NDVG vs. NUSA

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF (NDVG) and Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA).

NDVG and NUSA are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. NDVG is an actively managed fund by Nuveen. It was launched on Aug 4, 2021. NUSA is a passively managed fund by Nuveen that tracks the performance of the ICE BofA Enhanced Yield US Broad Bond (1-5 Y). It was launched on Mar 31, 2017.

Performance

NDVG vs. NUSA - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF (NDVG) and Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NDVG vs. NUSA - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
NDVG Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF	-2.18%	10.06%	17.60%	15.15%	-9.55%	11.07%
NUSA Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF	0.18%	5.89%	3.52%	5.19%	-5.91%	-1.21%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, NDVG achieves a -2.18% return, which is significantly lower than NUSA's 0.18% return.

NDVG

• 1D: -0.01%
• 1M: -5.00%
• YTD: -2.18%
• 6M: -2.32%
• 1Y: 9.16%
• 3Y*: 12.79%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

NUSA

• 1D: -0.07%
• 1M: -0.59%
• YTD: 0.18%
• 6M: 1.07%
• 1Y: 3.87%
• 3Y*: 4.29%
• 5Y*: 1.59%
• 10Y*: —

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

NDVG vs. NUSA - Expense Ratio Comparison

NDVG has a 0.64% expense ratio, which is higher than NUSA's 0.15% expense ratio.

NDVG

Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF

NUSA

Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

Return for Risk

NDVG vs. NUSA — Risk / Return Rank

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

NDVG

NDVG Risk / Return Rank: 32
NDVG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 30
NDVG Sortino Ratio Rank: 31
NDVG Omega Ratio Rank: 32
NDVG Calmar Ratio Rank: 32
NDVG Martin Ratio Rank: 38

NUSA

NUSA Risk / Return Rank: 90
NUSA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
NUSA Sortino Ratio Rank: 94
NUSA Omega Ratio Rank: 89
NUSA Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
NUSA Martin Ratio Rank: 88

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.

NDVG vs. NUSA - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF (NDVG) and Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA). 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.

	NDVG	NUSA	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.60	1.99	-1.39
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.95	3.06	-2.11
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.39	-0.25
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.87	3.01	-2.14
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.67	11.54	-7.86
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NDVG vs. NUSA - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NDVG Sharpe Ratio is 0.60, which is lower than the NUSA Sharpe Ratio of 1.99. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NDVG and NUSA, 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

	NDVG	NUSA	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.60	1.99	-1.39
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.57	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.59	0.82	-0.23

Correlation

The correlation between NDVG and NUSA is 0.17, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

NDVG vs. NUSA - Dividend Comparison

NDVG's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.09%, less than NUSA's 3.82% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NDVG Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF	1.09%	1.05%	1.20%	1.24%	1.34%	0.57%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
NUSA Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF	3.82%	3.83%	3.93%	3.54%	2.44%	2.16%	2.51%	2.85%	3.22%	2.20%

Drawdowns

NDVG vs. NUSA - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NDVG drawdown since its inception was -19.71%, which is greater than NUSA's maximum drawdown of -9.44%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NDVG and NUSA.

Drawdown Indicators

	NDVG	NUSA	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-19.71%	-9.44%	-10.27%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.79%	-1.28%	-9.51%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-9.44%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.89%	-0.76%	-5.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.34%	-1.67%	-2.67%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.55%	0.33%	+2.22%

Volatility

NDVG vs. NUSA - Volatility Comparison

Nuveen Dividend Growth ETF (NDVG) has a higher volatility of 4.17% compared to Nuveen ESG 1-5 Year U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NUSA) at 0.80%. This indicates that NDVG's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than NUSA based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NDVG	NUSA	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.17%	0.80%	+3.37%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.91%	1.19%	+6.72%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	15.43%	1.95%	+13.48%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.55%	2.78%	+11.77%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	14.55%	2.74%	+11.81%