Over the trailing five-year window, VIG and DGRO moved almost in lockstep (daily-return correlation 0.97), so holding both adds little diversification.
DGRO delivered the higher five-year annualized total return (8.0% vs 6.6% for VIG), though it is only one window and says nothing about the future.
On cost, VIG is cheaper — 0.04% versus 0.08% for DGRO.
The numbers, side by side
Per-fund metrics. Returns are total return (dividends reinvested, net of fees); volatility, drawdown and correlation are computed from daily closing prices over the trailing five-year window ending Sep 25, 2026.
| Metric | VIG | DGRO |
|---|---|---|
| 5-yr annualized returntotal return, incl. dividends & fees | 6.6% | 8.0% |
| 5-yr annualized volatilitystandard deviation of daily returns | 14.2% | 13.9% |
| Max drawdown (5-yr window)worst peak-to-trough decline | -21.5% | -20.7% |
| Return per unit of riskSharpe-style, 4.7% risk-free | 0.13 | 0.24 |
| Expense ratioannual fund cost | 0.04% | 0.08% |
How similar are they?
| Relationship metric | VIG & DGRO |
|---|---|
| Correlation of daily returns5-yr; 1.00 = moves identically | 0.97 |
| Sector overlapΣ min(weight) across sectors | 88.6% |
Where each fund is concentrated
VIG — top sectors
- Technology26.31%
- Financial Services21.84%
- Healthcare18.32%
DGRO — top sectors
- Financial Services19.81%
- Technology19.11%
- Healthcare17.39%
Go deeper
For the full write-up, read Best Dividend ETFs 2026: SCHD vs VYM vs DGRO vs DVY Compared.
Own VIG, DGRO, or both?
See how they fit your actual portfolio — MinMaxDoc gives you a free, tax-aware second opinion on what to buy, hold, or trim.
Get your free analysisFigures computed by MinMaxDoc from historical market data as of Sep 25, 2026; they will drift as markets move.