Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
HDV vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HDV returned +29.4% to VYM's +18.0%; 25% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $15.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core High Dividend ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.4 points; VYM is 5.4 times larger.
| Measure | HDV | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +29.4% | +18.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $14.5bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 25% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 55.6% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 8, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 811 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +479.5% to +414.1%. HDV swung slightly less: 13.9% to 14.7%. VYM fell slightly less at its worst: −32.4% to −33.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | HDV | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +414.1% | +479.5% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.1% | +11.9% | VYM (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +197.8% | +261.5% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 13.9% | 14.7% | HDV (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 9.8% | 10.4% | HDV (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −33.4% | −32.4% | VYM (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.71 | 0.73 | VYM (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.00 | 1.04 | VYM (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.33 | 0.37 | VYM (slight) | 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 VYM hold 25% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
25% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
HDV and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
HDV and VYM are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. HDV follows Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 25% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 HDV returned +29.4% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 11.4 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%.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, HDV or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HDV returned +29.4% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, HDV or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 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.
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ETFIQ, HDV against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hdv-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). HDV against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hdv-vs-vym
[HDV against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/hdv-vs-vym)
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