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DGRO vs SDVY

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

DGROANYSE Arca

First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF

SDVYCNasdaq

Overlap

Expense ratio

DGRO −0.50pt a year

DGRO0.08%SDVY0.58%

Avg volume · 30D

DGRO 1.5×the volume

DGRO1.39MSDVY912K

5Y return · a year

DGRO +2.1pt

DGRO+11.2%SDVY+9.1%

DGRO vs SDVY Performance

Nov 2, 2021 – Nov 2, 2026

+70.2%DGRO+54.8%SDVY

Nov 2, 2021 to Nov 2, 2026. DGRO +70.2%. SDVY +54.8%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%0%20%40%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026
Expense ratio
DGRO 0.08%, better
SDVY 0.58%
Fund size
DGRO $45.3B
SDVY $11.1B
1Y total return
DGRO +21.8%, better
SDVY +15.7%
Yield (12M)
DGRO 1.84%, better
SDVY 0.98%
Holdings
DGRO 394
SDVY 173
Avg volume (30D)
DGRO 1.39M sh, better
SDVY 912K sh
NAV per share
DGRO $81.00
SDVY $42.03
52W range

ETF.net Grade

DGRO: Cost 88, Risk 77, Mission 98, Tradability 91, Holdings 62, Durability 87. SDVY: Cost 12, Risk 15, Mission 86, Tradability 87, Holdings 84, Durability 71.
Pillar letters and Scores for DGRO, SDVY, with each pillar’s weight
PillarDGROSDVY
Cost30% weightA88HigherF12
Mission25% weightA98HigherA86
Risk15% weightA77HigherF15
Tradability15% weightA91HigherA87
Holdings10% weightB62A84Higher
Durability5% weightA87HigherA71

Rank among US Dividend Index funds

Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. DGRO and SDVY 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 SDVY 30th of 52 funds in the US Dividend Index Category.

  1. Rank 1ADGROiShares Core Dividend Growth ETFScore 86
  2. Rank 2ASCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFScore 81
  3. Rank 30CPFMInvesco Dividend Achievers ETFScore 52
  4. Rank 30CSDVYFirst Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETFScore 52
  5. Rank 33CQDEFNorthern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive ETFScore 51

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DGROAiShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

SDVYCFirst Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers 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.

SDVY Most dividend-growth funds fish in blue-chip waters. SDVY takes the same idea down the size scale: a Nasdaq index of small and mid cap US companies with a record of raising their payouts, run by First Trust since 2017.

Stated mandate

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

SDVY The Fund seeks to provide returns generally corresponding to the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index before fees and expenses. It normally invests at least 90% of net assets in securities included in that Index.

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.comcib.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.
  • SDVY Rising-dividend screening applied where it is uncommon. The heavyweights of this category (SCHD, VIG, DGRO) sit in large caps; SDVY runs the screen across US small and mid caps instead.
  • Rules, not hunches. At least 90% of net assets stay in the Nasdaq US Small Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index, which selects on dividend growth alongside growth and quality traits.
  • Spread thin on purpose: roughly 190 holdings, a multi-billion-dollar asset base, and heavy day-to-day trading volume for a small/mid cap strategy. Distributions come quarterly.

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.
  • SDVY Cost is the trade-off: 0.58% a year, above the dividend-screen median, and many times what the large-cap incumbents charge (SCHD 0.06%, VIG 0.04%).
  • Smaller companies move harder in both directions, and this fund's ride has been rougher than that of large-cap dividend peers.
  • It screens for dividends that are rising, not dividends that are large, so current income here generally runs below what high-yield-focused funds pay.

