Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DGRO vs GDX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DGRO returned +18.8% to GDX's +19.0%, and DGRO charges 0.08% to GDX's 0.51%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about DGRO and GDX
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $44.6bn for iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF and $25.6bn for VanEck Gold Miners ETF.
Pair scorecard
DGRO costs 0.43 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points; DGRO is 1.7 times larger.
| Measure | DGRO | GDX |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.8% | +19.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 27.5%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index | Gold miners |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | ahead by 5.6 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.51% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $44.6bn | $25.6bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 100% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 27.2% | 60% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DGRO and GDX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DGRO and GDX on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DGRO
DGRO tracks an index of Dividend Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 393 positions, with the top ten at 27.2%.
GDX
By weight, 12% of GDX's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 60% of the fund across 59 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +19.0% with distributions reinvested against +13.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI Index, so a holder was ahead by 5.6 pts. It sits 27.5% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are DGRO and GDX in the same category?
- DGRO is a stock ETF and GDX is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, DGRO or GDX?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DGRO returned +18.8% and GDX +19.0%.
- Which is cheaper, DGRO or GDX?
- DGRO is cheaper, by 0.43 percentage points a year. That is about $43 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, DGRO against GDX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-gdx
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DGRO against GDX. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-gdx
[DGRO against GDX (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-gdx)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.