGRO vs FTDS Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): DGRO 1.84%, better; FTDS 1.57%
Payout (12M): DGRO $1.49; FTDS $1.06
Last payment: DGRO $0.39; FTDS $0.31
Ex-dividend: DGRO Sep 15, 2026; FTDS Sep 24, 2026
Paid on: DGRO Sep 18, 2026; FTDS Sep 30, 2026
Frequency: DGRO Quarterly; FTDS Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

DGROQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll DGRO payments⁠

FTDSQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll FTDS payments⁠

DGRO vs FTDS Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

DGRO
FTDS

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: DGRO 10.8%, betterFTDS 14.3%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: DGRO 1.47, betterFTDS 1.08
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: DGRO −19.3%, betterFTDS −23.4%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: DGRO 0.67FTDS 0.59; Market = 1

DGRO and FTDS in the news

All news⁠

Best ETFs
The best growth ETF is the cheap one on the index you want
Updated Nov 2, 2026DGRO
Best ETFs
For a rising dividend, iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF ranks first
Updated Nov 2, 2026DGRO
New ETFs
Eventide lists two ETFs at 0.75% and 0.95% for strategies it already runs
Oct 30, 2026DGRO
Best ETFs
Schwab's dividend ETF returned 22.8% in a year. Its income rate still trails a one-month bill.
Updated Oct 2, 2026DGRO
Income Watch
A 25.22% distribution rate met a -0.32% SEC yield as the 10-year paid 5.01%
Sep 20, 2026DGRO
New ETFs
Raub Brock lists HQDG, an active dividend-growth ETF priced at 0.50%
Sep 8, 2026DGRO

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DGRO vs FTDS

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it