First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend… (SDVY) Performance
SDVY total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +10.5% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +12.9% total return
- 5 years
- +8.8% a year
- Since first price
- +10.5% a year since 2017
SDVY trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | SDVY total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +1.9% | +1.7% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | −1.6% | −1.8% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | −0.2% | −0.7% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +10.5% | +9.8% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +12.9% | +11.8% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +63.9%+17.9%/yr | +57.1% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +52.7%+8.8%/yr | +40.0% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionNov 3, 2017 | +144.9%+10.5%/yr | +111.3% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: SDVY vs SPY
From Nov 3, 2017: SDVY grew to $24,487, SPY to $33,749.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
SDVY returns by calendar year
6 of 8 full years positive. Best 2021 (+29.1%), worst 2018 (−15.3%). 2026 is year to date.
SDVY annual returns table
| Year | SDVY | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +10.5% | −9.5% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +8.4% | −21.9% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +11.2% | −11.7% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +28.6% | −15.7% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −12.0% | −24.4% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +29.1% | −8.9% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +11.7% | −43.6% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +25.6% | −19.0% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −15.3% | −22.6% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
SDVY largest drawdowns
Now 6.2% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2019 | −44.7% | Mar 23, 2020 | Nov 17, 2020 | 8 months | 1.3 years |
| Nov 25, 2024 | −26.1% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jan 6, 2026 | 4 months | 1.1 years |
| Jan 4, 2022 | −24.4% | Sep 26, 2022 | Jul 19, 2023 | 9 months | 1.5 years |
| Aug 27, 2018 | −22.6% | Dec 24, 2018 | Jul 24, 2019 | 4 months | 11 months |
| Aug 7, 2023 | −12.5% | Oct 27, 2023 | Dec 4, 2023 | 3 months | 4 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
SDVY risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +14.5% | +9.4% | +9.6% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 18.5% | 20.6% | 22.1% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.59 | 0.36 | 0.41 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.00 | 0.60 | 0.63 |
| Best month | +12.0% | +12.0% | +18.5% |
| Worst month | −9.8% | −11.0% | −23.3% |
| Best 12 months | +38.1% | +38.1% | +102.5% |
| Worst 12 months | −2.9% | −16.6% | −26.9% |
| Positive months | 58% | 50% | 57% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.99 | 1.01 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.67 | 0.77 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
SDVY rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 96 | −26.9% | +8.3% | +102.5% | 65% |
| 3-year (a year) | 72 | +3.6% | +13.4% | +25.5% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 48 | +5.8% | +11.9% | +20.9% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2017. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
SDVY performance overview
First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend… (SDVY) returned +12.9% over the past year and +8.8% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2017 it has returned +10.5% a year, turning $10,000 into about $24,487. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −44.7%, from Jul 24, 2019 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 8 months to get back to the old high. SDVY finished 6 of its 8 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2021 (+29.1%) and the worst 2018 (−15.3%). Volatility has been 22.1% a year.
Related: SDVY chart, SDVY holdings, SDVY dividends, SDVY valuation. See the SDVY overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
SDVY performance FAQ
What is the SDVY return over the past year?
SDVY returned +12.9% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 11.8%.
What is the average annual return of SDVY?
SDVY has returned +8.8% a year over 5 years, +10.5% a year since November 3, 2017 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in SDVY be worth?
$10,000 invested in SDVY at its first recorded close on November 3, 2017 would be worth about $24,487 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for SDVY?
The worst calendar year was 2018, with a total return of −15.3%. The best was 2021 at +29.1%.
What is the biggest drawdown of SDVY?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −44.7% between July 24, 2019 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on November 17, 2020, 8 months after the bottom.
How volatile is SDVY?
Over the past 3 years SDVY had an annualized volatility of 18.5% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.59 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).