KNGZ vs SDY: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

First Trust S&P 500 Diversified Dividend Aristocrats ETF

KNGZCNasdaq

State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF

SDYANYSE Arca

Overlap

30.4%by weight

Expense ratio

SDY −0.15pt a year

KNGZ0.50%SDY0.35%

Avg volume · 30D

SDY 34.3×the volume

KNGZ5.75KSDY197K

5Y return · a year

KNGZ +2.7pt

KNGZ+11.0%SDY+8.3%

KNGZ vs SDY Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+68.4%KNGZ+48.9%SDY

Expense ratio: KNGZ 0.50%; SDY 0.35%, better
Fund size: KNGZ $69M; SDY $23.8B
1Y total return: KNGZ +25.9%, better; SDY +20.2%
Yield (12M): KNGZ 2.45%, better; SDY 2.35%
Holdings: KNGZ 99; SDY 158
Avg volume (30D): KNGZ 5.75K sh; SDY 197K sh, better
NAV per share: KNGZ $43.39; SDY $160.21
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for KNGZ, SDY, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	KNGZ	SDY
Cost30% weight	F23	B65Higher
Mission25% weight	A73	A91Higher
Risk15% weight	C44	B67Higher
Tradability15% weight	D30	A80Higher
Holdings10% weight	D28	B69Higher
Durability5% weight	C44	A80Higher

Rank among Dividend Aristocrats funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. KNGZ and SDY are both graded against the same 7 Dividend Aristocrats funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Dividend Aristocrats⁠

Category · 7 funds

See all 7 ›

SDY ranks 1st and KNGZ 5th of 7 funds in the Dividend Aristocrats Category.

Rank 1ASDYState Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETFScore 75
Rank 2ANOBLProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETFScore 70
Rank 3BWDIVState Street SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETFScore 57
Rank 5CKNGZFirst Trust S&P 500 Diversified Dividend Aristocrats ETFScore 41
Rank 6CSNPDXtrackers S&P Dividend Aristocrats Screened ETFScore 40

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

KNGZCFirst Trust S&P 500 Diversified Dividend Aristocrats ETF

SDYAState Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF

In short

KNGZ Dividend Aristocrats with a diversification rule bolted on: KNGZ tracks a sector-neutral S&P 500 dividend-grower index, so sector weights are set by design instead of drifting toward wherever the dividend growers happen to cluster.

SDY The aristocrat fund that doesn't stop at the S&P 500. It fishes the whole S&P Composite 1500 for companies with at least 20 straight years of dividend increases, then weights them by yield, so the fattest payers get the biggest seats.

Stated mandate

KNGZ The Fund seeks to track the price and yield of the S&P 500 Sector-Neutral Dividend Aristocrats Index. It normally invests at least 90% of assets in index securities and uses an indexing approach.

SDY The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index. The index selects S&P Composite 1500 companies with at least 20 consecutive years of dividend increases and weights them by indicated yield.

Why people hold it

KNGZ The "diversified" in the name is structural: a sector-neutral index of roughly 100 dividend payers, so no single sector quietly becomes the whole portfolio.ftportfolios.com
Plain index plumbing: normally at least 90% of assets in index securities, no manager discretion, and it has stayed close to the benchmark it names.ftportfolios.com
Live since 2017 as a First Trust index tracker, with distributions on a quarterly schedule.

SDY The bar is 20 consecutive years of dividend increases, drawn from the S&P Composite 1500, so seasoned mid- and small-cap raisers can make the cut alongside megacaps.ssga.com
Weighting is by indicated yield, not market cap. Money flows toward the higher-yielding survivors of the screen rather than the biggest companies in it.ssga.com
0.35% a year, below the typical fee among dividend aristocrat index funds, and it holds roughly 160 names rather than a token handful.
Trading since 2005, now a multi-billion-dollar fund that has stayed tight to its index. One of the strongest implementations in its aristocrat peer group.

Worth knowing

KNGZ Cost is the trade-off: 0.50% a year against a 0.40% peer median, and SPDG runs sector-neutral S&P dividend exposure for 0.05%.
Thinly traded with a modest asset base, so spreads and order type matter more here than in the category's household names.
It sits in the lower half of its dividend-aristocrat peer group overall, with fee and trading costs, not index tracking, driving that.

SDY Yield weighting is a tilt, not a neutral stance: the largest positions are the highest payers, which pulls the portfolio toward slower-growth, high-payout corners of the market.
Not the cheap seat in the category. Sector-neutral dividend indexing is available for a fraction of the fee, for example SPDG at 0.05%.
Distributions land quarterly, not monthly, and a long raise streak describes a company's past behavior, not a commitment.

Full KNGZ profile⁠

Full SDY profile⁠

KNGZ vs SDY Holdings

How KNGZ and SDY differ

Overlap by weight

30.4%

Shared holdings make up 49.8% of KNGZ and 45.7% of SDY.

