IDV vs IGRO

IDVBiShares International Select Dividend ETF

IGROAiShares International Dividend Growth ETF

In short

IDV One of the original international dividend ETFs (2007). IDV runs a tight list, roughly 100 higher-yielding companies across developed markets outside the US, and sticks closely to the index it tracks.

IGRO Dividend growth, not dividend yield, taken overseas. IGRO tracks a Morningstar index of non-US companies with a habit of raising their payouts, spread across roughly 500 names, for a fee that undercuts most of the international dividend shelf.

Stated mandate

IDV The Fund seeks to track an index of relatively high-dividend-paying equities in non-U.S. developed markets, providing exposure to dividend-focused international companies.

IGRO The fund seeks to track an index of international stocks with a history of growing dividends, providing dividend-focused international equity exposure for income and long-term growth.

Why people hold it

• IDV A 2007 launch makes it one of the longest-running funds in the international dividend aisle, and it has grown into a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively.
• Follows the Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index closely, one of the tighter index implementations among its dividend-screen peers.
• Pays quarterly and draws its income from developed markets outside the US, a different dividend pool than an S&P 500 income fund.

• IGRO Costs 0.15% a year, well under the typical fee for an international dividend screen.
• Does what the label says: it follows the Morningstar Global ex-US Dividend Growth Index closely, one of the tightest index-to-portfolio matches in its peer group.
• Roughly 500 non-US payers, so no single dividend carries the fund. Cash goes out quarterly.

Worth knowing

• IDV The 0.50% expense ratio sits at the category median but far above cheap index rivals such as VYMI (0.07%) and SCHY (0.08%).
• About 100 names is a narrow slice of the developed world, so individual countries, sectors and companies swing results more than in a broad international index.
• Holdings are priced in foreign currencies, so exchange-rate moves feed into returns alongside the dividends themselves.ishares.com

• IGRO It trades thin next to heavyweights like VYMI, so limit orders and calmer mid-session trading matter more here.
• The screen targets payout growth, not the fattest yields, so income tends to run lighter than yield-first international funds.
• Cheaper neighbors exist: VIGI at 0.07% and SCHY at 0.08%, though each tracks a different index with a different holdings list.

Full IDV profile⁠

Full IGRO profile⁠