DGRO vs SPYD ETF Comparison

Compare DGRO and SPYD across fund costs, diversification, holdings, performance, income, risk and current AlgovestIQ evidence.

Market data as of Sep 5, 2026 market close· Fund characteristics as of Sep 5, 2026
DGRO
IShares
vs
SPYD
SPDR
DGRO
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF
Issuer
IShares
Fund type
Equity
Index
-
Inception
2014-06-09
SPYD
State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF
Issuer
SPDR
Fund type
Equity
Index
-
Inception
2015-10-21

What is the main difference between DGRO and SPYD?

DGRO is iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF, while SPYD is State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF. DGRO is tied to Equity; SPYD is tied to Equity. DGRO is broader by holdings count, with 390 positions versus 80 for SPYD. DGRO is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight.

Expense ratio
DGRO
0.08%
SPYD
0.07%
Lower annual fund costSPYD
Holdings
DGRO
390
SPYD
80
Broader reported basketDGRO
1Y return
DGRO
+19.4%
SPYD
+11.8%
Trailing performanceDGRO
Annualized volatility
DGRO
9.6%
SPYD
11.8%
Lower realized volatilityDGRO
MetricDGROSPYDType
Expense ratio0.08%0.07%Fund
Assets under management$43.6B$7.7BFund
Holdings39080Fund
Top-10 concentration45.9%27.7%Fund
Average volume2,119,2491,044,673Fund
Underlying exposureEquityEquityFund
1Y return+19.4%+11.8%Performance
YTD return+14.7%+15.3%Performance
Annualized volatility9.6%11.8%Risk
Max drawdown-6.9%-7.1%Risk
Beta0.470.23Risk
Sharpe ratio1.520.69Risk
Sortino ratio2.341.19Risk
AIQ Score58/10058/100AlgovestIQ
AIQ Edge Score7/107/10AlgovestIQ
Momentum59/10055/100AlgovestIQ
Risk Resilience80/10074/100AlgovestIQ

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF

Data as of Sep 5, 2026· market close· Dividend & Income· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 4/10

DGRO and SPYD are effectively level

DGRO and SPYD are effectively level on the AIQ Score; the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 4Comparison trend: Stable
DGRO

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

AIQ Score
58/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10
SPYD

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF

AIQ Score
58/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score does not currently separate DGRO and SPYD as of Sep 5, 2026. Both names are scored on the same 0–100 scale across Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.

Compare iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.

Compare DGRO and SPYD against another ticker

Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

DGRO advantage
0
SPYD advantage
  • Value30%42 vs 55
    SPYD +13
  • Quality30%63 vs 57
    DGRO +6
  • Risk Resilience15%80 vs 74
    DGRO +6
  • Momentum25%59 vs 55
    DGRO +4

Neither name separates cleanly on the covered dimensions.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-04, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-03.

DGRO0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

SPYD0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — DGRO and SPYD both carry a full feed there.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

Even

Neither separates on the overall score.

Growth

Even

Growth figures are not covered for both names.

Value

SPYD

SPYD on the peer-relative Value factor, by 13 points.

Momentum

DGRO

DGRO on the Momentum factor, by 4 points.

Lower downside

DGRO

DGRO on Risk Resilience, by 6 points.

Analyst upside

Even

Analyst targets are level or not covered for both names.

Fund facts, side by side

Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.

MeasureDGROSPYDWhy it matters
Expense ratio0.08%0.07%Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold.
Assets under management$43.6B$7.7BLarger funds generally carry tighter spreads.
Holdings39079More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns.
Average volume2,119,2491,044,673Liquidity — matters most if you trade size.
Annualized volatility9.6%11.8%Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure.
Max drawdown-6.9%-7.1%The worst peak-to-trough loss on record for the fund.
Sharpe ratio1.520.69Return per unit of risk. Higher is better.
Beta0.470.23Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio.

Where the exposure actually sits

DGRO and SPYD share 5.08% of their weighted exposure across 8 common holdings.