Level by level

Holdings41 in both30.4%
Sector11 Sectors53.9%
Countryby domicile97.1%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in KNGZ and SDY, widest gap first
Sector	More in KNGZMore in SDY	KNGZ	SDY
Technology	KNGZ +34.0 points	43.6%	9.6%
Industrials	SDY +12.2 points	6.4%	18.6%
Consumer Staples	SDY +11.6 points	4.0%	15.6%
Utilities	SDY +11.2 points	1.8%	13.0%
Communication	KNGZ +6.6 points	9.4%	2.8%
Materials	SDY +6.6 points	0.8%	7.4%
Consumer Discretionary	KNGZ +4.6 points	9.7%	5.1%
Real Estate	SDY +2.2 points	1.6%	3.8%
Financials	SDY +1.4 points	10.7%	12.1%
Energy	SDY +1.0 points	2.9%	3.9%
Health Care	KNGZ +0.8 points	9.2%	8.4%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in KNGZ and SDY, widest gap first
Country	More in KNGZMore in SDY	KNGZ	SDY
China	KNGZ +2.9 points	2.9%	0.0%
United States	SDY +2.2 points	96.4%	98.6%
Switzerland	SDY +0.5 points	0.0%	0.5%
United Kingdom	SDY +0.2 points	0.7%	0.9%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

KNGZ36.1%
SDY20.5%

Securities held

KNGZ98
SDY156

Asset class

KNGZ: Equity
SDY: Equity

Holdings

Only in KNGZ57
In both41
Only in SDY115

Only in KNGZ

57 securities, 49.9% of KNGZ by weight

HP Inc.3.59%
Comcast Corporation (Class A)3.40%
TE Connectivity Plc2.92%
Oracle Corporation2.91%
Omnicom Group Inc.2.34%
Pfizer Inc.1.61%
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company1.52%
United Parcel Service, Inc. (Class B)1.35%
Broadcom Inc.1.25%
ONEOK, Inc.1.24%
Corning Incorporated1.17%
General Mills, Inc.1.08%
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company1.07%
Prudential Financial, Inc.1.02%
The Home Depot, Inc.0.96%
Altria Group, Inc.0.94%
Truist Financial Corporation0.94%
Hasbro, Inc.0.93%
Regions Financial Corporation0.93%
Paychex, Inc.0.85%
KeyCorp0.84%
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated0.83%
CVS Health Corporation0.78%
Starbucks Corporation0.77%
U.S. Bancorp0.77%
Lennar Corporation0.77%
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.0.75%
EOG Resources, Inc.0.74%
Fifth Third Bancorp0.69%
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated0.64%
Principal Financial Group, Inc.0.63%
Merck & Co., Inc.0.61%
The Cigna Group0.59%
M&T Bank Corporation0.57%
MetLife, Inc.0.50%
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.0.48%
Fox Corporation (Class A)0.47%
Everest Group, Ltd.0.47%
Snap-on Incorporated0.46%
State Street Corporation0.43%
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated0.41%
Union Pacific Corporation0.39%
Masco Corporation0.36%
News Corporation (Class A)0.36%
Norfolk Southern Corporation0.32%
FedEx Corporation0.32%
Extra Space Storage Inc.0.29%
UDR, Inc.0.29%
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.0.28%
Packaging Corporation of America0.28%

Only in SDY

115 securities, 54.2% of SDY by weight

Pepsico Inc1.81%
Target Corp1.61%
Kenvue Inc1.54%
Consolidated Edison Inc1.38%
Wec Energy Group Inc1.38%
Procter & Gamble Co/The1.34%
Southern Co/The1.29%
Coca Cola Co/The1.23%
Xcel Energy Inc1.22%
Sysco Corp1.11%
Nextera Energy Inc1.09%
Archer Daniels Midland Co0.99%
Colgate Palmolive Co0.98%
Atmos Energy Corp0.93%
Aflac Inc0.87%
Northrop Grumman Corp0.87%
Cincinnati Financial Corp0.86%
Emerson Electric Co0.79%
Alliant Energy Corp0.77%
L3HARRIS Technologies Inc0.70%
Essex Property Trust Inc0.70%
Waste Management Inc0.69%
Travelers Cos Inc/The0.68%
Ameriprise Financial Inc0.59%
Assurant Inc0.58%
Church & Dwight Co Inc0.58%
Carlisle Cos Inc0.58%
Lincoln Electric Holdings0.57%
Rpm International Inc0.55%
Steris PLC0.55%
Republic Services Inc0.54%
Pentair PLC0.53%
Chubb Ltd0.53%
Jm Smucker Co/The0.53%
Csx Corp0.52%
Nordson Corp0.51%
Linde PLC0.51%
Ecolab Inc0.49%
Nucor Corp0.49%
Essential Utilities Inc0.48%
Cintas Corp0.48%
Graco Inc0.48%
Mccormick & Co Non Vtg Shrs0.47%
Royal Gold Inc0.47%
Expeditors Intl Wash Inc0.47%
Equity Lifestyle Properties0.46%
Factset Research Systems Inc0.45%
Brown & Brown Inc0.45%
Toro Co0.44%
Jack Henry & Associates Inc0.44%

