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DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (DFSTX)
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

Fund Info

ISIN
US2332038437
Inception Date
Mar 19, 1992
Min. Investment
$0
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Equity
Asset Class Size
Small-Cap
Asset Class Style
Blend

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (DFSTX) has returned -0.13% so far this year and 17.08% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, DFSTX has returned 9.69% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.


DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio

1D
-0.91%
1M
-7.67%
YTD
-0.13%
6M
1.57%
1Y
17.08%
3Y*
11.14%
5Y*
6.19%
10Y*
9.69%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Mar 19, 1992, DFSTX's average daily return is +0.05%, while the average monthly return is +0.96%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 6.0 years.

Historically, 61% of months were positive and 39% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +18.6%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -22.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, DFSTX closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +9.9%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -13.1%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20265.43%2.59%-7.67%-0.13%
20253.35%-5.14%-5.97%-2.80%5.83%4.10%1.35%5.77%0.40%-1.05%2.75%0.04%8.07%
2024-3.13%4.40%3.89%-5.83%4.91%-1.62%8.83%-1.06%0.88%-1.45%10.52%-7.71%11.50%
20238.68%-0.62%-4.50%-2.11%-2.21%8.96%4.98%-3.36%-5.17%-5.62%8.59%10.91%17.66%
2022-7.27%1.26%0.15%-7.54%1.74%-8.27%10.08%-3.30%-9.10%12.00%4.46%-5.84%-13.50%
20213.80%9.20%4.42%2.53%2.15%-0.51%-1.44%2.28%-2.20%4.53%-1.94%4.70%30.50%

Benchmark Metrics

DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 2.40%, beta of 0.97, and R² of 0.71 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since March 20, 1992.

  • This fund captured 115.19% of S&P 500 Index gains and 107.05% of its losses — amplifying both gains and losses, but participating more in upside than downside.
  • This fund generated an annualized alpha of 2.40% versus S&P 500 Index — delivering returns beyond what market exposure alone would predict.
  • With beta of 0.97 and R² of 0.71, this fund moves broadly in line with S&P 500 Index — much of its variation is explained by market exposure rather than independent behavior.

Alpha
2.40%
Beta
0.97
0.71
Upside Capture
115.19%
Downside Capture
107.05%

Expense Ratio

DFSTX has an expense ratio of 0.27%, which is considered low.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

DFSTX ranks 37 for risk / return — below 37% of mutual funds on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.


DFSTX Risk / Return Rank: 3737
Overall Rank
DFSTX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 3535
Sharpe Ratio Rank
DFSTX Sortino Ratio Rank: 3939
Sortino Ratio Rank
DFSTX Omega Ratio Rank: 3333
Omega Ratio Rank
DFSTX Calmar Ratio Rank: 3838
Calmar Ratio Rank
DFSTX Martin Ratio Rank: 3939
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio (DFSTX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


DFSTXBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

0.80

0.90

-0.09

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

1.27

1.39

-0.11

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.17

1.21

-0.04

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

1.03

1.40

-0.36

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

4.16

6.61

-2.45

Explore DFSTX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio provided a 1.09% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.57 per share.


1.00%2.00%3.00%4.00%5.00%6.00%$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.5020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$0.57$0.56$0.51$1.09$2.00$3.01$0.41$1.16$1.54$1.64$1.05$1.67

Dividend yield

1.09%1.08%1.05%2.45%5.18%6.39%1.08%3.30%5.16%4.56%3.10%5.90%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.00$0.13$0.13
2025$0.00$0.00$0.13$0.00$0.00$0.15$0.00$0.00$0.14$0.00$0.00$0.14$0.56
2024$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$0.14$0.00$0.00$0.14$0.00$0.00$0.13$0.51
2023$0.00$0.00$0.12$0.00$0.00$0.13$0.00$0.00$0.12$0.00$0.00$0.72$1.09
2022$0.00$0.00$0.07$0.00$0.00$0.11$0.00$0.00$0.12$0.00$0.00$1.70$2.00
2021$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.10$0.00$0.00$0.12$0.00$0.00$2.69$3.01

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio was 60.99%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 445 trading sessions.

The current DFA U.S. Small Cap Portfolio drawdown is 9.09%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-60.99%Jul 16, 2007416Mar 9, 2009445Dec 10, 2010861
-44.78%Sep 4, 2018390Mar 23, 2020172Nov 24, 2020562
-38.45%Apr 23, 1998118Oct 8, 1998307Dec 28, 1999425
-36.29%Apr 17, 2002123Oct 9, 2002225Sep 2, 2003348
-28.65%Jul 8, 201161Oct 3, 2011235Sep 7, 2012296

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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