What Is HDV? iShares Core High Dividend ETF

HDV is the iShares Core High Dividend ETF, managed by BlackRock. It tracks the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index, which holds around 75 large US companies that pass a two-part test: they must have financial strength and a competitive moat, and they must offer relatively high dividend yields.

That quality-first screen is what sets HDV apart from a simple high-yield fund. Rather than reaching for the highest yields regardless of health, it aims for durable payers, and it does so at a low 0.08% expense ratio.

Approximate weights as of mid-2026; refresh quarterly from BlackRock (iShares)'s fund page. Each ticker links to its individual stock guide in Walnut.

HDV holds roughly 75 companies, heavily concentrated in energy, healthcare, and consumer staples. Top positions include Exxon Mobil, AbbVie, Chevron, Verizon, and Procter & Gamble, and the top ten names often account for around half the fund.

Because the index weights holdings by the dollar amount of dividends they pay, the largest payers carry outsized weight. That produces a defensive, income-tilted portfolio but also means HDV is more concentrated and sector-skewed than a broad dividend fund.

Compared with VYM, the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF, HDV is far more concentrated: VYM holds several hundred payers, while HDV holds about 75 and layers on a financial-strength screen. HDV tends to be more defensive and top-heavy.

Compared with SCHD, the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF, HDV is broadly similar in spirit but uses a different index and sector mix. Investors typically compare the exact holdings, sector weights, yields, and fees before choosing among these dividend ETFs.

HDV's returns come from its quarterly dividends, recently yielding around 2.8%, plus the price movement of its holdings. Its defensive tilt toward energy, healthcare, and staples can help it hold up better in downturns but cause it to lag when growth and technology stocks lead the market.

The outlook depends on the earnings and payout stability of its large-cap holdings and on how value and dividend stocks perform relative to growth. Its quality screen is designed to reduce the risk of dividend cuts, though no screen eliminates that risk entirely.

HDV may fit income-focused or value-oriented investors who want a low-cost basket of large, financially strong dividend payers and are comfortable with concentration in a few defensive sectors. It is often used as a core income holding rather than a growth engine.

Walnut is not an investment adviser, and this is not a recommendation. Consider your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance, review the holdings and sector concentration, and decide how HDV fits your overall plan, ideally with a licensed professional if you need personalized advice.

HDV trades like any stock on brokerages such as Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, and Public. Search the ticker HDV, choose a share count or, where supported, a dollar amount for fractional investing, and place the order during market hours.

You can also connect your broker to Walnut to track HDV inside an income-focused basket, monitor its quarterly dividends, and see how its exposure fits your overall targets.

ETFs are passive bundles; thematic baskets in Walnut let you concentrate within them. If you hold HDV as a core position, these are the themes you might layer on as satellites.

HDV delivers a concentrated basket of large, financially strong US dividend payers at a cheap 0.08% fee. Its quality screen tilts it toward energy, healthcare, and staples, which makes it more defensive but less diversified than broader dividend funds. Investors use it as a core income or value holding rather than a growth engine.

Whether HDV is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is HDV a buy?

HDV yields ~2.8% as of mid-2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see HDV dividend: yield and schedule.