Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SDY vs VIG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SDY returned +16.5% to VIG's +13.9%; 28% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $21.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF, and $109.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Div Appreciation ETF.
Pair scorecard
VIG costs 0.31 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.6 points; VIG is 5.3 times larger.
| Measure | SDY | VIG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.5% | +13.9% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index | S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $20.4bn | $109.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 28% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 34.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 5, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,068 weekly returnsVIG returned more: +619.3% to +473.7%. VIG swung less: 15.7% to 17.7%. VIG fell less at its worst: −45.9% to −54.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SDY | VIG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +473.7% | +619.3% | VIG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.9% | +10.1% | VIG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +176.3% | +379.5% | VIG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.7% | 15.7% | VIG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.4% | 11.0% | VIG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −54.4% | −45.9% | VIG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.47 | 0.58 | VIG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.67 | 0.83 | VIG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.22 | VIG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,068 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SDY and VIG hold 28% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
28% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SDY and VIG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SDY and VIG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SDY follows S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index and VIG follows S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index.
- Holdings in common. 28% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SDY returned +16.5% and VIG +13.9% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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%.
VIG
VIG tracks an index of Dividend growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 335 positions, with the top ten at 34.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SDY or VIG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SDY returned +16.5% and VIG +13.9%.
- Which is cheaper, SDY or VIG?
- VIG is cheaper, by 0.31 percentage points a year. That is about $31 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, SDY against VIG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sdy-vs-vig
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SDY against VIG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sdy-vs-vig
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