ETF Versus

MDY vs SCHM

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust vs Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

MDY

State Street SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Trust (MDY) is an exchange-traded fund 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 1.15%. Launched in 1995, the fund has a 31-year track record.

AUM: $23.7B ER: 0.24% Yield: 1.15% Since: May 4, 1995
SCHM Schwab

Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Schwab that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.04%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.40%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $12.6B ER: 0.04% Yield: 1.40% Since: Jan 13, 2011

Quick Verdict

SCHM is significantly cheaper at 0.04% vs 0.24% expense ratio, saving you approximately $395 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. SCHM has edged ahead over the past year (18.8% vs 15.9%).

Key Metrics

Metric MDY SCHM
Expense Ratio 0.24% 0.04%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.4%
Fund Family N/A Schwab
Category US Mid Cap US Mid Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 92 104 116 128 140 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
MDY +28.0%
SCHM +23.5%

Performance Comparison

Period MDY SCHM Difference
1 Month -5.55% -5.47% -0.08%
3 Months +1.71% +2.53% -0.82%
6 Months +3.51% +4.03% -0.52%
YTD +1.71% +2.53% -0.82%
1 Year +15.93% +18.78% -2.85%
3 Years +35.75% +38.25% -2.50%
5 Years +28.02% +23.49% +4.53%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MDY Fees SCHM Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $475 $80 $395
$10.000 20 years $2.028 $344 $1.684
$10.000 30 years $6.497 $1.112 $5.385
$50.000 10 years $2.375 $399 $1.976
$50.000 30 years $32.483 $5.560 $26.923
$100.000 30 years $64.967 $11.121 $53.846

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MDY SCHM
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 19.5%
Max Drawdown -24.5% -27.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.12 0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric MDY SCHM
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.12 $0.44
Dividend Yield 1.15% 1.40%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

2 of top 10 holdings overlap (20% overlap in top holdings)

MDY Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.87%
U.S. DollarCASH_USD0.86%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.84%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.79%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.78%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.75%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.71%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.66%
Royal Gold, Inc.RGLD0.64%
US Foods Holding Corp.USFD0.63%

SCHM Top Holdings

NameWeight
Sandisk CorporationSNDK1.95%
Ciena CorporationCIEN1.21%
Lumentum Holdings Inc.LITE1.07%
Coherent Corp.COHR0.98%
Bloom Energy CorporationBE0.74%
Texas Pacific Land CorporationTPL0.63%
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.62%
Tapestry, Inc.TPR0.60%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.57%
FTAI Aviation Ltd.FTAI0.53%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SCHM if...

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

Choose SCHM if...

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

Either works if...

you just need broad us mid cap exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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