Full DGRO profile⁠

Full SDVY profile⁠

DGRO vs SDVY 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 SDVY Cost

Overpaying SDVY vs DGRO

$9,764

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

  • DGRO 0.08%

    $1,689

  • SDVY 0.58%

    $11,453

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • DGRO 0.08%
  • SDVY 0.58%
  • 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$12.5K051015202530SDVY $11,453DGRO $1,689

Year by year

YearDGROSDVYOverpaying
10$147$1,041$894
20$575$3,986$3,411
30$1,689$11,453$9,764

Expense ratio

  • 0.08%DGRO, cheaper
  • 0.58%SDVY
  • Middle half of US Dividend Index funds
  • Median 0.35%

DGRO 8th cheapest of 52 funds

SDVY 46th cheapest of 52 funds

DGRO vs SDVY Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026
Yield (12M)
DGRO 1.84%, better
SDVY 0.98%
Payout (12M)
DGRO $1.49
SDVY $0.42
Last payment
DGRO $0.39
SDVY $0.10
Ex-dividend
DGRO Sep 15, 2026
SDVY Sep 24, 2026
Paid on
DGRO Sep 18, 2026
SDVY Sep 30, 2026
Frequency
DGRO Quarterly
SDVY Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

DGROQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll DGRO payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.16; Jun 27, 2017 $0.19; Sep 26, 2017 $0.16; Dec 19, 2017 $0.19; Mar 22, 2018 $0.19; Jun 26, 2018 $0.19; Sep 26, 2018 $0.23; Dec 17, 2018 $0.20; Mar 20, 2019 $0.22; Jun 17, 2019 $0.23; Sep 24, 2019 $0.25; Dec 16, 2019 $0.23; Mar 25, 2020 $0.25; Jun 15, 2020 $0.25; Sep 23, 2020 $0.26; Dec 14, 2020 $0.27; Mar 25, 2021 $0.26; Jun 10, 2021 $0.26; Sep 24, 2021 $0.25; Dec 13, 2021 $0.30; Mar 24, 2022 $0.26; Jun 9, 2022 $0.23; Sep 26, 2022 $0.34; Dec 13, 2022 $0.33; Mar 23, 2023 $0.30; Jun 7, 2023 $0.26; Sep 26, 2023 $0.39; Dec 20, 2023 $0.37; Mar 21, 2024 $0.31; Jun 11, 2024 $0.29; Sep 25, 2024 $0.40; Dec 17, 2024 $0.38; Mar 18, 2025 $0.31; Jun 16, 2025 $0.32; Sep 16, 2025 $0.37; Dec 16, 2025 $0.45; Mar 17, 2026 $0.33; Jun 15, 2026 $0.33; Sep 15, 2026 $0.39. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD
SDVYQuarterly · 36 paymentsAll SDVY payments⁠
One bar per payment. 36 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 21, 2017 $0.06; Mar 22, 2018 $0.05; Jun 21, 2018 $0.05; Sep 14, 2018 $0.07; Dec 18, 2018 $0.10; Mar 21, 2019 $0.05; Jun 14, 2019 $0.13; Sep 25, 2019 $0.06; Dec 13, 2019 $0.13; Mar 26, 2020 $0.08; Jun 25, 2020 $0.09; Sep 24, 2020 $0.06; Dec 24, 2020 $0.13; Mar 25, 2021 $0.04; Jun 24, 2021 $0.08; Sep 23, 2021 $0.08; Dec 23, 2021 $0.12; Mar 25, 2022 $0.07; Jun 24, 2022 $0.15; Sep 23, 2022 $0.14; Dec 23, 2022 $0.23; Mar 24, 2023 $0.13; Jun 27, 2023 $0.21; Sep 22, 2023 $0.10; Dec 22, 2023 $0.18; Mar 21, 2024 $0.10; Jun 27, 2024 $0.15; Sep 26, 2024 $0.14; Dec 13, 2024 $0.18; Mar 27, 2025 $0.16; Jun 26, 2025 $0.12; Sep 25, 2025 $0.10; Dec 12, 2025 $0.13; Mar 26, 2026 $0.10; Jun 25, 2026 $0.09; Sep 24, 2026 $0.10. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD

DGRO vs SDVY Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • DGRO
  • SDVY
Nov 2, 2021 to Nov 2, 2026. Worst fall: SDVY −26.1% · Apr 2025. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%−20%−15%−10%−5%0%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
DGRO 10.8%, betterSDVY 18.1%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
DGRO 1.47, betterSDVY 0.75
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
DGRO −19.3%, betterSDVY −26.1%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
DGRO 0.67SDVY 1.02

DGRO and SDVY in the news

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