Dividend ETF Checkup: VYM Beats HDV Over 1 Year as FDVV Outpaces VIG

Overview

• VYM posted a 12.2% one-year total return versus 8.1% for HDV, while HDV offers a higher yield at 3.2% versus 2.4% for VYM.
• VYM remains the broader option with 589 holdings and a tech tilt, whereas HDV holds 74 stocks with heavier consumer defensive and energy weights.
• Costs favor Vanguard in both matchups, with VYM at 0.06% versus HDV at 0.08% and VIG at 0.05% versus FDVV at 0.15%.
• FDVV led VIG on one-year return, 17.7% to 15.1%, and on yield, 3.02% to 1.59%, even as VIG maintains far larger assets and a wider portfolio of 338 stocks.
• FDVV’s edge is tied to concentration in Nvidia at about 6.2%, while sector profiles show both FDVV and VIG leaning into technology and financials and VYM and HDV showing similar five-year drawdown ranges that underscore ongoing market risk.