Robby Greengold: Today, we’re talking about comebacks because 2026 has been full of them. We are looking at three ETFs that spent time in the penalty box last year and clawed their way back to the top of the leaderboard.
These 3 ETFs Are Staging Big 2026 Comebacks
- Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF SCHD
- Cambria Shareholder Yield ETF SYLD
- iShares Large Cap Growth Active ETF BGRO
Let’s start with the headliner, Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF SCHD, which holds a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Gold. As of mid-September, this fund is up 28% year to date, crushing the Morningstar US Large Value Index’s roughly 18% total return and beating nearly every large-value fund out there. Last year, it was trailing almost all its peers.
So, what changed? Energy mostly. This fund tends to run a hefty energy stake, north of 15%, which is more than double the typical peer’s. And there are some value-leaning energy names. On average, they’re up around 50% this year. It also stayed light on financials, which have linked to a modest 6% return this year. And that’s largely thanks to a rough year for insurance stocks. This fund has enjoyed some stylistic tailwinds this year, also. Value-leaning characteristics, such as low price multiples, have had an especially strong year across the board, as well as stocks just paying high dividends or buying back a lot of stock.
That brings us to the other fund we’ll talk about in the value camp, but let’s slide from large caps to mid-caps: Cambria Shareholder Yield ETF SYLD. This one’s beaten nine out of 10 peers in 2026 after a couple of pretty forgettable years in 2024 and 2025. This one has had a similar playbook as the Schwab ETF. It has a big energy overweight, which has actually done even better among mid-caps than large caps. It also completely avoided utilities, which have struggled quite a bit this year. And its stock picks in industrials, stocks like ManpowerGroup MAN and Robert Half RHI have paid off nicely. It carries a Neutral Medalist Rating. So, the comeback is real, but the jury’s still out over its long-term merit.
And now something completely different. Let’s hop to the other side of the style box with an actively managed ETF, iShares Large Cap Growth Active ETF BGRO. This one’s had a bumpier road in recent years. Late in 2025, it went through a management shakeup, and it’s now run by a manager without much experience as a lead portfolio manager. And yet in 2026, it’s outperforming three out of four large-growth peers, bouncing back from a bottom-quartile finish last year. So, what explains that performance? Well, it largely comes down to its tech holdings that have taken off, such as Intel INTC, Snowflake SNOW, and Datadog DDOG among them. Its fees are fairly low for an active strategy, which is part of the reason why it earns a Bronze Medalist Rating.
So, there you have it, three very different comeback stories. Turnarounds like these are a good reminder that yesterday’s laggard can be tomorrow’s leader. Thanks so much for watching.
Watch Don’t Make This Mistake When Chasing Higher Bond Yields for more on ETFs.