In this article, we will be taking a look at 10 dividend ETFs to buy. To skip our detailed analysis of dividend investing, you can go directly to see the 5 Dividend ETFs to Buy.
With a market as diverse as the one we know, it is unlikely that investors would suffer from a shortage of investment vehicles. Stocks, index funds, bonds, and many other options exist for the new investor to multiple their wealth. Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are just one other such investment vehicle. These funds are typically preferred by new investors looking for market exposure, and hold securities, like bonds and stocks. So investing in ETFs is typically good for those seeking diversification in their portfolios, and doing so spreads out investors’ money across a plethora of investments. As such, investing in ETFs can often be quite rewarding and reliable, much like investing in dividend stocks like Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE:ABBV), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT).
What is an ETF?
Before jumping into anything new, it helps to do your research on it and become familiar with the way things work. Like we mentioned above, ETFs are investment vehicles that hold securities, like stocks and bonds. Additionally, these vehicles track market index performances of indexes like the S&P 500, and others. Because of this mimicking of an index’s performance, ETFs typically have lower fees than mutual funds and are investments that can and are managed more passively than others.
Given the above context, let’s look at why you should consider investing in ETFs. According to Bloomberg as of this July, ETFs this year have been witnessing a drastic increase in investor attention they have received. Bloomberg states that these investments, in the first seven months of 2021, were about to pull in more money than ever recorded before in history. In July, this figure stood at $488.5 billion, and at the time it was expected that the $497 billion full-year record of 2020 would be broken in only a matter of weeks, if not days.
Based on historical precedent, the pandemic can be expected to have been the harbinger of this ETF craze, at least as far as investor circles are concerned. Looking at the 2008 financial crisis, we saw that in the aftermath of the market crash there was a worrisome mistrust coming to the forefront where money managers were concerned. As such, investors at the time began eyeing the passive and significantly more transparent ETFs, a move that doubled US funds’ assets to about $1 trillion as early as 2010. Come the coronavirus pandemic, it has been suggested that the market downfall triggered by the pandemic has precipitated the new rush towards ETFs in an atmosphere that was worryingly similar to the one in 2008. By July 2021, US funds assets jumped from $3.7 trillion, the record high at last year’s selloff, to $6.6 trillion, only in the first seven months of 2021. In comparison to mutual funds as well, the popularity of ETFs was starkly distinct: in 2020, ETFs were the instruments adding $497 billion in new cash, while mutual funds witnessed net withdrawals of $506 billion, after all.
Apart from investor sentiment on ETFs earlier this year, looking at ETF performance more recently sheds more light on why one should invest in them. According to an article on ETF.com, U.S.-listed ETFs reportedly gained $22.6 billion in inflows just this November, between the 5th and 11th. Fixed income inflows more than doubled week-over-week as well, marking a $761.7 million gain in the US ETF industry in year-to-date inflows. The industry was reported to have almost $7.1 trillion in assets under management as of this November as well, according to ETF.com’s data provider FactSet.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 10 dividend ETFs to buy.
Our Methodology
We have selected dividend ETFs with yields of over 1.5% for our list below. For each ETF, we have mentioned its total return and price return relative to the S&P 500 as well. Each stock is ranked on the basis of dividend yield, from lowest to highest.
Dividend ETFs to Buy
10. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VIG)
Dividend Yield: 1.5%
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VIG) is among the best dividend ETFs to buy, investing in US public equity markets. The ETF tracks the performance of the S&P US Dividend Growers Index using the full replication technique.
In the past year, the price return for Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VIG) has been 23.22%. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VIG) has also gained 8.29% in the past six months and 20.32% year to date.
Like Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE:ABBV), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VIG) is a dividend option investors are eyeing today.
9. First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (NYSE:FVD)
Dividend Yield: 1.7%
First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (NYSE:FVD) is an ETF tracking the performance of the Value Line Dividend Index, using the full replication technique. The stock is one of the better-performing dividend ETFs to buy today, and invests in value stocks across diversified market capitalization.
The price return for First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (NYSE:FVD) in the past year has been 22.64%. Compared to this, the price return for the S&P 500 over the same time has been 32.40%. The total return for the stock has been 25.06%, compared to the 10.40% total return for the S&P 500. Finally, First Trust Value Line Dividend Index Fund (NYSE:FVD) has also gained 4.02% in the past six months and 21.11% year to date.
8. ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (BATS:NOBL)
Dividend Yield: 1.8%
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (BATS:NOBL) invests in large-cap growth and value stocks and is among the better options for dividend ETFs to buy. The stock tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index by making use of the full replication technique.
In comparison to the S&P 500’s 32.40% price return over the past year, the price return for ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (BATS:NOBL) has been 24.81% over the same period. The total return for the S&P 500 was 10.40%, while the same for ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (BATS:NOBL) was 27.41%. The stock has also gained 4.39% in the past six months and 22.67% year to date.
7. iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSE:DGRO)
Dividend Yield: 1.9%
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSE:DGRO) is an ETF managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors. The ETF invests in US-based public equity markets and stocks of companies in diversified sectors. It is among the best dividend ETFs to buy, and seeks to track the performance of the Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index, using the representative sampling technique.
iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF’s (NYSE:DGRO) price return over the past year was 27.47%, compared to a 32.40% price return for the S&P 500 over the same period. In addition, the total return for the stock in the past year was 30.27%, compared to the S&P 500’s 10.40% total return. iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSE:DGRO) has gained 6.70% in the past six months and 22.56% year to date.
6. Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VYM)
Dividend Yield: 2.7%
Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VYM), an ETF launched and managed by the Vanguard Group, Inc., is one of the most noteworthy dividend ETFs to buy today. The fund invests in growth and value stocks across diversified market capitalization. It seeks to track the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, using the full replication technique.
For the past year, the price return for Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VYM) was 27.99%. The price return for the S&P 500, in comparison, was 32.40%. The total return for the fund was 31.88%, while the same for the S&P 500 was 10.40%. Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VYM) has also gained about 3.03% in the past six months and 22.50% year to date.
Like Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE:ABBV), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSE:VYM) is a noteworthy dividend investment option.
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Disclosure: None. 10 Dividend ETFs to Buy is originally published on Insider Monkey.