Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DGRO vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DGRO returned +18.8% to VYM's +18.0%; 63% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $44.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.8 points; VYM is 1.9 times larger.
| Measure | DGRO | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.8% | +18.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $41.9bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 63% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 27.2% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 20, 2014 to Oct 23, 2026 · 644 weekly returnsDGRO returned more: +321.3% to +251.9%. DGRO and VYM swung about the same: 15.3% and 15.2%. DGRO and VYM fell about the same at their worst: −32.1% and −32.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DGRO | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +321.3% | +251.9% | DGRO | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +12.3% | +10.7% | DGRO | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +216.7% | +140.8% | DGRO | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 15.3% | 15.2% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.7% | 10.9% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −32.1% | −32.4% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.70 | 0.61 | DGRO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.00 | 0.85 | DGRO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.33 | DGRO | 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 VYM hold 63% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
63% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DGRO and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DGRO and VYM are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. DGRO follows Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common (similar). 63% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DGRO returned +18.8% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 0.8 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%.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DGRO or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DGRO returned +18.8% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, DGRO or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 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 VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DGRO against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-vym
[DGRO against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dgro-vs-vym)
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