Weight gaps

All 41 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in KNGZ and SDY, widest gap first
Holding	More in KNGZMore in SDY	KNGZ	SDY
Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN	KNGZ +3.29 points	4.13%	0.84%
Microchip Technology IncorporatedMCHP	KNGZ +3.12 points	3.92%	0.80%
International Business Machines CorporationIBM	KNGZ +2.74 points	4.00%	1.26%
QUALCOMM IncorporatedQCOM	KNGZ +2.74 points	3.62%	0.88%
Roper Technologies, Inc.ROP	KNGZ +1.66 points	2.26%	0.60%
Analog Devices, Inc.ADI	KNGZ +1.61 points	2.13%	0.52%
Realty Income CorporationO	SDY +1.58 points	0.34%	1.92%
Chevron CorporationCVX	SDY +1.30 points	0.86%	2.16%
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.ADP	SDY +1.04 points	0.46%	1.50%
Medtronic PlcMDT	SDY +0.93 points	0.90%	1.83%
Becton, Dickinson and CompanyBDX	SDY +0.89 points	0.62%	1.51%
ExxonMobil Holdings Corp.XOM	SDY +0.87 points	0.63%	1.50%
Lockheed Martin CorporationLMT	SDY +0.87 points	0.55%	1.42%
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.APD	SDY +0.82 points	0.27%	1.09%
Kimberly-Clark CorporationKMB	SDY +0.79 points	0.72%	1.51%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	KNGZ +0.76 points	1.32%	0.56%
PPG Industries, Inc.PPG	SDY +0.69 points	0.31%	1.00%
Eversource EnergyES	SDY +0.67 points	0.35%	1.02%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ	KNGZ +0.62 points	3.38%	2.76%
AbbVie Inc.ABBV	SDY +0.61 points	0.71%	1.32%
Fastenal CompanyFAST	SDY +0.60 points	0.37%	0.97%
Hormel Foods CorporationHRL	KNGZ +0.58 points	0.83%	0.25%
Evergy, Inc.EVRG	SDY +0.56 points	0.25%	0.81%
Illinois Tool Works Inc.ITW	SDY +0.54 points	0.48%	1.02%
Best Buy Co., Inc.BBY	KNGZ +0.54 points	1.24%	0.70%
Abbott LaboratoriesABT	SDY +0.51 points	0.70%	1.21%
The Clorox CompanyCLX	KNGZ +0.43 points	0.87%	0.44%
Franklin Templeton, Inc.BEN	KNGZ +0.42 points	0.84%	0.42%
Edison InternationalEIX	SDY +0.41 points	0.46%	0.87%
Johnson & JohnsonJNJ	SDY +0.39 points	0.56%	0.95%
General Dynamics CorporationGD	SDY +0.38 points	0.37%	0.75%
Accenture plcACN	KNGZ +0.33 points	4.20%	3.87%
Amcor plcAMCR	SDY +0.26 points	0.64%	0.90%
Genuine Parts CompanyGPC	KNGZ +0.24 points	0.92%	0.68%
NIKE, Inc. (Class B)NKE	SDY +0.18 points	1.34%	1.52%
A.O. Smith CorporationAOS	KNGZ +0.17 points	0.48%	0.31%
Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW	SDY +0.15 points	0.81%	0.96%
McDonald's CorporationMCD	SDY +0.15 points	0.98%	1.13%
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.TROW	KNGZ +0.11 points	1.03%	0.92%
Federal Realty Investment TrustFRT	SDY +0.10 points	0.25%	0.35%
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.SWK	KNGZ +0.03 points	0.73%	0.70%

All 98 KNGZ holdings⁠All 155 SDY 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.

KNGZ vs SDY Cost

Overpaying KNGZ vs SDY

$2,853

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

KNGZ 0.50%
$9,979
SDY 0.35%
$7,126

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

KNGZ 0.50%
SDY 0.35%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	KNGZ	SDY	Overpaying
10	$900	$634	$266
20	$3,460	$2,454	$1,006
30	$9,979	$7,126	$2,853

Expense ratio

0.50%KNGZ
0.35%SDY, cheaper

SDY0.35%KNGZ0.50%

0.15%0.60%

Middle half of Dividend Aristocrats funds
Median 0.40%

SDY 2nd cheapest of 7 funds

KNGZ 6th cheapest of 7 funds

KNGZ vs SDY Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): KNGZ 2.45%, better; SDY 2.35%
Payout (12M): KNGZ $1.06; SDY $3.78
Last payment: KNGZ $0.26; SDY $0.92
Ex-dividend: KNGZ Sep 24, 2026; SDY Sep 21, 2026
Paid on: KNGZ Sep 30, 2026; SDY Sep 23, 2026
Frequency: KNGZ Quarterly; SDY Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

KNGZQuarterly · 37 paymentsAll KNGZ payments⁠

SDYQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll SDY payments⁠

KNGZ vs SDY Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

KNGZ
SDY

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: KNGZ 13.8%SDY 13.2%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: KNGZ 1.17, betterSDY 0.85
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: KNGZ −19.7%SDY −15.2%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: KNGZ 0.90SDY 0.58; Market = 1

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