RFDA vs VUS: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

ALPS Dynamic US Dividend Advantage ETF

RFDACNYSE Arca

Virtus U.S. Dividend ETF

VUSBNYSE Arca

Overlap

21.2%by weight

Expense ratio

VUS −0.27pt a year

RFDA0.52%VUS0.25%

Avg volume · 30D

RFDA 4.0×the volume

RFDA3.62KVUS914

RFDA vs VUS Performance

Dec 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+16.8%RFDA+19.8%VUS

Expense ratio: RFDA 0.52%; VUS 0.25%, better
Fund size: RFDA $79M; VUS $17M
1Y total return: RFDA +17.6%; VUS No data
Yield (12M): RFDA 1.98%; VUS No data
Holdings: RFDA 77; VUS 87
Avg volume (30D): RFDA 3.62K sh, better; VUS 914 sh
NAV per share: RFDA $73.16; VUS $30.12
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for RFDA, VUS, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	RFDA	VUS
Cost30% weight	C44	A100Higher
Mission25% weight	B61	Not scored
Risk15% weight	D38Higher	D30
Tradability15% weight	B62Higher	C41
Holdings10% weight	A83Higher	A73
Durability5% weight	A78Higher	D31

Rank among US Active Dividend Income funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. RFDA and VUS are both graded against the same 40 US Active Dividend Income funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Active Dividend Income⁠

Category · 40 funds

See all 40 ›

VUS ranks 7th and RFDA 17th of 40 funds in the US Active Dividend Income Category.

Rank 7BCDPIColumbia High Dividend Premium Income ETFScore 66
Rank 7BVUSVirtus U.S. Dividend ETFScore 66
Rank 9BFDVFederated Hermes U.S. Strategic Dividend ETFScore 64
Rank 15BVDIGVanguard Wellington Dividend Growth Active ETFScore 54
Rank 17CRFDAALPS Dynamic US Dividend Advantage ETFScore 53
Rank 18CACEPARS Core Equity Portfolio ETFScore 52

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

RFDACALPS Dynamic US Dividend Advantage ETF

VUSBVirtus U.S. Dividend ETF

In short

RFDA A 2016-vintage active dividend fund that doesn't screen on yield alone: RFDA ranks US payers on growth, momentum, quality and value at once, then sends income out monthly instead of quarterly.

VUS An AI-assisted dividend fund at a passive-fund price. A quant model reads sentiment and valuation, humans make the final call, and it charges 0.25%, less than half the typical active US dividend ETF.

Stated mandate

RFDA RFDA seeks capital appreciation and dividend income through a disciplined US dividend-growth strategy using quality screens and active factor-driven selection.

VUS The Fund seeks current income and, secondarily, long-term capital appreciation.

Why people hold it

RFDA Four factors drive the picks (growth, momentum, quality, value), so the portfolio isn't just the highest yielders sorted top down.
Income is paid monthly, a rhythm most equity funds don't offer.
Charges 0.52% a year, a touch under the median for active US dividend-income funds.
Live since 2016, giving it a real multi-market track record, and it lands in the upper half of its dividend-income peer group on our review.

VUS 0.25% a year, under half the 0.55% median for active US dividend ETFs and cheaper than every top-graded name in the cohort (CGDV, HIDV, MBOX, BGIG, TDVG).
The engine: a proprietary alpha model using AI-powered language processing for sentiment plus valuation factors. Virtus portfolio managers make the final trading calls.sec.gov
About 90 US-listed dividend payers, with at least 80% of net assets in them. Focused enough for picks to register, wide enough to spread single-name risk.sec.gov

Worth knowing

RFDA Small and thinly traded. Limit orders and a glance at the spread matter more here than with a giant index fund.
Cheaper active dividend options exist: CGDV runs 0.33% and HIDV 0.35%.
Active selection means results can diverge from the S&P 500 it measures itself against, in either direction.

VUS Launched December 2025 with a small asset base and light volume, so spreads can run wider than the cohort's household names and live history on the model is short.
The prospectus lets the fund put more than 15% of assets in a single sector, so the portfolio can lean hard into a few corners of the market.sec.gov
Income arrives annually or semiannually rather than monthly, so the cash shows up in lumps.

Full RFDA profile⁠

Full VUS profile⁠

RFDA vs VUS Holdings

How RFDA and VUS differ

Overlap by weight

21.2%

Shared holdings make up 32.6% of VUS and 28.6% of RFDA.

