iShares Core High Dividend ETF

HDV

Market cap $13.3B

Periods of high inflation can rock the markets. Volatility can run rampant.

Dividend stocks have sharply outperformed AI-related tech stocks since November 2025, reversing a multi-year trend. I see the rally in dividend ETFs like SCHD as overextended, prompting a pause in new purchases despite recent gains. AI is likely to benefit users more than makers, with sectors like banks, energy, and consumer staples positioned as early winners.

Although recessions are normal parts of the business cycle, anyone who has lived through one can tell you it could be financially devastating.

If you're a decade shy of clocking in one last time and stepping into retirement, you probably feel excited.

I recommend HOLD for iShares Core High Dividend ETF as a defensive, low-cost, quality-dividend option amid geopolitical and policy uncertainty.

The iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) made its debut on 03/29/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

The iShares Core High Dividend ETF is upgraded to buy, as valuation improves and technicals signal further upside. HDV offers a 3.0% yield, low 0.08% expense ratio, and strong exposure to quality US large-cap value stocks. Sector overweights in Consumer Staples (27.5%) and Energy (25%) drive recent outperformance and January alpha.

VIG has delivered stronger recent returns and holds a much larger, more diversified portfolio than HDV HDV offers a higher dividend yield and lower volatility, with heavier exposure to defensive and energy sectors VIG costs slightly less to own and trades with high liquidity, but its yield is about half that of HDV These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›

I present my top 10 high-yield dividend-paying companies for 2026, emphasizing sustainable income, growth, and capital appreciation. Selections include AXA, Allianz, PepsiCo, Verizon, Nestlé, Realty Income, VICI Properties, Altria, Chevron, and Petrobras, all meeting strict yield, valuation, and size criteria. These companies offer attractive forward dividend yields, strong dividend growth records, competitive industry positioning, and current valuations that provide a margin of safety.

No matter where you are in your investment journey, dividends can become the backbone of your income.