Fund Evaluator:
DFA US Sustainability Core 1 (DFSIX)
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Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
DFA US Sustainability Core 1 Overview
DFA US Sustainability Core 1 (DFSIX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 2008.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The Portfolio purchases a broad and diverse group of securities of U.S. companies. It invests in companies of all sizes, with increased exposure to smaller capitalization, lower relative price, and higher profitability companies as compared to their representation in the U.S. Universe, while adjusting the composition of the Portfolio based on sustainability impact considerations.
About DFA US Sustainability Core 1 (DFSIX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.01 years: Jed Fogdall (2012), Allen Pu (2024), John Hertzer (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. DFA US Sustainability Core 1 has 1836 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 32.0% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
DFA US Sustainability Core 1 is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. DFA US Sustainability Core 1 has 0.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 97.1%. There is 0.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). DFA US Sustainability Core 1 has 2.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $8 billion in total assets, which is above the $6 billion average for the Large Blend 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.
DFSIX 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 DFA US Sustainability Core 1 expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Large Blend category. DFA US Sustainability Core 1 has an expense ratio of 0.17%, which is 79% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. DFA US Sustainability Core 1 has a portfolio turnover rate of 13%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 48% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, DFA US Sustainability Core 1 returned 0.4%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Large Blend category had an average return of -0.2%. 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 funds in that category.
DFA US Sustainability Core 1 has a trailing yield of 0.85%, which is above the 0.56% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.
DFA US Sustainability Core 1 Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 7.8%, 1.3 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 19.6% over the past year (grade of C), 19.0% over the past three years (grade of C) and 11.7% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 15.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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DFSIX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| DFSIX Return (NAV) | 0.4% | 13.8% | 19.6% | 19.0% | 11.7% | 15.1% |
| DFSIX Grade | B | C | C | C | C | B |
| +/- Category | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| Large Blend Avg | -0.2% | 13.8% | 19.5% | 18.5% | 11.6% | 14.1% |
| DFSIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
DFSIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| DFSIX Return (NAV) | 7.8% | 15.9% | 23.2% | 25.7% | -17.8% | 27.4% | 21.2% | 32.5% | -6.7% | 21.4% | 13.9% |
| DFSIX Grade | D | C | C | C | C | C | A | A | D | C | A |
| +/- Category | -1.3% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 2.0% | -0.6% | 0.8% | 3.7% | 2.7% | -0.8% | 0.1% | 3.7% |
| Large Blend Avg | 9.0% | 15.9% | 22.1% | 23.7% | -17.3% | 26.5% | 17.5% | 29.8% | -5.9% | 21.3% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 13.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.14 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.05 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (81% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.04 |
| R-Squared: | 95% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $8503 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $8,503 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 13% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 14.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fogdall Jed (2012), Hertzer John (2022), Pu Allen (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 1836 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 32.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 97.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Dimensional Fund Advisors |
| Phone Number: | 888-576-1167 |
| Website: | www.dimensional.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | March 12, 2008 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.17% ( Rating : Low ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.81% |
| Share Class: | DFA US Sustainability Core 1 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
