# How Roper Technologies (ROP) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/rop
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on ROP alone. It places ROP (Roper Technologies, Inc.) against 19 popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where ROP stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: ROP's full trading record, from February 1992 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** ROP is 32.0% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record. Not every peer went the same way. Over the past 3 months, VEEV (Veeva Systems) rose 61.4% and FICO (Fair Isaac) fell 36.7%.
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the application software ETF IGV (iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF) rose 15.0% over the past 3 months, with INTU (Intuit, up 14.6%) and SNPS (Synopsys, up 18.3%), against 3.9% for the S&P 500. Last month cut against the tape: ROP rose 9.3% while the S&P 500 fell 0.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, ROP fell 20.5% while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. The same gap shows up over 3 years (15.6% against 89.3%). ROP finished behind the S&P 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
- **Long term:** ROP turned $10,000 into $24,500 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. Even so, year by year, ROP has outpaced the S&P 500 66% of the time since 1997.
- **In a crash:** In the 2022 bear market, ROP held up better than INTU (Intuit), SNPS and VEEV; only CDNS (Cadence Design Systems) and PTC fell less.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, ROP has a correlation of 0.50 over 5 years, more closely than 72% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** ITW (Illinois Tool Works) earned more than ROP with less volatility over the past 5 years: 6.7% a year at 21.4% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 22.7%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** V (Visa, payment processing) earned more for the risk it took than ROP over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 36.4%, against 46.5% for ROP.
  - **Whole market:** 909 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ROP with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF), VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) and BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway).

## How much would $10,000 in ROP have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in ROP over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of ROP over the same span and ROP's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in ROP at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $251,464 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of ROP, and TYL finished highest, at $926,134.

## ROP at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- ROP is still 32.0% below its all-time high.
- ROP's deepest decline since it began trading in 1992 was 59.0%, from June to October 1998. It took eight months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, ROP's best was 1999, when it returned 87.4%, and its worst was 2008, when it lost 30.2%. It lost money in eight of those years.

- Type: Stock, Technology (Software - Application)
- Trading since: February 13, 1992
- Market value: $39B
- Volatility (5 years): 22.7%; Sharpe ratio: -0.01
- Worst decline ever: −59.0%, from June 3, 1998 to October 8, 1998; back at its high by June 8, 1999

| Period | ROP total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +9.3% |
| 3 months | +10.0% |
| 6 months | +11.2% |
| year to date | −7.7% |
| 1 year | −20.5% |
| 3 years | −15.6% |
| 5 years | −13.3% |
| 10 years | +145% |

## ROP against the whole market

Where ROP ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does ROP rank among all stocks?

This section ranks ROP on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- ROP is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 6% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.
- ROP's 3-year return ranks in the bottom 16% of the 3,017 stocks worth at least $300 million with 3 years of history.

| Measure | ROP | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −20.5% | 2,651 of 3,287 (top 81%) |
| 3-year return | −15.6% | 2,534 of 3,017 (top 84%) |
| 5-year return | −13.3% | 1,924 of 2,893 (top 67%) |
| 10-year return | +145% | 1,099 of 2,202 (top 50%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 22.7% | 188 of 2,893 (top 7%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | -0.01 | 2,373 of 2,893 (top 83%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −46.5% | 338 of 2,187 (top 16%) |

### What has beaten ROP on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 111 stocks and 798 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than ROP over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 25% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half ROP's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 16% less than ROP's 22.7%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against -0.01 for ROP.
- Among ROP's popular alternatives, ITW is in the region. ITW earned 6.7% a year against a loss of 2.8% a year for ROP, at 21.4% volatility, 6% less than ROP's 22.7%.

