Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HDV vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HDV returned +29.4% to SPY's +13.6%; 10% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $15.9bn for iShares Core High Dividend ETF and $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
Pair scorecard
HDV costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 15.8 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $15.9bn.
| Measure | HDV | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +29.4% | +13.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $15.9bn | $814.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 10% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 55.6% | 38.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 8, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 811 weekly returnsSPY returned more: +650.9% to +414.1%. HDV swung less: 13.9% to 16.1%. SPY fell slightly less at its worst: −31.8% to −33.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | HDV | SPY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +414.1% | +650.9% | SPY | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.1% | +13.8% | SPY | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +197.8% | +472.0% | SPY | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 13.9% | 16.1% | HDV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 9.8% | 11.1% | HDV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.4% | −31.8% | SPY (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.71 | 0.78 | SPY (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.00 | 1.14 | SPY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.33 | 0.43 | SPY | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 811 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, HDV and SPY hold 10% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
10% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
HDV and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HDV and SPY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. HDV follows Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index and SPY follows S&P 500 Index.
- Holdings in common. 10% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 HDV returned +29.4% and SPY +13.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 15.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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HDV
HDV tracks an index of High Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +29.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 77 positions, with the top ten at 55.6%.
SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HDV or SPY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HDV returned +29.4% and SPY +13.6%.
- Which is cheaper, HDV or SPY?
- HDV is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, HDV against SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hdv-vs-spy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HDV against SPY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hdv-vs-spy
[HDV against SPY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hdv-vs-spy)
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