Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DGRO vs JEPQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DGRO returned +18.8% to JEPQ's +14.2%, and DGRO charges 0.08% to JEPQ's 0.35%.
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askIQ about DGRO and JEPQNet assets: $44.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF, and $44.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF.
Pair scorecard
DGRO costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.6 points.
| Measure | DGRO | JEPQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.8% | +14.2% |
| Price change, 1 year | rose 16.4% | rose 1.6% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 11.3% | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index | Benchmark: Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ |
| Against its benchmark, same days | behind by 1.0 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $44.6bn | $43.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 19% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 92% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 27.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 13, 2022 to Oct 23, 2026 · 232 weekly returnsJEPQ returned more: +98.5% to +76.5%. DGRO swung less: 13.6% to 15.6%. DGRO fell less at its worst: −14.3% to −18.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DGRO | JEPQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +76.5% | +98.5% | JEPQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +16.6% | JEPQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +59.1% | +21.0% | DGRO | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 13.6% | 15.6% | DGRO | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 9.2% | 10.6% | DGRO | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −14.3% | −18.5% | DGRO | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.69 | 0.78 | JEPQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.01 | 1.15 | JEPQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.95 | 0.90 | DGRO (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 232 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DGRO and JEPQ hold 19% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026.
half
19% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DGRO and JEPQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
DGRO and JEPQ do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DGRO follows Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and JEPQ is measured against Nasdaq-100 through QQQ.
- Holdings in common. 19% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DGRO returned +18.8% and JEPQ +14.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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%.
JEPQ
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, JEPQ paid 11.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 1.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.2%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +15.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 1.0 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.3%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Are DGRO and JEPQ in the same category?
- DGRO is a stock ETF and JEPQ is an option-income 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 JEPQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DGRO returned +18.8% and JEPQ +14.2%.
- Which is cheaper, DGRO or JEPQ?
- DGRO is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 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, DGRO against JEPQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-jepq
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[DGRO against JEPQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-jepq)
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