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Should iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The iShares Core High Dividend ETF (HDV - Free Report) was launched on 03/29/2011, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $7.47 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Value

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Considering long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets; however, they are more likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 3.41%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Consumer Staples sector--about 21% of the portfolio. Energy and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) accounts for about 9.27% of total assets, followed by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 55.27% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

HDV seeks to match the performance of the Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index before fees and expenses. The Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index measures the performance of a select group of U.S. equity securities issued by companies that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis. Index constituents are drawn from the pool of stocks issued by U.S. domiciled companies that trade publicly on the NYSE, the NYSE Amex Equities, or The NASDAQ Stock Market.

The ETF return is roughly 16.74% so far this year and was up about 22.08% in the last one year (as of 11/10/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $84.18 and $99.70.

The ETF has a beta of 0.89 and standard deviation of 22.14% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 78 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Core High Dividend ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, HDV is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD - Free Report) and the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF has $57.84 billion in assets, Vanguard Value ETF has $88.61 billion. IWD has an expense ratio of 0.19% and VTV charges 0.04%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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