Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DGRO vs QYLD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DGRO returned +18.8% to QYLD's +19.3%, and DGRO charges 0.08% to QYLD's 0.60%.
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Net assets: $44.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF, and $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF.
Pair scorecard
DGRO costs 0.52 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; DGRO is 5.1 times larger.
| Measure | DGRO | QYLD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.8% | +19.3% |
| Price change, 1 year | rose 16.4% | rose 5.8% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 11.9% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index | Benchmark: Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ |
| Against its benchmark, same days | ahead by 4.1 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.60% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026 | $43.3bn | $8.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 20% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 92% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 27.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 20, 2014 to Oct 23, 2026 · 644 weekly returnsDGRO returned more: +321.3% to +181.8%. QYLD swung less: 12.5% to 15.3%. QYLD fell less at its worst: −24.5% to −32.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DGRO | QYLD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +321.3% | +181.8% | DGRO | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +12.3% | +8.7% | DGRO | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +216.7% | −28.2% | DGRO | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 15.3% | 12.5% | QYLD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.7% | 9.4% | QYLD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −32.1% | −24.5% | QYLD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.70 | 0.57 | DGRO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.00 | 0.76 | DGRO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.36 | DGRO (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 644 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DGRO and QYLD hold 20% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
20% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DGRO and QYLD 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 QYLD do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DGRO follows Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and QYLD is measured against Nasdaq-100 through QQQ.
- Holdings in common. 20% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
- Cost. DGRO charges 0.08% of assets a year and QYLD 0.60%, a gap of 0.52 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%.
QYLD
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.3%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +15.2% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.9%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
Questions people ask
- Are DGRO and QYLD in the same category?
- DGRO is a stock ETF and QYLD 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 QYLD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DGRO returned +18.8% and QYLD +19.3%.
- Which is cheaper, DGRO or QYLD?
- DGRO is cheaper, by 0.52 percentage points a year. That is about $52 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 QYLD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-qyld
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[DGRO against QYLD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-qyld)
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