ETF Versus

MDY vs SPYD

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

MDY SPDR

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust (MDY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.24%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.11%. Launched in 1995, the fund has a 31-year track record.

AUM: $25.2B ER: 0.24% Yield: 1.11% Since: May 4, 1995
SPYD SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.33%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.1B ER: 0.07% Yield: 4.33% Since: Oct 21, 2015

Quick Verdict

SPYD is significantly cheaper at 0.07% vs 0.24% expense ratio, saving you approximately $335 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, MDY has significantly outperformed with a 31.1% return vs 15.3%. Income investors may prefer SPYD for its higher yield (4.3% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric MDY SPYD
Expense Ratio 0.24% 0.07%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 4.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Mid Cap US Dividend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 91 102 113 124 135 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
MDY +31.8%
SPYD +17.3%

Performance Comparison

Period MDY SPYD Difference
1 Month +3.01% -0.44% +3.45%
3 Months +1.74% +3.93% -2.19%
6 Months +9.24% +6.95% +2.29%
YTD +5.23% +5.33% -0.10%
1 Year +31.12% +15.30% +15.82%
3 Years +40.99% +19.97% +21.02%
5 Years +31.81% +17.27% +14.54%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MDY Fees SPYD Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $475 $140 $335
$10,000 20 years $2,028 $600 $1,428
$10,000 30 years $6,497 $1,938 $4,558
$50,000 10 years $2,375 $698 $1,677
$50,000 30 years $32,483 $9,692 $22,792
$100,000 30 years $64,967 $19,383 $45,583

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MDY SPYD
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 16.5%
Max Drawdown -24.5% -27.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.15 0.00

Dividend Comparison

Metric MDY SPYD
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.12 $1.99
Dividend Yield 1.11% 4.33%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

MDY Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.86%
U.S. DollarCASH_USD0.85%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.84%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.80%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.80%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.75%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.74%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.70%
FabrinetFN0.65%
Royal Gold, Inc.RGLD0.65%

SPYD Top Holdings

NameWeight
APA CorporationAPA1.78%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB1.75%
Dow Inc.DOW1.69%
EOG Resources, Inc.EOG1.57%
Edison InternationalEIX1.50%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ1.49%
Phillips 66PSX1.45%
AT&T Inc.T1.42%
Target CorporationTGT1.42%
Chevron CorporationCVX1.41%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPYD if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose MDY if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose SPYD if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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