SCHY vs SDY: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
SCHY and SDY are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. SCHY is Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF, while SDY is State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF. SCHY is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has SCHY ahead on AIQ Score, 65 versus 63.
What is the main difference between SCHY and SDY?
SCHY and SDY have little in common: 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
| Metric | SCHY | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% |
| Holdings | 135 | 158 |
| Top-10 concentration | 39.4% | 20.6% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 3.57% | 2.42% |
| Average volume | 620,076 | 208,470 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | +16.6% | +12.9% |
| YTD return | +10.3% | +12.2% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +9.6% | +7.5% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 12.5% | 10.8% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.3% | -8% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -24% | -15.2% |
| Beta | 0.48 | 0.23 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.94 | 0.75 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.38 | 1.40 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 65/100 | 63/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Momentum | 79/100 | 82/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 77/100 | 72/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF
SCHY leads
SCHY leads by 2 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Risk Resilience.
Fragile: 2 of 4 evidence groups support SCHY, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF
State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SCHY over SDY, 65 versus 63 as of Oct 21, 2026. SCHY's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and risk resilience. SCHY also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 4 covered evidence groups favor SCHY today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. SCHY lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF and State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
SCHY vs SDY: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | SCHY | SDY | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% | SCHY |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 135 | 158 | Similar |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 39.4% | 20.6% | SDY |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 3.57% | 2.42% | SCHY |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -24% | -15.2% | SDY |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 12.5% | 10.8% | SDY |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare SCHY and SDY against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
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.
- Value60 vs 52SCHY +8
- Risk Resilience77 vs 72SCHY +5
- Quality51 vs 54Even
- Momentum79 vs 82Even
2 of 4 evidence groups favor SCHY. SCHY’s edge is concentrated in value and risk resilience.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +16
New signals
- RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon
Largest factor move: Value +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
New signals
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (2.6%)
The lead changed hands: SCHY moved ahead of SDY in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — SCHY and SDY both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
SCHY (Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and risk resilience.
SDY (State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF): the counter-case, on technicals.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | SCHY | SDY | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 135 | 158 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 620,076 | 208,470 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 12.5% | 10.8% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.3% | -8% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.94 | 0.75 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.48 | 0.23 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
SCHY and SDY share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings.
92 holdings are unique to SCHY, and 156 holdings are unique to SDY. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
SCHY is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 39.36% of the fund, against 20.57% for SDY (135 holdings vs 158). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
What SCHY adds that SDY doesn’t
| Holding | SCHY | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| ULVR.LUNILEVER PLC | 4.4% | Not held |
| ROP.SWROCHE PS PAR AG | 4.38% | Not held |
| DHL.DEDHL N AG | 4.12% | Not held |
| ENI.MIENI | 4.01% | Not held |
| TTETOTALENERGIES | 4% | Not held |
| GSK.LGLAXOSMITHKLINE | 3.93% | Not held |
What SDY adds that SCHY doesn’t
| Holding | SDY | SCHY |
|---|---|---|
| VZVERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC | 3.23% | Not held |
| ACNACCENTURE PLC CL A | 3.15% | Not held |
| CVXCHEVRON CORP | 2.08% | Not held |
| OREALTY INCOME CORP | 2.05% | Not held |
| PEPPEPSICO INC | 1.91% | Not held |
| MDTMEDTRONIC PLC | 1.85% | Not held |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
SCHY vs SDY: five-year payout growth
SDY grew its split-adjusted payout at 3.76% a year over 2020-2025. SCHY began paying distributions in 2021, so it has no 2020-2025 growth rate to compare.
| Dividend metric | SCHY | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 annual payout | $1.058 | $3.634 |
| Peer rank | not ranked | #22 of 33 |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 4 covered evidence groups favor SCHY. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 65 vs 63 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | SCHY | Value 60 vs 52 |
| Technicals | SDY | Price vs 50-day 0.7% vs 1.7%; vs 200-day 2% vs 3.4% |
| Risk Resilience | SCHY | Risk Resilience 77 vs 72 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of SCHY and SDY and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 2 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on SCHY.
How the comparison changed
95 daily snapshots · Jun 22 – Oct 20SCHY lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- SCHY +2
- 65 vs 63
- 7 sessions ago
- SDY +4
- 59 vs 63
- 30 sessions ago
- SCHY +3
- 52 vs 49
- 90 sessions ago
- SCHY +6
- 63 vs 57
The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Oct 20 when SCHY moved ahead of SDY.
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.
5 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only SCHY
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
6 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only SDY
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (2.6%)
Both carry 7 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, Keltner Channel Breakout, RSI Overbought, EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish, Uptrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
SCHY leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 4 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -0.18%, AIQ +4 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.07%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1SDY closes the Value gap — currently 8 points behind, the largest single contributor to SCHY's edge.
- 2SDY's BB Upper Band Breach resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3SCHY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 5 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
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
SDY leads 4 of 6 windows| Metric | SCHY | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 2.7% | 3.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | 0.5% | 4.1% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 1.3% | 1.2% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 1.7% | 5.5% |
| Year to date | 10.3% | 12.2% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 16.6% | 12.9% |
Technicals
SDY has the stronger structure| Metric | SCHY | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 78.2 | 82.9 |
| ADX (14) | 26.5 | 31.8 |
| Price vs 50-day | 0.7% | 1.7% |
| Price vs 200-day | 2% | 3.4% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 13.8% | 11.7% |
Risk
SCHY is the more resilient| Metric | SCHY | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.48 | 0.23 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.94 | 0.75 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.38 | 1.4 |
| Max drawdown | -9.3% | -8% |
| Current drawdown | -3% | -1.9% |
| Annualized volatility | 12.5% | 10.8% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.2% | -0.9% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between SCHY and SDY?
SCHY and SDY have little in common: 0% of their weight is in the same securities.
How much do SCHY and SDY overlap?
SCHY and SDY share 0% of their weighted exposure across 0 common holdings. 92 holdings are unique to SCHY, and 156 holdings are unique to SDY. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, SCHY or SDY?
They hold a similar number of positions: 135 for SCHY and 158 for SDY.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
SCHY has the lower expense ratio, 0.08% a year against 0.35% for SDY.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
SCHY, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 3.57% against 2.42% for SDY.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
SCHY has been more volatile over the past year, at 12.5% annualized against 10.8% for SDY.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
SDY fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -15.2% against -24% for SCHY.
Compare SCHY and SDY with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. 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.