Technology17.2% vs 3.0%
Healthcare17.8% vs 5.6%
Industrials11.1% vs 2.5%
Financial Services21.2% vs 12.8%
Communication Services0.1% vs 4.7%
Utilities6.9% vs 11.2%
Energy5.4% vs 9.0%
Consumer Defensive11.9% vs 14.7%
DGROSPYD

DGRO is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 45.86% of the fund, against 27.67% for SPYD (390 holdings vs 80). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.

382 holdings are unique to DGRO and 72 to SPYD. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.

Largest shared positions

HoldingDGROSPYDShared
PEPPEPSICO3.3%2.56%2.56%
DUKDUKE ENERGY CORP0.7%1.19%0.7%
HONHONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC0.64%2.23%0.64%
EOGEOG RESOURCES0.49%1.27%0.49%
ARESARES MANAGEMENT CLASS A0.27%1.48%0.27%
MKCMCCORMICK & CO NON-VOTING0.24%2.53%0.24%
EVRGEVERGY0.14%1.18%0.14%
MOSMOSAIC0.07%1.4%0.07%

Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.

ETF comparison questions

Short answers to the fund-specific questions behind this comparison.

Which ETF is more diversified, DGRO or SPYD?

DGRO currently has more reported holdings, with 390 positions versus 80.

Which has the lower expense ratio?

SPYD has the lower reported expense ratio in the current fund profile.

Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?

The current dataset does not show a higher-yield winner.

Which ETF has been more volatile?

SPYD has the higher annualized volatility in the current risk snapshot.

Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?

DGRO has the less severe max drawdown in the current risk snapshot.

Which ETF has the stronger current AlgovestIQ evidence?

The current AlgovestIQ evidence does not show a clear leader.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

How each independent group of evidence reads the pair.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven58 vs 58
FundamentalsNot coveredNot covered
ValuationSPYDValue 42 vs 55
TechnicalsDGROPrice vs 50-day 1.1% vs 0.3%; vs 200-day 8.3% vs 6.8%
Risk ResilienceDGRORisk Resilience 80 vs 74
Analyst expectationsNot coveredNot covered

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 0 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Apr 23 Sep 4

DGRO lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 0 points over 30 sessions.

Apr 23DGRO leads above the line · SPYD leads belowSep 4
Today
Level
58 vs 58
7 sessions ago
SPYD +3
58 vs 61
30 sessions ago
DGRO +2
63 vs 61
90 sessions ago
DGRO +3
63 vs 60

The lead changed hands once in this window, most recently on Apr 28 when SPYD moved ahead of DGRO.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

DGROConflicted

4 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (6.40%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish bullish, trend, medium horizon
SPYDConflicted

4 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (5.88%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish bullish, trend, medium horizon

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

DGRONo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.6%, AIQ 0 points).

SPYDNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.5%, AIQ 0 points).

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Performance

DGRO leads 4 of 6 windows
MetricDGROSPYD
1 week (5 sessions)0.4%-0.2%
1 month (20 sessions)0.6%0.8%
3 months (63 sessions)5.1%4.3%
6 months (126 sessions)10.2%5.4%
Year to date14.7%15.3%
1 year (252 sessions)19.4%11.8%

Technicals

DGRO has the stronger structure
MetricDGROSPYD
RSI (14)47.642.2
ADX (14)20.112.7
Price vs 50-day1.1%0.3%
Price vs 200-day8.3%6.8%
Volatility (1M, annualized)6.8%10.1%

Risk

DGRO is the more resilient
MetricDGROSPYD
Beta0.470.23
Sharpe ratio1.520.69
Sortino ratio2.341.19
Max drawdown-6.9%-7.1%
Current drawdown-0.5%-1.6%
Annualized volatility9.6%11.8%
Value at risk (95%)-1%-1.1%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better value, DGRO or SPYD?

SPYD is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. SPYD on the peer-relative Value factor, by 13 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, DGRO or SPYD?

Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, DGRO or SPYD?

DGRO on the Momentum factor, by 4 points. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, DGRO or SPYD?

DGRO is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. DGRO on Risk Resilience, by 6 points. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is DGRO more profitable than SPYD?

Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.

What do the current signals say about DGRO and SPYD?

DGRO: 4 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. SPYD: 4 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on DGRO is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On SPYD it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare DGRO and SPYD with others

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.