At a glance
FID charges 0.6% a year, above the 0.28% average of the 6 funds most like it (the most expensive of 7). It has $156.7M in assets, the 7th largest of that group; it paid 4.01% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned +17.0% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 5th of those 7 funds; over three years it returned +22.0% a year. At its worst it fell 39.1% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 29.1% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 12 months and 23 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 20.3% of the fund, out of 73 in all.
The short version
First Trust S&P International Dividend Aristocrats ETF (FID) tracks an S&P Dow Jones Indices index of non-U.S. companies that have raised or held their dividends steady for at least ten straight years. It gives bigger weights to higher-yielding stocks, and its trailing yield was 4.01% as of October 27, 2026. The trade-off is cost: its 0.60% expense ratio was the highest among comparable funds, which averaged 0.28%.
Price history
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FID +17.0% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FID official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +32.21% | — | +9.29% | +7.09% | +4.91% |
| FID price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +12.2% | +17.0% | +22.0% | +9.2% | — | +7.5% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, FID returned +17.0%, 5th of 7 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +9.2%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 39.1% and regained its old high 11.7 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-9.7%); its best was 2025 (+32.1%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 39.8% (Jan 21, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020), recovered by Mar 16, 2021.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +12.3% | — |
| 2025 | +32.1% | +32.21% |
| 2024 | +5.5% | +4.98% |
| 2023 | +9.9% | +9.18% |
| 2022 | -9.7% | -8.90% |
| 2021 | +12.8% | +12.95% |
| 2020 | -7.5% | -7.47% |
| 2019 | +20.8% | +21.07% |
| 2018 | — | -11.68% |
| 2017 | — | +20.94% |
| 2016 | — | +6.34% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 39.1% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 39.1%, back to its old high 11.7 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 21.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 29.1%, back to its old high 23.2 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.6000 | |
| 2025 | $0.8900 | +25.4% |
| 2024 | $0.7100 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | $0.6700 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $0.6500 | -3.0% |
| 2021 | $0.6700 | +4.7% |
| 2020 | $0.6400 | -5.9% |
| 2019 | $0.6800 |
What's inside
As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 73 securities; the ten largest made up 20.33% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| LENOVO GROUP LTD | 3.07% | |
| LEGAL & GENERAL GROUP PLC | 2.45% | |
| APA GROUP | 2.05% | |
| TELUS CORP | 2.01% | |
| VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORP | 1.97% | |
| SCHRODERS PLC | 1.87% | |
| PEMBINA PIPELINE CORP | 1.77% | |
| DNB BANK ASA | 1.74% | |
| KEYERA CORP | 1.71% | |
| LONDONMETRIC PROPERTY PLC | 1.68% | |
| ELISA OYJ | 1.68% | |
| BOSIDENG INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LTD | 1.64% | |
| ENEL SPA | 1.62% | |
| CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES LTD | 1.53% | |
| EDP SA | 1.53% |
By country
Canada 17.61%Switzerland 11.28%United Kingdom 11.06%Japan 10.23%Hong Kong 8.48%By asset type
Stocks 99.22%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors added a net $1.1M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +4.89%, +2.61%, -3.28%.
How it works
FID aims to track the S&P International Dividend Aristocrats Index, which S&P Dow Jones Indices built and owns. The fund invests at least 90% of its net assets in the index's stocks. The index starts from a base list, the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index, which draws on companies in both developed and emerging markets. To qualify, a company must have increased or held its dividend steady every year for at least ten years. Its yield must be no more than 10%. A company new to the index must also pay out no more than 100% of its earnings as dividends (its payout ratio). The 100 highest yielders make the list, with no more than 20 from any one country and 35 from any one sector.
FID's index then removes every U.S. company and keeps the rest, with at least 80 stocks at each rebalance. Stocks are weighted by dividend yield, not company size. Each stock is capped at 3%, and each country and sector at 25%. That spreads money widely: the ten largest positions made up 20.33% of the fund as of June 30, 2026.
The index is rebuilt once a year and rebalanced twice a year, with monthly checks for stocks that stop qualifying. Portfolio turnover, the share of holdings replaced over a year, was 51%. The "Aristocrats" label is looser than it sounds: flat dividends count, and the ten-year test can drop to seven years if too few stocks qualify.
What it really costs
- FID charges 0.6% a year, versus an average of 0.28% for the similar funds below (7th of 7, cheapest first).
