Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DES vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DES returned +19.2% to VBR's +17.6%; 12% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $2.2bn on Jun 30, 2026 for WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.
Pair scorecard
VBR costs 0.33 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.6 points.
| Measure | DES | VBR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +17.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.2%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.38% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, DES as of Jun 30, 2026 and VBR as of Sep 30, 2026 | $2.2bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 12% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 9.6% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 23, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,061 weekly returnsVBR returned more: +487.3% to +348.1%. DES and VBR swung about the same: 22.6% and 22.6%. VBR fell slightly less at its worst: −61.3% to −64.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DES | VBR | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +348.1% | +487.3% | VBR | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.6% | +9.1% | VBR | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +133.3% | +279.7% | VBR | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.6% | 22.6% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.8% | 15.9% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −64.6% | −61.3% | VBR (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.36 | 0.42 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.52 | 0.60 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.15 | VBR | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,061 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DES and VBR hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
12% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DES and VBR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DES and VBR are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. DES follows WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index and VBR follows Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index.
- Holdings in common. 12% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Cost. DES charges 0.38% of assets a year and VBR 0.05%, a gap of 0.33 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +19.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
DES tracks an index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.38% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 522 positions, with the top ten at 9.6%. It sat 6.2% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VBR
VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DES or VBR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DES returned +19.2% and VBR +17.6%.
- Which is cheaper, DES or VBR?
- VBR is cheaper, by 0.33 percentage points a year. That is about $33 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, DES against VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/des-vs-vbr
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