Level by level

Holdings16 in both21.2%
Sector11 Sectors66.6%
Countryby domicile95.2%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in RFDA and VUS, widest gap first
Sector	More in RFDAMore in VUS	RFDA	VUS
Technology	VUS +25.9 points	14.6%	40.5%
Consumer Discretionary	RFDA +7.2 points	9.4%	2.2%
Energy	RFDA +6.3 points	13.1%	6.8%
Consumer Staples	RFDA +6.0 points	8.2%	2.2%
Real Estate	VUS +5.1 points	3.7%	8.8%
Financials	RFDA +4.8 points	18.0%	13.2%
Health Care	RFDA +4.3 points	14.8%	10.5%
Utilities	RFDA +3.8 points	4.6%	0.8%
Industrials	VUS +1.6 points	7.0%	8.6%
Materials	RFDA +1.0 points	1.0%	0.0%
Communication	VUS +0.8 points	5.6%	6.4%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in RFDA and VUS, widest gap first
Country	More in RFDAMore in VUS	RFDA	VUS
United States	RFDA +2.3 points	95.6%	93.3%
Greece	VUS +2.0 points	0.0%	2.0%
Taiwan	RFDA +1.9 points	1.9%	0.0%
Singapore	VUS +1.2 points	0.0%	1.2%
United Kingdom	VUS +1.1 points	1.1%	2.2%
Canada	RFDA +0.6 points	1.4%	0.8%
China	VUS +0.4 points	0.0%	0.4%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

RFDA29.3%
VUS31.3%

Securities held

RFDA76
VUS86

Asset class

RFDA: Equity
VUS: Equity

Holdings

Only in RFDA60
In both16
Only in VUS70

Only in RFDA

60 securities, 67.6% of RFDA by weight

ConocoPhillips2.89%
Phillips 662.73%
Coca-Cola Co.2.70%
Citigroup Inc.2.39%
Merck & Co. Inc.2.31%
Exxon Mobil Corp.2.28%
Lockheed Martin Corp.2.01%
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.1.77%
Walmart Inc.1.60%
Philip Morris International Inc.1.50%
Wells Fargo & Co.1.39%
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.1.38%
Goldman Sachs Group Inc.1.30%
Franklin Resources Inc.1.30%
Myers Industries Inc.1.25%
Invesco Ltd.1.25%
NIKE Inc.1.23%
Greif Inc.1.20%
Gilead Sciences Inc.1.16%
AT&T Inc.1.12%
OneMain Holdings Inc.1.11%
Caterpillar Inc.1.10%
Union Pacific Corp.1.09%
Crescent Energy Co.1.05%
Amcor PLC1.04%
Vail Resorts Inc.1.04%
Welltower Inc.1.03%
QUALCOMM Inc.1.01%
Kraft Heinz Co.1.00%
Cigna Group0.97%
Kinder Morgan Inc.0.97%
RTX Corp.0.97%
Edison International0.95%
T Rowe Price Group Inc.0.95%
Omnicom Group Inc.0.94%
AES Corp.0.93%
Schlumberger Ltd.0.92%
Duke Energy Corp.0.91%
Alliant Energy Corp.0.91%
Invitation Homes Inc.0.89%
Camden Property Trust0.89%
Southern Copper Corp.0.89%
Enbridge Inc.0.86%
Everest Group Ltd.0.83%
Eaton Corp. PLC0.81%
International Business Machines Corp.0.79%
McDonald's Corp.0.77%
Clearway Energy Inc.0.77%
TJX Cos. Inc.0.75%
Comcast Corp.0.72%