In a retirement portfolio
FID's main draw is a quarterly dividend from non-U.S. companies with long payout records, with a trailing yield of 4.01% as of October 27, 2026.
FID could add dividends from outside the U.S. to a portfolio built mostly on American stocks. Its one-year beta, a measure of how much it moves with the market, was 0.53. Even so, it has fallen hard. In the 2020 COVID crash it dropped 39.1% and took about 12 months to recover. In the 2022 bear market it fell 29.1% and needed about 23 months to get back. Its worst calendar year in the prospectus record was 2018, at -11.68%. Its price history does not reach back to 2008. Anyone selling shares for cash in a slump would be selling at low prices, and the companies it holds can cut dividends. Its 0.60% expense ratio is more than double the 0.28% average for similar funds. Past results don't predict future ones, and a plan should weigh the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors seeking quarterly dividend income from non-U.S. companies; the trailing yield was 4.01% as of October 27, 2026.
- Those who prefer holdings spread across many stocks, with each capped at 3% and the top ten at 20.33% as of June 30, 2026.
- Portfolios heavy in U.S. stocks wanting exposure to Canada, Switzerland, the U.K., Japan and Hong Kong, its largest country weights.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: its 0.60% expense ratio ranked 7th of 7 comparable funds, while HDEF charges 0.09% and VYMI 0.17%.
- Anyone uncomfortable with sharp drops, like its 39.8% fall in early 2020, or with foreign currency moves against the dollar.
- Those wanting a large fund: at about $157 million in net assets as of June 30, 2026, it was the smallest in its peer group.
Close alternatives
Matched by closest holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports (no similar fund shares 20% or more of its holdings).
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FID this fund | — | 0.6% | $156.7M | +17.0% | +22.0% |
| DWX SPDR S&P International Dividend ETF | 17% | 0.45% | $503.7M | +12.8% | +18.5% |
| HDEF Xtrackers MSCI EAFE High Dividend Yield Equ… | 9% | 0.09% | $2.35B | +17.8% | +21.0% |
| VYMI Vanguard International High Dividend Yield … | 9% | 0.17% | $21.87B | +23.2% | +24.4% |
| EFV iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF | 8% | 0.33% | $29.11B | +21.9% | +23.3% |
| IGRO iShares International Dividend Growth ETF | 7% | 0.15% | $1.24B | +16.7% | +20.6% |
| DOL WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend … | 7% | 0.48% | $814.8M | +18.9% | +22.6% |
Questions investors ask
Is FID good for retirement income?
FID may suit retirees who want dividend income from outside the U.S. Its trailing 12-month yield was 4.01% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly. Its index favors companies that have raised or held their dividends for at least ten years. Still, dividends aren't guaranteed, and the fund fell 39.1% in the 2020 crash. Its 0.60% expense ratio also takes a bigger bite out of income than cheaper rivals.
Does FID pay monthly dividends?
No. FID pays dividends quarterly, not monthly. Over the 12 months through October 27, 2026, it paid about $0.90 per share, a trailing yield of 4.01%. Payouts can vary from quarter to quarter. The fund holds foreign stocks, so currency moves against the U.S. dollar and dividend cuts by its companies can both change how much it pays.
What's the difference between FID and DWX?
Both hold international dividend stocks, but FID costs more: 0.60% a year versus 0.45% for the SPDR S&P International Dividend ETF (DWX). DWX is the closest match by holdings, yet the two share only 17%. As of October 27, 2026, FID returned 17% over one year against 12.8% for DWX, and 22% versus 18.5% a year over three years. DWX is larger, with about $504 million in net assets against FID's $157 million.
What are FID's top holdings?
As of June 30, 2026, FID's largest holdings were Lenovo Group (3.07%), Legal & General Group (2.45%), APA Group (2.05%), Telus (2.01%) and Vanguard International Semiconductor (1.97%). The fund held 73 stocks, and the top ten made up 20.33% of assets. Canada was the largest country weight at 17.61%, followed by Switzerland, the U.K., Japan and Hong Kong.
How has FID performed over the long term?
As of December 31, 2025, FID returned 32.21% over one year, 9.29% a year over five years and 7.09% a year over ten years, according to its prospectus. Since its August 2013 launch, it returned 4.91% a year. Calendar-year results ranged from -11.68% in 2018 to 32.21% in 2025. Its price return for 2026 was 12.25% through October 27.