RDVY vs. DGRW

Last updated Apr 3, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) and WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund (DGRW).

RDVY and DGRW are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. RDVY is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ US Rising Dividend Achievers. It was launched on Jan 6, 2014. DGRW is a passively managed fund by WisdomTree that tracks the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Index. It was launched on May 22, 2013. Both RDVY and DGRW are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

RDVY vs. DGRW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) and WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund (DGRW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

RDVY vs. DGRW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
RDVY First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF	-0.57%	18.90%	16.41%	20.38%	-13.27%	31.14%	13.47%	37.71%	-9.92%	22.75%
DGRW WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund	-1.26%	12.17%	16.98%	18.66%	-6.33%	24.46%	13.87%	29.54%	-5.38%	26.90%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, RDVY achieves a -0.57% return, which is significantly higher than DGRW's -1.26% return. Over the past 10 years, RDVY has outperformed DGRW with an annualized return of 14.68%, while DGRW has yielded a comparatively lower 13.11% annualized return.

RDVY

• 1D: 0.06%
• 1M: -2.90%
• YTD: -0.57%
• 6M: 2.48%
• 1Y: 17.55%
• 3Y*: 16.90%
• 5Y*: 10.19%
• 10Y*: 14.68%

DGRW

• 1D: -0.03%
• 1M: -4.33%
• YTD: -1.26%
• 6M: -0.51%
• 1Y: 11.18%
• 3Y*: 13.85%
• 5Y*: 10.87%
• 10Y*: 13.11%

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

RDVY vs. DGRW - Expense Ratio Comparison

RDVY has a 0.50% expense ratio, which is higher than DGRW's 0.28% expense ratio.

RDVY

First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF

DGRW

WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund

Return for Risk

RDVY vs. DGRW — Risk / Return Rank

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

RDVY

RDVY Risk / Return Rank: 49
RDVY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 47
RDVY Sortino Ratio Rank: 49
RDVY Omega Ratio Rank: 48
RDVY Calmar Ratio Rank: 47
RDVY Martin Ratio Rank: 54

DGRW

DGRW Risk / Return Rank: 37
DGRW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 35
DGRW Sortino Ratio Rank: 36
DGRW Omega Ratio Rank: 39
DGRW Calmar Ratio Rank: 32
DGRW Martin Ratio Rank: 40

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.

RDVY vs. DGRW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) and WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund (DGRW). 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.

	RDVY	DGRW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.92	0.73	+0.20
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.41	1.16	+0.25
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.20	1.17	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.43	1.02	+0.41
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.23	4.55	+1.67
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

RDVY vs. DGRW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current RDVY Sharpe Ratio is 0.92, which is comparable to the DGRW Sharpe Ratio of 0.73. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of RDVY and DGRW, 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

	RDVY	DGRW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.92	0.73	+0.20
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.54	0.78	-0.24
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.70	0.81	-0.11
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.62	0.81	-0.18

Correlation

The correlation between RDVY and DGRW is 0.84, 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

RDVY vs. DGRW - Dividend Comparison

RDVY's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.02%, less than DGRW's 1.43% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
RDVY First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF	1.02%	1.11%	1.64%	2.09%	2.21%	1.04%	1.53%	1.55%	1.68%	1.25%	2.07%	2.14%
DGRW WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund	1.43%	1.43%	1.55%	1.74%	2.15%	1.78%	1.93%	2.20%	2.42%	1.71%	2.13%	2.18%

Drawdowns

RDVY vs. DGRW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum RDVY drawdown since its inception was -40.60%, which is greater than DGRW's maximum drawdown of -32.04%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for RDVY and DGRW.

Drawdown Indicators

	RDVY	DGRW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-40.60%	-32.04%	-8.56%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-9.04%	-8.30%	-0.74%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.32%	-17.27%	-8.05%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-40.60%	-32.04%	-8.56%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.65%	-5.72%	+0.07%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.06%	-3.04%	-2.02%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.96%	2.53%	+0.43%

Volatility

RDVY vs. DGRW - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) has a higher volatility of 5.50% compared to WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund (DGRW) at 4.62%. This indicates that RDVY's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DGRW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	RDVY	DGRW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.50%	4.62%	+0.88%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.92%	7.72%	+3.20%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	19.08%	15.41%	+3.67%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.91%	13.97%	+4.94%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.10%	16.21%	+4.89%