First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL) Alternatives

First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL) belongs to the Large Cap Value Equities category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with FDL. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or funds that fit a different role in your portfolio.

Cheapest Alternatives to FDL

FDL charges 0.45% annually. Among ETFs in the Large Cap Value Equities category, these options have the lowest expense ratios among FDL alternatives.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	Inception
ILCV	iShares Morningstar Value ETF	0.04%	Jun 28, 2004	FDL vs ILCV
SCHV	Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF	0.04%	Dec 11, 2009	FDL vs SCHV
IUSV	iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF	0.04%	Jul 24, 2000	FDL vs IUSV
SPYV	SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value ETF	0.04%	Sep 25, 2000	FDL vs SPYV
VTV	Vanguard Value ETF	0.04%	Jan 26, 2004	FDL vs VTV

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to FDL

Among ETFs in the Large Cap Value Equities category, these options rank highest on PortfoliosLab's risk-adjusted score, which accounts for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency over a 1-year period.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	Inception
GCOW	Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF	93	Feb 23, 2016	FDL vs GCOW
VLUE	iShares Edge MSCI USA Value Factor ETF	90	Apr 16, 2013	FDL vs VLUE
SEIV	SEI Enhanced US Large Cap Value Factor ETF	87	May 16, 2022	FDL vs SEIV
FEGE	First Eagle Global Equity ETF	85	Dec 19, 2024	FDL vs FEGE
DEW	WisdomTree Global High Dividend Fund	85	Jun 16, 2006	FDL vs DEW

Top Performing FDL Alternatives (YTD)

FDL alternatives from the Large Cap Value Equities category, sorted by year-to-date return.

Symbol	Name	YTD Return	Inception
GCOW	Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF	13.21%	Feb 23, 2016	FDL vs GCOW
HDV	iShares Core High Dividend ETF	12.30%	Mar 29, 2011	FDL vs HDV
ELCV	Eventide High Dividend ETF	9.52%	Sep 30, 2024	FDL vs ELCV
CDC	VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd...	9.03%	Jul 2, 2014	FDL vs CDC
DFRA	Donoghue Forlines Yield Enhanced Real Asset ETF	9.02%	Dec 13, 2021	FDL vs DFRA

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to FDL

FDL alternatives from the Large Cap Value Equities category, sorted by annualized volatility over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Volatility 1Y	Inception
LVDS	JPMorgan Fundamental Data Science Large Value ETF	10.29%	Jul 14, 2025	FDL vs LVDS
ABEQ	Absolute Select Value ETF	11.61%	Jan 22, 2020	FDL vs ABEQ
MFVL	Motley Fool Value Factor ETF	11.67%	Dec 8, 2025	FDL vs MFVL
CSTK	Invesco Comstock Contrarian Equity ETF	11.70%	May 5, 2025	FDL vs CSTK
MDLV	Morgan Dempsey Large Cap Value ETF	11.90%	Apr 25, 2023	FDL vs MDLV

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to FDL

FDL alternatives from the Large Cap Value Equities category, sorted by maximum drawdown over the past year.

Symbol	Name	Max Drawdown 1Y	Inception
ABEQ	Absolute Select Value ETF	-7.95%	Jan 22, 2020	FDL vs ABEQ
DIVZ	Opal Dividend Income ETF	-8.47%	Jan 27, 2021	FDL vs DIVZ
SPLV	Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF	-8.88%	May 5, 2011	FDL vs SPLV
MDLV	Morgan Dempsey Large Cap Value ETF	-9.72%	Apr 25, 2023	FDL vs MDLV
HDV	iShares Core High Dividend ETF	-10.04%	Mar 29, 2011	FDL vs HDV

