Fund Evaluator:
DFA US Large Company I (DFUSX)Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
| 49.8% | PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX) |
| 48.6% | Vanguard PRIMECAP Core Inv (VPCCX) |
| 45.8% | Vanguard PRIMECAP Adm (VPMAX) |
| 45.7% | Vanguard PRIMECAP Inv (VPMCX) |
| 42.3% | Midas Special Opportunities (MISEX) |
Fund Details
DFA US Large Company I Overview
DFA US Large Company I (DFUSX) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 1999.
The investment seeks to approximate the total investment return of the S&P 500® Index. The fund generally invests in the stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index in approximately the proportions they are represented in the S&P 500® Index. Under normal market conditions, at least 95% of the fund's net assets will be invested in the stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index. The fund may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts for U.S. equity securities and indices, to increase or decrease equity market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio.
About DFA US Large Company I (DFUSX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 10.42 years: Jed Fogdall (2012), Joel Schneider (2019), Joseph Hohn (2017). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. DFA US Large Company I has 510 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 35.7% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
DFA US Large Company I is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. DFA US Large Company I has 0.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 97.6%. There is 0.5% 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 Large Company I has 1.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $14 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.
DFUSX 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 Large Company I expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Large Blend category. DFA US Large Company I has an expense ratio of 0.06%, which is 93% 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 Large Company I has a portfolio turnover rate of 5%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.2 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 48% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, DFA US Large Company I returned -0.1%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Large Blend category had an average return of 0.4%. 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 Large Company I has a trailing yield of 0.99%, 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 Large Company I Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 10.1%, 0.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 19.5% over the past year (grade of B), 19.3% over the past three years (grade of B) and 12.8% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 15.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about DFA US Large Company I, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
DFUSX 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 |
|
| DFUSX Return (NAV) | -0.1% | 4.2% | 19.5% | 19.3% | 12.8% | 15.0% |
| DFUSX Grade | C | C | B | B | B | A |
| +/- Category | -0.5% | 0.1% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.7% | 1.3% |
| Large Blend Avg | 0.4% | 4.1% | 17.5% | 17.3% | 11.1% | 13.7% |
| DFUSX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
DFUSX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| DFUSX Return (NAV) | 10.1% | 17.8% | 24.9% | 26.3% | -18.2% | 28.6% | 18.4% | 31.4% | -4.4% | 21.7% | 11.9% |
| DFUSX Grade | B | B | B | B | C | B | C | B | B | B | B |
| +/- Category | 0.8% | 1.9% | 2.9% | 2.6% | -0.9% | 2.0% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 1.7% |
| Large Blend Avg | 9.3% | 15.8% | 22.1% | 23.7% | -17.3% | 26.5% | 17.5% | 29.8% | -5.9% | 21.3% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 13.1% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.06 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (39% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.00 |
| R-Squared: | 100% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $14329 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $14,329 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 5% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 14.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 10.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fogdall Jed (2012), Hohn Joseph (2017), Schneider Joel (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 510 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 35.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 97.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Dimensional Fund Advisors |
| Phone Number: | 888-576-1167 |
| Website: | www.dimensional.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | September 23, 1999 |
| 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 (%): | 0.06% ( Rating : Low ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.81% |
| Share Class: | DFA US Large Company I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |