Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
DGRO vs QUAL: how they differ
DGRO and QUAL hold 26% of their weight in the same names, and DGRO returned more over the year.
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, DGRO and QUAL hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | DGRO | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| APPLE INC | 2.94% | 6.28% |
| MICROSOFT CORP | 2.92% | 5.05% |
| JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 2.64% | 1.92% |
| ELI LILLY & COMPANY | 1.14% | 2.92% |
| QUALCOMM INC | 1.10% | 1.42% |
| MERCK & COMPANY INC | 1.75% | 1.08% |
| VISA INC | 1.05% | 3.09% |
| UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC | 2.32% | 1.03% |
| WALMART INC | 0.95% | 1.23% |
| PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY (THE) | 2.08% | 0.93% |
| CATERPILLAR INC | 0.79% | 2.52% |
| COCA-COLA COMPANY (THE) | 1.80% | 0.75% |
| Only in DGRO | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| BROADCOM INC 3.25% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| JP MORGAN CHASE & COMPANY 3.05% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| EXXON MOBIL CORP 2.91% | ALPHABET INC. 2.54% |
| ABBVIE INC 2.53% | ALPHABET INC. 2.12% |
| PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL INC 1.94% | BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. 2.12% |
| HOME DEPOT INC (THE) 1.90% | NETFLIX, INC. 2.00% |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP 1.84% | SLB N.V. 1.56% |
| CISCO SYSTEMS INC 1.73% | ARISTA NETWORKS, INC. 1.49% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
| DGRO iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Core Dividend Growth | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.4% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −0.1 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 94.7% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 394 | 121 |
DGRO in plain words
DGRO is an index equity fund tracking the Core Dividend Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 394 positions, with the top ten at 26.6%.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DGRO or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DGRO returned +17.4% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so DGRO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, DGRO or QUAL?
- DGRO charges 0.08% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so DGRO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do DGRO and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 95% of DGRO and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 26% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, DGRO against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/DGRO-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources