FRDTX vs. SCHD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C (FRDTX) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD).

FRDTX is managed by Franklin Templeton. It was launched on Jul 22, 1996. SCHD is a passively managed fund by Charles Schwab that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. It was launched on Oct 20, 2011.

Performance

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C (FRDTX) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
FRDTX Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C	-4.76%	11.13%	21.73%	11.27%	-11.36%	25.67%	15.42%	28.87%	-5.99%	19.19%
SCHD Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	12.79%	4.34%	11.66%	4.54%	-3.26%	29.87%	15.03%	27.29%	-5.56%	20.85%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FRDTX achieves a -4.76% return, which is significantly lower than SCHD's 12.79% return. Over the past 10 years, FRDTX has underperformed SCHD with an annualized return of 11.09%, while SCHD has yielded a comparatively higher 12.31% annualized return.

FRDTX

• 1D: -0.05%
• 1M: -7.16%
• YTD: -4.76%
• 6M: -4.23%
• 1Y: 7.61%
• 3Y*: 11.49%
• 5Y*: 8.98%
• 10Y*: 11.09%

SCHD

• 1D: 0.66%
• 1M: -2.61%
• YTD: 12.79%
• 6M: 14.49%
• 1Y: 13.97%
• 3Y*: 12.05%
• 5Y*: 8.44%
• 10Y*: 12.31%

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

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Expense Ratio Comparison

FRDTX has a 1.59% expense ratio, which is higher than SCHD's 0.06% expense ratio.

FRDTX

Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C

SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Return for Risk

FRDTX vs. SCHD — Risk / Return Rank

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

FRDTX

FRDTX Risk / Return Rank: 23
FRDTX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 21
FRDTX Sortino Ratio Rank: 23
FRDTX Omega Ratio Rank: 22
FRDTX Calmar Ratio Rank: 22
FRDTX Martin Ratio Rank: 28

SCHD

SCHD Risk / Return Rank: 52
SCHD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 54
SCHD Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
SCHD Omega Ratio Rank: 54
SCHD Calmar Ratio Rank: 53
SCHD Martin Ratio Rank: 45

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.

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C (FRDTX) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). 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.

	FRDTX	SCHD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.57	0.89	-0.32
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.95	1.35	-0.40
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.13	1.19	-0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.66	1.19	-0.53
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.06	3.99	-0.93
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FRDTX Sharpe Ratio is 0.57, which is lower than the SCHD Sharpe Ratio of 0.89. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FRDTX and SCHD, 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

	FRDTX	SCHD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.57	0.89	-0.32
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.52	0.59	-0.07
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.61	0.74	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.55	0.84	-0.29

Correlation

The correlation between FRDTX and SCHD is 0.87, 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

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Dividend Comparison

FRDTX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 10.22%, more than SCHD's 3.44% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FRDTX Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C	10.22%	9.73%	19.21%	3.91%	4.27%	3.95%	0.17%	2.35%	4.44%	2.59%	2.61%	4.58%
SCHD Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	3.44%	3.82%	3.64%	3.49%	3.39%	2.78%	3.16%	2.98%	3.06%	2.63%	2.89%	2.97%

Drawdowns

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FRDTX drawdown since its inception was -52.13%, which is greater than SCHD's maximum drawdown of -33.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FRDTX and SCHD.

Drawdown Indicators

	FRDTX	SCHD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-52.13%	-33.37%	-18.76%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.56%	-12.74%	+2.18%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-21.53%	-16.85%	-4.68%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-34.93%	-33.37%	-1.56%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.20%	-2.89%	-4.31%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.58%	-3.34%	-3.24%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.29%	3.89%	-1.60%

Volatility

FRDTX vs. SCHD - Volatility Comparison

Franklin Rising Dividends Fund Class C (FRDTX) has a higher volatility of 3.47% compared to Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) at 2.40%. This indicates that FRDTX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SCHD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FRDTX	SCHD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.47%	2.40%	+1.07%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.49%	7.96%	-0.47%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	15.22%	15.74%	-0.52%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.47%	14.40%	+3.07%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	18.11%	16.70%	+1.41%