ETF Versus

DVY vs EFA

iShares Select Dividend ETF vs iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

DVY iShares

iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.38%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.47%. Launched in 2003, the fund has a 23-year track record.

AUM: $22.0B ER: 0.38% Yield: 3.47% Since: Nov 3, 2003
EFA iShares

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.32%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.29%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $69.1B ER: 0.32% Yield: 3.29% Since: Aug 14, 2001

Quick Verdict

EFA has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.32% vs 0.38%), saving about $116 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, EFA has significantly outperformed with a 20.5% return vs 12.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric DVY EFA
Expense Ratio 0.38% 0.32%
Dividend Yield 3.5% 3.3%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category US Dividend International Developed

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 84 98 112 126 140 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
DVY +30.7%
EFA +26.5%

Performance Comparison

Period DVY EFA Difference
1 Month -3.15% -4.54% +1.39%
3 Months +5.89% +1.62% +4.27%
6 Months +5.53% +3.71% +1.82%
YTD +5.89% +1.62% +4.27%
1 Year +12.56% +20.48% -7.92%
3 Years +28.73% +36.79% -8.06%
5 Years +30.67% +26.46% +4.21%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period DVY Fees EFA Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $748 $631 $116
$10.000 20 years $3.173 $2.686 $487
$10.000 30 years $10.097 $8.571 $1.526
$50.000 10 years $3.739 $3.156 $582
$50.000 30 years $50.486 $42.854 $7.632
$100.000 30 years $100.972 $85.707 $15.265

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric DVY EFA
Annualized Volatility 15.5% 16.6%
Max Drawdown -22.1% -32.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.13 0.10

Dividend Comparison

Metric DVY EFA
Annual Dividend (per share) $5.24 $3.25
Dividend Yield 3.47% 3.29%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Semi-Annual or Annual

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

DVY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Pfizer Inc.PFE2.33%
Altria Group, Inc.MO2.17%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ2.01%
ONEOK, Inc.OKE1.93%
Prudential Financial, Inc.PRU1.81%
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.TROW1.75%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB1.70%
General Mills, Inc.GIS1.62%
Edison InternationalEIX1.60%
Kimberly-Clark CorporationKMB1.57%

EFA Top Holdings

NameWeight
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML2.54%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN1.46%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN1.41%
Roche Holding AG!swx/ROP1.36%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA1.36%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL1.31%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN1.22%
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/72031.00%
Commonwealth Bank of Australia!asx/CBA0.99%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/83060.95%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EFA if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose EFA if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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