### Is there a better investment than ROP?

The table below lists investments that beat ROP over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among ROP's popular alternatives, ITW earned more than ROP with less volatility over the past 5 years: 6.7% a year at 21.4% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 22.7%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, V (payment processing) earned more for the risk it took than ROP over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 36.4%, against 46.5% for ROP.
- Across the whole market, 909 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ROP with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 909 investments that beat ROP over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with ROP | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ROP: Roper Technologies, Inc. (this page) |  | −2.8% | 22.7% | -0.01 | −46.5% | +145% |  |  |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PG](https://easycompare.io/research/pg): The Procter & Gamble Company | Household & Personal Products | +5.1% | 18.3% | 0.37 | −23.8% | +145% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [SCHD](https://easycompare.io/research/schd): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | US Dividend Equity | +9.7% | 14.3% | 0.72 | −33.4% | +252% | 0.51 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [XLV](https://easycompare.io/research/xlv): State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF | Health Care Equity | +8.4% | 15.3% | 0.60 | −28.4% | +202% | 0.50 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.53 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| IYK: iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF | Broad Market | +7.3% | 13.4% | 0.60 | −33.2% | +163% | 0.41 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [IWD](https://easycompare.io/research/iwd): iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +11.4% | 14.7% | 0.81 | −38.5% | +205% | 0.55 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CME](https://easycompare.io/research/cme): CME Group Inc. | Capital Markets | +11.2% | 20.8% | 0.62 | −37.4% | +319% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.50 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [UL](https://easycompare.io/research/ul): Unilever PLC | Household & Personal Products | +5.5% | 21.5% | 0.36 | −30.1% | +89.8% | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CL](https://easycompare.io/research/cl): Colgate-Palmolive Company | Household & Personal Products | +7.2% | 19.2% | 0.46 | −29.0% | +68.8% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MDLZ](https://easycompare.io/research/mdlz): Mondelez International, Inc. | Packaged Foods | +4.0% | 20.2% | 0.29 | −29.8% | +93.4% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| CHT: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. | Integrated Telecommunications | +7.7% | 13.3% | 0.63 | −23.8% | +101% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## ROP against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against ROP, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do ROP's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only AME and ITW were both more rewarding and calmer than ROP over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, ROP returned -2.8% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (22.7% against 17.1%).

### Has ROP consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares ROP with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Eight of the 19 popular alternatives, led by VEEV, MANH and PTC, outperformed ROP in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- VEEV, MANH and PTC outperformed ROP in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- AME, CDNS and ITW earned more for the risk they took than ROP (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of ROP | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ROP: Roper Technologies, Inc. (this page) | −20.5% | −15.6% | −13.3% | +145% |  |  | -0.01 |
| [VEEV](https://easycompare.io/research/veev): Veeva Systems Inc. | +11.5% | +59.0% | −0.4% | +715% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.19 |
| MANH: Manhattan Associates, Inc. | +16.4% | +22.3% | +37.1% | +344% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.36 |
| PTC: PTC Inc. | −6.1% | +40.4% | +49.3% | +317% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.40 |
| APPF: AppFolio Inc. | −6.9% | +25.6% | +70.6% | +1,072% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.46 |
| [SNPS](https://easycompare.io/research/snps): Synopsys, Inc. | −1.3% | −4.3% | +41.9% | +656% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.39 |
| GWRE: Guidewire Software, Inc. | −27.7% | +110% | +50.8% | +216% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.41 |
| SSNC: SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. | +8.3% | +81.0% | +26.0% | +200% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.31 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.01 |
| [CDNS](https://easycompare.io/research/cdns): Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | −3.0% | +34.0% | +99.8% | +1,139% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| [AME](https://easycompare.io/research/ame): AMETEK, Inc. | +32.8% | +78.1% | +96.1% | +481% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| [ITW](https://easycompare.io/research/itw): Illinois Tool Works Inc. | +11.7% | +32.1% | +38.4% | +208% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.41 |
| [HON](https://easycompare.io/research/hon): Honeywell International Inc. | +6.8% | +27.0% | +7.5% | +160% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.18 |
| FICO: Fair Isaac Corporation | −50.6% | −12.3% | +94.8% | +549% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.52 |
| [ADSK](https://easycompare.io/research/adsk): Autodesk, Inc. | −20.3% | +21.2% | −17.8% | +245% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.07 |
| VRSK: Verisk Analytics, Inc. | −18.1% | −16.8% | −6.7% | +151% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| FTV: Fortive Corporation | +18.9% | +11.7% | +6.3% | +98.0% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.18 |
| [INTU](https://easycompare.io/research/intu): Intuit Inc. | −48.9% | −32.1% | −38.8% | +237% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |
| TYL: Tyler Technologies, Inc. | −26.1% | +2.6% | −26.3% | +132% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.02 |
| BSY: Bentley Systems, Incorporated | −25.6% | −22.4% | −32.4% | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.03 |

### How did ROP do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where ROP ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Among its popular alternatives, APPF came out ahead of ROP most often, in eight of the ten years both traded.
- ROP finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 18 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, ROP finished in the top quarter in seven of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 15 of 20.

| Year | ROP | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −13.9% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −4.1% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +26.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −11.6% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +14.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +22.4% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +33.7% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +3.5% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +42.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −2.9% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How ROP has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were ROP's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In four of ROP's five worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: ROP fell 46.5% from March 2025 to February 2026, while the S&P 500 rose 18.5%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 23 months, after ROP fell 50.0% from October 2007 to November 2008.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −59.0% | June 3, 1998 | October 8, 1998 | June 8, 1999 | −9.9% |  |
| −50.0% | October 31, 2007 | November 20, 2008 | October 22, 2010 | −50.2% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −47.8% | March 8, 2002 | March 12, 2003 | November 6, 2003 | −29.6% | dot-com bust |
| −46.5% | March 5, 2025 | February 17, 2026 | not yet | +18.5% |  |
| −43.7% | October 14, 1993 | January 24, 1995 | September 29, 1995 | +3.3% |  |

