Should iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Launched on March 29, 2011, the iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $15.38 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

While value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, they also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.39%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Healthcare sector -- about 24.7% of the portfolio. Consumer Staples and Energy round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Exxonmobil Holdings Corp (XOM) accounts for about 7.94% of total assets, followed by Chevron (CVX) and Abbvie (ABBV).

The top 10 holdings account for about 51.37% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

HDV seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index before fees and expenses. The Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index offers exposure to high quality U.S. domiciled companies that have had strong financial health and an ability to sustain above average dividend payouts.

The ETF has added roughly 21.97% so far this year and is up roughly 21.96% in the last one year (as of 09/14/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $23.64 and $29.93.

The ETF has a beta of 0.53 and standard deviation of 11.4% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 82 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

iShares Core High Dividend ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, HDV is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and the Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF (VTV) track a similar index. While Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has $110.80 billion in assets, Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF has $191.53 billion. SCHD has an expense ratio of 0.06% and VTV charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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