# Dividend ETF Comparison
**Query:** US-listed dividend ETFs such as SCHD VYM DGRO JEPI HDV compared by dividend yield expense ratio and 1-year return
**Data as of:** 2026-10-15

Five US dividend ETFs compared on yield, cost, total return and scale.

### Dividend ETF Comparison

| Symbol | Fund Name | ETF Theme | ETF Type | Dividend Yield (TTM) | Expense Ratio | 1Y Total Return | 6M Return | 1M Return | AUM ($B) | Top 10 Holdings (symbols) | Comments |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| JEPI | JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF | Equity Premium Income | income | 3.90% | 0.35% | 8.86% | 3.37% | 2.35% | 44.6 | MSFT, NVDA, AAPL, JIMXX, META, AMZN, TT, JNJ, GOOGL, MA | Covered-call/ELN overlay caps participation in rallies, so it behaves more like an income sleeve than an equity compounder and will trail badly when growth leads. Heaviest cost in the group; best suited to investors prioritizing monthly cash flow over capital appreciation. |
| HDV | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | US High Dividend | income | 3.50% | 0.08% | 25.79% | 12.42% | 1.25% | 14.9 | XOM, CVX, ABBV, VZ, PG, PM, HD, KO, PEP, MO | A concentrated, old-economy income portfolio — top holdings are ~16% energy (Exxon + Chevron) with big pharma and staples behind, making it more cyclical and rate/oil-sensitive than the peers. Its strong recent run reflects the energy and healthcare value rotation rather than a durable growth engine. |
| SCHD | Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF | Dividend | income | 3.24% | 0.06% | 31.80% | 12.45% | 0.12% | 114.1 | TXN, QCOM, PG, MRK, KO, CVX, AMGN, UNH, PEP, VZ | The largest and arguably best-balanced name here: a fundamental quality screen (high yield, strong balance sheets, dividend durability) that has delivered the group's strongest total return at near-zero cost. Its top holdings skew toward semis, healthcare and staples, giving it a quality/value tilt with less commodity exposure than HDV. |
| VYM | Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF | High Dividend Yield | income | 2.60% | 0.04% | 16.31% | 5.22% | -0.36% | 100.9 | AVGO, JPM, XOM, JNJ, ABBV, CSCO, BAC, CVX, MRK, CAT | Cheapest fund of the group and the broadest basket (400+ names), but heavy financials and mega-cap weighting means it lags when high-yield sectors stall. AVGO as the top holding is more a function of the index's payout screen than a traditional 'income' tilt. |
| DGRO | iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | Dividend Growth | income | 2.20% | 0.08% | 17.67% | 9.41% | 1.29% | 43.4 | MSFT, AAPL, XOM, ABBV, JNJ, JPM, AVGO, PG, PM, HD | Screens for dividend growth rather than level, so income today is modest but the payout stream compounds — holdings skew toward quality compounders and dividend raisers. Best suited to investors with a long runway who favor rising income and total return over current yield. |

### Yield vs. Cost vs. Return

**Yield vs. cost vs. return tradeoffs.** These five funds sit at very different points on the income/loss-leadership spectrum. **JEPI** offers the highest trailing yield (~3.9%) via a covered-call/equity-linked-note overlay, but that same capped-upside structure produced the weakest 1Y total return in the group — income is manufactured, not earned, and it lags badly when markets rally. **HDV** and **SCHD** pair solid high-3% yields with the best 1Y total returns here, and both do it at rock-bottom cost (0.08% and 0.06%); SCHD is the more concentrated, quality-tilted fundamental screen while HDV is a more energy/healthcare-heavy, concentrated top-10 (Exxon + Chevron ~16%). **VYM** is the cheapest fund (0.04%) and a broad, mega-cap-tilted high-yield basket, but its lower yield (~2.6%) and softer recent returns reflect heavy weight in financials and a stretch of lagging dividend payers. **DGRO** screens for dividend *growth* rather than level, so its yield is the lowest (~2.2%) but its portfolio skews toward quality compounders with a rising payout stream. Net: if you want maximum current income and can accept capped upside, JEPI leads on yield; if you want income *plus* total return at minimal cost, SCHD and HDV have been the better balance; VYM wins on fees and breadth; DGRO trades current yield for growth quality.

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