Only in VUS

70 securities, 66.3% of VUS by weight

Broadcom Inc3.12%
Amazon.com Inc2.11%
Micron Technology Inc1.79%
Chevron Corp1.74%
AbbVie Inc1.70%
Amgen Inc1.53%
Alphabet Inc1.36%
Texas Instruments Inc1.36%
Lam Research Corp1.36%
Amphenol Corp1.33%
Summit Hotel Properties Inc1.32%
CVS Health Corp1.29%
Parker-Hannifin Corp1.29%
Hafnia Ltd1.21%
Progressive Corp/The1.20%
Cisco Systems Inc1.20%
Target Corp1.19%
Apple Hospitality REIT Inc1.16%
Viper Energy Inc1.16%
Bank of America Corp1.13%
Docusign Inc1.13%
Torm PLC1.12%
AMETEK Inc1.10%
HP Inc1.10%
Allstate Corp/The1.09%
Dollar General Corp1.07%
Arista Networks Inc1.06%
nVent Electric PLC1.04%
CuriosityStream Inc1.03%
Medtronic PLC1.01%
Accenture PLC1.00%
LTC Properties Inc0.99%
Global Ship Lease Inc0.98%
Healthcare Realty Trust Inc0.97%
Microchip Technology Inc0.96%
Park Hotels & Resorts Inc0.96%
Monolithic Power Systems Inc0.95%
First BanCorp/Puerto Rico0.95%
Nordic American Tankers Ltd0.94%
General Dynamics Corp0.84%
Annaly Capital Management Inc0.81%
Toronto-Dominion Bank/The0.81%
Visa Inc0.79%
Quest Diagnostics Inc0.78%
Comfort Systems USA Inc0.69%
East West Bancorp Inc0.69%
KLA Corp0.67%
TD SYNNEX Corp0.66%
CTO Realty Growth Inc0.66%
Adamas Trust Inc0.66%

Weight gaps

All 16 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in RFDA and VUS, widest gap first
Holding	More in RFDAMore in VUS	RFDA	VUS
Apple Inc.AAPL	VUS +4.76 points	2.07%	6.83%
NVIDIA Corp.NVDA	VUS +2.64 points	2.99%	5.63%
Microsoft Corp.MSFT	VUS +2.29 points	2.63%	4.92%
Johnson & JohnsonJNJ	RFDA +1.85 points	3.27%	1.42%
UnitedHealth Group Inc.UNH	RFDA +1.45 points	2.93%	1.48%
JPMorgan Chase & Co.JPM	RFDA +1.15 points	2.92%	1.77%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ	RFDA +0.92 points	1.31%	0.39%
Analog Devices Inc.ADI	VUS +0.92 points	0.80%	1.72%
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.BMY	RFDA +0.74 points	1.90%	1.16%
Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd.GNK	VUS +0.74 points	0.55%	1.29%
US BancorpUSB	RFDA +0.47 points	1.68%	1.21%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	RFDA +0.36 points	1.26%	0.90%
PNC Financial Services Group Inc.PNC	RFDA +0.24 points	0.90%	0.66%
Pfizer Inc.PFE	VUS +0.14 points	1.18%	1.32%
Altria Group Inc.MO	RFDA +0.13 points	1.36%	1.23%
Eli Lilly & Co.LLY	RFDA +0.12 points	0.85%	0.73%

All RFDA holdings⁠All 91 VUS 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.

RFDA vs VUS Cost

Overpaying RFDA vs VUS

$5,192

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

RFDA 0.52%
$10,351
VUS 0.25%
$5,159

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

RFDA 0.52%
VUS 0.25%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	RFDA	VUS	Overpaying
10	$935	$455	$480
20	$3,593	$1,769	$1,824
30	$10,351	$5,159	$5,192

Expense ratio

0.52%RFDA
0.25%VUS, cheaper

VUS0.25%RFDA0.52%

0.25%0.99%

Middle half of US Active Dividend Income funds
Median 0.50%

VUS cheapest of 40 funds

RFDA 23rd cheapest of 40 funds

RFDA vs VUS Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): RFDA 1.98%; VUS No data
Payout (12M): RFDA $1.45; VUS No data
Last payment: RFDA $0.07; VUS $0.30
Ex-dividend: RFDA Oct 22, 2026; VUS Sep 21, 2026
Paid on: RFDA Oct 27, 2026; VUS Sep 28, 2026
Frequency: RFDA Monthly; VUS Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

RFDAMonthly · 46 paymentsAll RFDA payments⁠

VUSQuarterly · 3 paymentsAll VUS payments⁠

RFDA vs VUS Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: RFDA 11.5%VUS No data
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: RFDA 1.45VUS No data
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: RFDA −19.4%VUS No data
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: RFDA 0.85VUS 1.03; Market = 1

RFDA and VUS in the news

All news⁠

ETF Filings
Virtus files for High Dividend ETF VDIV after three regional funds held $40.9 million
Sep 25, 2026VUS
ETF Filings
ALPS files N10's growth ETF without the 351 exchange or $350 million from June
Sep 9, 2026RFDA

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