DFAX: DIMENSIONAL WORLD EX U.S. CORE EQUITY 2 ETF
What this ETF is trying to do
The Dimensional World Ex U.S. Core Equity 2 ETF (DFAX) is designed to provide investors with exposure to stocks outside of the United States. It holds a variety of international companies to spread out investment risk.
What the numbers show
As of October 6, 2026, the share price of DFAX was $37.54.
When looking at performance, it is important to distinguish between price return (how much the share price changed) and total return (which includes the share price change plus distributions).
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The price return is 14.70%, while the total return is 16.78%.
• One Year: The price return is 18.12%, and the total return is 21.13%.
• Three Year: The price return is 68.57%, and the total return is 83.01%.
To put this in perspective, the estimated price from roughly one year ago was $31.78. If an investor had put $10,000 into the ETF based on that estimated price, the price-only growth (excluding distributions) would be worth approximately $11,812.46 today.
Income and Distribution Explanation
DFAX pays out cash to investors, known as distributions. It usually does this quarterly. Over the last 12 months, it had 4 payouts totaling $0.89 per share. This results in a distribution yield of approximately 2.38%.
It is important for beginners to remember that a high distribution yield alone can be misleading. Yield shows the cash paid out relative to the price, but it does not guarantee that the original investment is growing or safe.
NAV Erosion Explanation
"NAV erosion" happens when the actual value of the fund's underlying assets declines over time. StockValueFinder uses an erosion-risk score to measure this. DFAX has an erosion score of 100, and the label states "No price erosion detected." The severe erosion-risk flag is false, meaning the fund has not triggered a warning for substantial price deterioration.
Top Holdings
The fund holds 52 different assets. Because the list is partial, we only see the Top Holdings (updated October 7, 2026). The largest positions include:
• TSM: 0.85%
• Novartis AG ADR: 0.60%
• SHEL: 0.57%
• ASML Holding NV ADR: 0.43%
• BP PLC ADR: 0.27%
Pros
• Strong total returns over the one-year and three-year periods.
• No price erosion detected according to the erosion-risk score.
• Provides a way to own stocks from many different countries.
Cons
• The distribution yield is relatively low compared to funds specifically designed for high income.
• International stocks can be subject to different risks than U.S. stocks.
Beginner Takeaway
DFAX is an international equity fund that has seen significant price and total return growth over the last three years. While it provides some cash income through quarterly distributions, its primary strength in the supplied data is its price growth and lack of NAV erosion.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | n/a | TSM | 0.85% |
| 2 | NOVARTIS AG ADR | NVS | 0.60% |
| 3 | n/a | SHEL | 0.57% |
| 4 | ASML HOLDING NV ADR | ASML | 0.43% |
| 5 | BP PLC ADR | BP | 0.27% |
| 6 | ASTRAZENECA PLC ADR | AZN | 0.23% |
| 7 | HSBC HOLDINGS PLC ADR | HSBC | 0.23% |
| 8 | SUNCOR ENERGY INC | SU | 0.22% |
| 9 | ROYAL BANK OF CANADA | RY | 0.21% |
| 10 | UNILEVER PLC ADR | UL | 0.20% |