Other ETFs from First Trust

Most popular First Trust ETFs on PortfoliosLab, across asset classes.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
CIBR	First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF	Technology Equities, Cybersecurity	12	-12.12%	Jul 7, 2015	FDL vs CIBR
NFTY	First Trust India NIFTY 50 Equal Weight ETF	Asia Pacific Equities	5	-11.19%	Feb 14, 2012	FDL vs NFTY
GRID	First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID Infrastru...	Alternative Energy Equities	94	6.96%	Nov 17, 2009	FDL vs GRID
AIRR	First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ET...	Building & Construction	95	12.74%	Mar 10, 2014	FDL vs AIRR
IGLD	FT Cboe Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF	Precious Metals, Gold	84	5.99%	Mar 2, 2021	FDL vs IGLD
TDIV	First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund	Technology Equities, Dividend	77	-2.96%	Aug 14, 2012	FDL vs TDIV
KNG	FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target I...	Dividend, S&P 500	25	1.24%	Mar 26, 2018	FDL vs KNG
ROBT	First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence & Robot...	Technology Equities, Robotics	28	-11.00%	Feb 21, 2018	FDL vs ROBT
QCLN	First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index F...	Alternative Energy Equities	87	4.23%	Feb 8, 2007	FDL vs QCLN
FIW	First Trust Water ETF	Water Equities	18	-4.90%	May 8, 2007	FDL vs FIW

Often Compared With FDL

What investors most often compare with FDL, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.

Symbol	Name	Category	Risk / Return Rank	YTD Return	Inception
SCHD	Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	Dividend	52	12.79%	Oct 20, 2011	FDL vs SCHD
FDVV	Fidelity High Dividend ETF	Large Cap Blend Equities, Dividend	60	-1.78%	Sep 12, 2016	FDL vs FDVV
VYM	Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF	Dividend	72	3.80%	Feb 7, 2019	FDL vs VYM
LVHD	Legg Mason Low Volatility High Dividend ETF	Volatility Hedged Equity, Dividend	37	6.93%	Dec 29, 2015	FDL vs LVHD
SPYD	SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF	S&P 500, Dividend	30	6.32%	Oct 21, 2015	FDL vs SPYD
VOO	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF	S&P 500	65	-4.42%	Sep 7, 2010	FDL vs VOO
SPHD	Invesco S&P 500® High Dividend Low Volatility ETF	S&P 500, Dividend	20	4.64%	Oct 18, 2012	FDL vs SPHD
JEPI	JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF	Actively Managed, Dividend, Derivative Income	39	0.20%	May 20, 2020	FDL vs JEPI
NOBL	ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF	S&P 500, Dividend	27	2.36%	Oct 9, 2013	FDL vs NOBL
ONEQ	Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index Tracking Stock	Large Cap Growth Equities	72	-6.77%	Sep 25, 2003	FDL vs ONEQ
MEDI	Harbor Health Care ETF	Health & Biotech Equities	36	-6.79%	Nov 16, 2022	FDL vs MEDI
UDI	USCF ESG Dividend Income Fund	Large Cap Value Equities	69	5.95%	Jun 8, 2022	FDL vs UDI
AHR	American Healthcare REIT, Inc.		94	0.75%	—	FDL vs AHR
BEEZ	Honeytree U.S. Equity ETF	Large Cap Blend Equities	26	-1.76%	Nov 6, 2023	FDL vs BEEZ
EDIV	SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF	Emerging Markets Equities, Dividend	65	1.66%	Feb 23, 2011	FDL vs EDIV
CSMD	Congress SMID Growth ETF	Mid Cap Growth Equities	28	-2.88%	Aug 21, 2023	FDL vs CSMD
QQJG	Invesco ESG NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF	Mid Cap Growth Equities	73	1.44%	Oct 27, 2021	FDL vs QQJG
FDTS	First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap Alph...	Foreign Small & Mid Cap Equities	97	11.04%	Feb 15, 2012	FDL vs FDTS
AUSC.L	Abrdn UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust plc		40	-8.17%	—	FDL vs AUSC.L
CPZ	Calamos Long/Short Equity & Dynamic Income Term Tr...		30	-5.40%	—	FDL vs CPZ

Compare FDL with Any Fund or Stock

Compare FDL with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

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First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund

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