ETF Versus

DVY vs IEFA

iShares Select Dividend ETF vs iShares Core 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
IEFA iShares

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.46%. Launched in 2012, the fund has a 14-year track record.

AUM: $164.3B ER: 0.07% Yield: 3.46% Since: Oct 18, 2012

Quick Verdict

IEFA is significantly cheaper at 0.07% vs 0.38% expense ratio, saving you approximately $608 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IEFA has significantly outperformed with a 21.2% return vs 12.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric DVY IEFA
Expense Ratio 0.38% 0.07%
Dividend Yield 3.5% 3.5%
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%
IEFA +24.0%

Performance Comparison

Period DVY IEFA Difference
1 Month -3.15% -4.68% +1.53%
3 Months +5.89% +1.73% +4.16%
6 Months +5.53% +3.46% +2.07%
YTD +5.89% +1.73% +4.16%
1 Year +12.56% +21.19% -8.63%
3 Years +28.73% +36.36% -7.63%
5 Years +30.67% +23.97% +6.70%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period DVY Fees IEFA Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $748 $140 $608
$10.000 20 years $3.173 $600 $2.572
$10.000 30 years $10.097 $1.938 $8.159
$50.000 10 years $3.739 $698 $3.041
$50.000 30 years $50.486 $9.692 $40.794
$100.000 30 years $100.972 $19.383 $81.588

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric DVY IEFA
Annualized Volatility 15.5% 16.6%
Max Drawdown -22.1% -33.1%
Sharpe Ratio 0.13 0.07

Dividend Comparison

Metric DVY IEFA
Annual Dividend (per share) $5.24 $3.18
Dividend Yield 3.47% 3.46%
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%

IEFA Top Holdings

NameWeight
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML2.18%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN1.25%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN1.21%
Roche Holding AG!swx/ROP1.17%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA1.16%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL1.12%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN1.05%
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/72030.85%
Commonwealth Bank of Australia!asx/CBA0.85%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/83060.81%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IEFA if...

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

Choose IEFA if...

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

Related Comparisons