When investors think about the world of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) what typically comes to mind is index-tracking and growth investing. However, ETFs come in a variety of flavors and there are many that offer income by owning dividend-paying stocks.
With dividend-paying stocks in an ETF portfolio, fund managers collect the regular dividend payments and then distribute them to the ETF shareholders. These dividends can be distributed in two ways, at the discretion of the fund’s management, as cash paid to the investors, or in the form of reinvestments into the ETFs’ underlying investments. Here are 4 Dividend Paying ETFs that might be worth a second look:
The iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) is one fund that offers investors the chance to collect on dividends paid by a fund’s portfolio of stocks. The iShares Core High Dividend ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of relatively high dividend paying U.S. equities. It offers investors exposure to established, high-quality U.S. companies, by providing access to 75 dividend-paying domestic stocks that have been screened for financial health. HDV can be used at the core of an investor’s portfolio to seek income.
The SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) is another option for individuals looking for dividend payouts. SDY is one of the most extreme and selective of the dividend ETFs. It tracks the S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index, which only includes those companies from the S&P Composite 1500 with at least 20 consecutive years of increasing dividends. Due to the long history of reliably paying these dividends, these companies are often considered to be less risky for investors seeking total return.
The Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ) tracks publicly traded equity real estate investment trusts (REITs). VNQ invests in stocks issued by real estate investment trusts (REITs), companies that purchase office buildings, hotels, and other real property. Due to the nature of REITs, the dividend yields tend to be higher than those of common stock ETFs.
The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) is a low-cost and simple ETF, analagous to many other Vanguard offerings. It tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index effectively and demonstrates outstanding tradability for all investor demographics. One particularly unique feature of the weighting method for VYM is its emphasis on future dividend forecasts (most high-dividend funds select stocks based on dividend history instead). This gives VYM a stronger technology tilt than most of its competitors.
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