Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPYD vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPYD returned +15.3% to VYM's +18.0%; 13% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $7.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.7 points; VYM is 11.1 times larger.
| Measure | SPYD | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.3% | +18.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Aug 24, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 High Dividend Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.1bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 13% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 16.1% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 30, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 573 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +232.0% to +168.7%. VYM swung less: 15.5% to 19.6%. VYM fell less at its worst: −32.4% to −43.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SPYD | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +168.7% | +232.0% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.4% | +11.5% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +61.3% | +137.8% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 15.5% | VYM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 11.1% | VYM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −43.0% | −32.4% | VYM | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.63 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.62 | 0.88 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.22 | 0.36 | VYM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 573 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SPYD and VYM hold 13% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
13% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SPYD and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SPYD and VYM are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. SPYD follows S&P 500 High Dividend Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 13% 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 SPYD returned +15.3% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SPYD
SPYD tracks the S&P 500 High Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 79 positions, with the top ten at 16.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Aug 24, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, SPYD or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYD returned +15.3% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, SPYD or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 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, SPYD against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyd-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPYD against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyd-vs-vym
[SPYD against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spyd-vs-vym)
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