Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
AVUS vs SDY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, AVUS returned +18.0% to SDY's +16.5%; 15% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $14.8bn for Avantis U.S. Equity ETF and $21.9bn for State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF.
Pair scorecard
AVUS costs 0.20 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.5 points; SDY is 1.5 times larger.
| Measure | AVUS | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | +16.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $14.8bn | $21.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 15% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 30.0% | 20.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 4, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026 · 368 weekly returnsAVUS returned more: +183.7% to +90.5%. SDY swung slightly less: 18.1% to 19.5%. SDY fell slightly less at its worst: −32.4% to −35.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | AVUS | SDY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +183.7% | +90.5% | AVUS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +15.9% | +9.5% | AVUS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +158.5% | +57.2% | AVUS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.5% | 18.1% | SDY (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.6% | 12.9% | SDY (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −35.1% | −32.4% | SDY (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.71 | 0.43 | AVUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.02 | 0.61 | AVUS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.45 | 0.29 | AVUS | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 368 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, AVUS and SDY hold 15% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
15% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
AVUS and SDY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AVUS and SDY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. AVUS follows No index, actively managed and SDY follows S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index.
- Holdings in common. 15% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- Number of holdings. AVUS holds 1,943 positions and SDY holds 156.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000.
AVUS is actively managed and tracks no index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,943 positions, with the top ten at 30.0%.
SDY
SDY tracks the S&P Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 156 positions, with the top ten at 20.4%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, AVUS or SDY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AVUS returned +18.0% and SDY +16.5%.
- Which is cheaper, AVUS or SDY?
- AVUS is cheaper, by 0.20 percentage points a year. That is about $20 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, AVUS against SDY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/avus-vs-sdy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). AVUS against SDY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/avus-vs-sdy
[AVUS against SDY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/avus-vs-sdy)
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