Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FDL vs SDY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FDL returned +26.0% to SDY's +16.5%; 26% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $8.2bn for First Trust Morningstar ETF and $21.9bn for State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF.
Pair scorecard
SDY costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.5 points; SDY is 2.7 times larger.
| Measure | FDL | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +26.0% | +16.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.43% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $8.2bn | $21.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 26% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50.6% | 20.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 24, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,074 weekly returnsFDL and SDY returned about the same: +488.5% and +486.1%. SDY swung slightly less: 17.6% to 18.5%. SDY fell less at its worst: −54.4% to −65.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FDL | SDY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +488.5% | +486.1% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.0% | +8.9% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +157.9% | +182.3% | SDY | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.5% | 17.6% | SDY (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.0% | 12.4% | SDY (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −65.7% | −54.4% | SDY | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.46 | 0.48 | SDY (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.68 | SDY (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.16 | SDY | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,074 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FDL and SDY hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
26% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FDL and SDY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FDL and SDY are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FDL follows Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index and SDY follows S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index.
- Holdings in common. 26% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FDL returned +26.0% and SDY +16.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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FDL
FDL tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +26.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.43% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 100 positions, with the top ten at 50.6%.
SDY
SDY tracks the S&P Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 156 positions, with the top ten at 20.4%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FDL or SDY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FDL returned +26.0% and SDY +16.5%.
- Which is cheaper, FDL or SDY?
- SDY is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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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, FDL against SDY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fdl-vs-sdy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FDL against SDY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fdl-vs-sdy
[FDL against SDY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fdl-vs-sdy)
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