### How did ROP do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far ROP, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- Among its popular alternatives, DHR held up best, falling less than ROP in seven of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- ROP fell further than the S&P 500 in five of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2011 euro debt crisis, when ROP fell 24.3% and the S&P 500 fell 17.9%.

| Crash | Dates | ROP fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −46.8% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −50.0% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −0.9% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −24.3% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −18.3% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.0% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −19.2% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −34.4% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −25.8% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.0% | −3.4% |

### How closely does ROP move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- 14 of the 18 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than ROP's 0.74, led by CDNS, APPF and VEEV.
- CDNS took just 83% of the S&P 500's losses, against 107% for ROP, while still keeping 132% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, ROP captured 79% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 107% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.91. Its share of the market's losses was larger than its share of the gains.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ROP: Roper Technologies, Inc. (this page) | 79.0% | 107% | 0.91 |
| [VEEV](https://easycompare.io/research/veev): Veeva Systems Inc. | 113% | 89.0% | 0.87 |
| MANH: Manhattan Associates, Inc. | 129% | 166% | 1.44 |
| PTC: PTC Inc. | 105% | 127% | 1.12 |
| APPF: AppFolio Inc. | 137% | 108% | 0.97 |
| [SNPS](https://easycompare.io/research/snps): Synopsys, Inc. | 124% | 108% | 1.17 |
| GWRE: Guidewire Software, Inc. | 116% | 166% | 1.15 |
| SSNC: SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. | 113% | 153% | 1.32 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| [CDNS](https://easycompare.io/research/cdns): Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | 132% | 83.0% | 1.09 |
| [AME](https://easycompare.io/research/ame): AMETEK, Inc. | 111% | 101% | 1.15 |
| [ITW](https://easycompare.io/research/itw): Illinois Tool Works Inc. | 94.0% | 116% | 1.04 |
| [HON](https://easycompare.io/research/hon): Honeywell International Inc. | 90.0% | 118% | 1.00 |
| FICO: Fair Isaac Corporation | 137% | 159% | 1.31 |
| [ADSK](https://easycompare.io/research/adsk): Autodesk, Inc. | 130% | 179% | 1.34 |
| VRSK: Verisk Analytics, Inc. | 63.0% | 73.0% | 0.73 |
| FTV: Fortive Corporation | 88.0% | 133% | 1.10 |
| [INTU](https://easycompare.io/research/intu): Intuit Inc. | 99.0% | 126% | 1.03 |
| TYL: Tyler Technologies, Inc. | 65.0% | 87.0% | 0.75 |

### What diversifies ROP?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in ROP into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (-4.2% for ROP alone, +0.7% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and SMH have moved largely independently of ROP over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.37 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- CAH made money in five of the eight calendar years in which ROP lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with ROP | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in ROP's 8 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.37 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 3 of 8 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.10 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 8 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.09 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 8 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.42 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 3 of 8 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.03 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 8 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.33 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 3 of 8 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.34 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 5 of 8 |
| DFIV: Dimensional - International Value ETF | 0.39 | +99.4% | 16.4% | 0.93 | 2 of 8 |

## Common questions

### What was ROP's worst drawdown?

ROP's deepest decline since it began trading in 1992 was 59.0%, from June to October 1998. It took eight months from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were ROP's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, ROP's best year was 1999, when it returned 87.4%. Its worst was 2008, with a return of -30.2%.

### Is there a better investment than ROP?

Among ROP's popular alternatives, ITW earned more than ROP with less volatility over the past 5 years: 6.7% a year at 21.4% volatility, against a loss of 2.8% a year at 22.7%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, V (payment processing) earned more for the risk it took than ROP over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 36.4%, against 46.5% for ROP.

### Is ROP more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. ROP's volatility over the past 5 years was 22.7%, 1.3 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, ROP's return lands within 22.7% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is ROP's Sharpe ratio?

ROP's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was -0.01, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so ROP earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is ROP with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, ROP's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.50 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against ROP instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a ROP holding.

### What are the best alternatives to ROP?

Of the 19 popular alternatives we compared, eight outperformed ROP in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: VEEV, MANH and PTC.

### Did ROP outperform the S&P 500?

ROP finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 18 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -13.8%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did ROP do in stock market crashes?

ROP fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in four of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in five. The clearest case was the 2011 euro debt crisis, when ROP fell 24.3% and the S&P 500 fell 17.9%.

### What diversifies ROP?

These had a low correlation with ROP over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.37), DXJ (correlation 0.10) and SMH (correlation 0.09); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.26), CLS (correlation 0.10) and FIX (correlation 0.09). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/rop
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against ROP live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=ROP&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research