ETF Evaluator:
Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF (DUSB)
Follow This ETF
(as of Sep 02)
Best Performing in Ultrashort Bond Over the Last Year
| 6.2% | iShares Interest Rate Hdg L/T Corp BdETF (IGBH) |
| 5.8% | Simplify Treasury Option Income ETF (BUCK) |
| 5.7% | iShares Interest Rate Hedged Corp Bd ETF (LQDH) |
| 5.3% | iShares Interest Rt Hdg U.S. Aggt Bd ETF (AGRH) |
| 5.3% | NEOS Enhanced Inc 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (CSHI) |
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ETF Details
Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF Overview
Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF (DUSB) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Ultrashort Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the ETF in 2023.
The investment seeks to maximize total returns.
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by generally investing in a universe of investment grade fixed income securities that typically mature in one year or less from the date of settlement.
About Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF (DUSB)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.85 years: David Plecha (2023), Ryan Haselton (2023) and Joseph Kolerich (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and ICE BofA US 3M Trsy Bill TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF has 571 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 9.1% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF has 34.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 86.3% (52.1% domestic bond, 34.3% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF has 13.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 billion in total assets, which is below the $5 billion average for the Ultrashort Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
DUSB Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Ultrashort Bond category. Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF has an expense ratio of 0.15%, which is 32% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 33%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 57% for the Ultrashort Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF returned 0.3%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Ultrashort Bond category had an average return of 0.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF has a trailing yield of 4.03%, which is below the 4.07% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Dimensional Ultrashort Fixed Income ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 2.2%, 0.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 4.1% over the past year (grade of C).
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DUSB Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| DUSB Return (NAV) | 0.3% | 0.9% | 4.1% | na | na | na |
| DUSB Return (Price) | 0.3% | 0.9% | 4.1% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.022% | -0.009% | -0.006% | na | na | na |
| Ultrashort Bond Avg | 0.3% | 0.9% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 3.0% |
| DUSB Grade (NAV) | F | D | C | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.0% | -0.0% | -0.2% | na | na | na |
| DUSB Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | na | na | na |
DUSB Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| DUSB Return (NAV) | 2.2% | 4.6% | 5.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| DUSB Return (Price) | 2.2% | 4.5% | 5.6% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.013% | -0.017% | -0.019% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Ultrashort Bond Avg | 2.2% | 4.8% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 3.6% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| DUSB Grade (NAV) | C | D | C | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.0% | -0.2% | -0.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 2,219 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 2,219 Mil |
| Turnover: | 33.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.15% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 2.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Plecha David (2023), Haselton Ryan (2023), Kolerich Joseph (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 571 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 9.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 34.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 52.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 34.3% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 13.7% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Dimensional Fund Advisors |
| Phone Number: | 512-306-7400 |
| Website: | https://www.dimensional.com |
| Inception Date: | September 26, 2023 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.15% (Rating: Low) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.22% |
