Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SDY vs VNQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SDY returned +16.5% to VNQ's +4.8%; 4% 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 $35.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Real Estate ETF.
Pair scorecard
VNQ costs 0.22 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.7 points; VNQ is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | SDY | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.5% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.3%, high on Jul 28, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index | MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.13% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $20.4bn | $35.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 4% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 55.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SDY and VNQ hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
4% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SDY and VNQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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%.
VNQ
VNQ tracks an index of US real estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.13% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 63% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 141 positions, with the top ten at 55.8%. It sat 8.3% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SDY or VNQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SDY returned +16.5% and VNQ +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, SDY or VNQ?
- VNQ is cheaper, by 0.22 percentage points a year. That is about $22 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 VNQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sdy-vs-vnq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SDY against VNQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sdy-vs-vnq
[SDY against VNQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sdy-vs-vnq)
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