AVSU vs. DFSU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF (AVSU) and Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF (DFSU).

AVSU and DFSU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AVSU is a passively managed fund by Avantis that tracks the performance of the Russell 3000 Index. It was launched on Mar 15, 2022. DFSU is an actively managed fund by Dimensional. It was launched on Nov 1, 2022.

Performance

AVSU vs. DFSU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF (AVSU) and Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF (DFSU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AVSU vs. DFSU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022
AVSU Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF	-1.95%	16.69%	19.16%	24.50%	2.16%
DFSU Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF	-4.41%	15.65%	22.96%	26.27%	0.65%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AVSU achieves a -1.95% return, which is significantly higher than DFSU's -4.41% return.

AVSU

• 1D: 0.98%
• 1M: -4.60%
• YTD: -1.95%
• 6M: 1.66%
• 1Y: 20.52%
• 3Y*: 17.02%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

DFSU

• 1D: 0.80%
• 1M: -4.91%
• YTD: -4.41%
• 6M: -2.20%
• 1Y: 16.21%
• 3Y*: 17.08%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

AVSU vs. DFSU - Expense Ratio Comparison

AVSU has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is lower than DFSU's 0.18% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

DFSU

Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF

AVSU

Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF

Return for Risk

AVSU vs. DFSU — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AVSU

AVSU Risk / Return Rank: 62
AVSU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 58
AVSU Sortino Ratio Rank: 61
AVSU Omega Ratio Rank: 62
AVSU Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
AVSU Martin Ratio Rank: 66

DFSU

DFSU Risk / Return Rank: 48
DFSU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 44
DFSU Sortino Ratio Rank: 46
DFSU Omega Ratio Rank: 48
DFSU Calmar Ratio Rank: 47
DFSU Martin Ratio Rank: 55

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.

AVSU vs. DFSU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF (AVSU) and Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF (DFSU). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AVSU	DFSU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.08	0.85	+0.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.64	1.33	+0.30
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.24	1.19	+0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.65	1.33	+0.32
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.27	5.71	+1.56
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AVSU vs. DFSU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AVSU Sharpe Ratio is 1.08, which is comparable to the DFSU Sharpe Ratio of 0.85. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AVSU and DFSU, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AVSU	DFSU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.08	0.85	+0.22
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.59	1.07	-0.48

Correlation

The correlation between AVSU and DFSU is 0.98, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

AVSU vs. DFSU - Dividend Comparison

AVSU's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.02%, more than DFSU's 0.93% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022
AVSU Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF	1.02%	1.03%	1.22%	1.22%	0.99%
DFSU Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF	0.93%	0.85%	0.96%	1.03%	0.21%

Drawdowns

AVSU vs. DFSU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AVSU drawdown since its inception was -21.67%, which is greater than DFSU's maximum drawdown of -19.88%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AVSU and DFSU.

Drawdown Indicators

	AVSU	DFSU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-21.67%	-19.88%	-1.79%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.70%	-12.58%	-0.12%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.29%	-6.70%	+0.41%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.67%	-2.74%	-2.93%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.88%	2.93%	-0.05%

Volatility

AVSU vs. DFSU - Volatility Comparison

Avantis Responsible U.S. Equity ETF (AVSU) has a higher volatility of 6.00% compared to Dimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETF (DFSU) at 5.68%. This indicates that AVSU's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DFSU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AVSU	DFSU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.00%	5.68%	+0.32%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.34%	10.10%	+0.24%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	19.16%	19.09%	+0.07%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.99%	16.41%	+1.58%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.99%	16.41%	+1.58%