Dividend investors can often be overwhelmed with the number of high yield stocks to choose from. Even if an investor has a specific industry in mind, there are usually multiple options with similar performance and dividend yield.
An alternative option that investors have is to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs are bundles of securities in a fund format that trade on an exchange. They work similar to mutual funds, but typically have lower fees and allow investors to see price changes in real time (since they trade on exchanges).
There are ETFs for almost any industry or topic. There are ETFs for defensive companies, social media companies, and even socially responsible stocks. These funds can be fantastic to help you diversify your portfolio, but the dividend yields are pretty low on most of the funds.
Luckily, there’s a solution for that.
To no surprise, there are dozens of ETFs that are dividend focused. These funds allow investors to take advantage of the diversification of ETFs, while still gaining a great dividend yield. The funds below are some of the best ETFs are dividend investors.
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSE: VIF)
The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF trades around $90 and has a dividend yield of approximately 2.5%. The funds focuses on large cap dividend equities. The top industries held in this ETF are industrials and consumer defensive. Shares are up around 7% in 2017.
| Top Holdings | Weight |
| Microsoft (MSFT) | 4.41% |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 3.95% |
| PepsiCo (PEP) | 3.74% |
| Coca-Cola (KO) | 3.47% |
| McDonald’s (MCD) | 2.71% |
| 3M (MMM) | 2.67% |
| Medtronic PLC (MDT) | 2.48% |
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSE: VYM)
The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF is currently trading around $78 and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. The fund is comprised primarily of giant and large sized companies. The top industries included are financial services, technology, and consumer defensive. In 2017, shares are up around 4%.
| Top Holdings | Weight |
| Microsoft (MSFT) | 5.14% |
| Exxon Mobil (XOM) | 4.12% |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 3.46% |
| JP Morgan (JPM) | 3.41% |
| General Electric (GE) | 3.06% |
| Wells Fargo (WFC) | 3.03% |
| AT&T (T) | 2.88% |
iShares Select Dividend ETF (NYSE: DVY)
The iShares Select Dividend ETF is trading at about $92 and currently offers a dividend yield of about 2.9%. The fund has a good balance of small, medium, large, and giant sized companies. Its highest weighted industries are utilities, financial services, and consumer cyclical. So far this year, shares are up about 4%.
| Top Holdings | Weight |
| Lockheed Marton (LMT) | 3.94% |
| CME Group (CME) | 3.52% |
| Chevron (CVX) | 2.64% |
| ONEOK Inc (OKE) | 2.63% |
| Caterpillar (CAT) | 2.11% |
| Phillip Morris (PM) | 2.10% |
| NextEra Energy Inc (NEE) | 1.91% |
SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (NYSE: SDY)
The SPDR S&P Dividend ETF is currently trading at around $89 and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. The fund is compiled of small, medium, large, and giant sized companies, but is heavy on medium sized corporations. The industries held in the fund are pretty balanced, with the top weighted industries being industrials, financial services, consumer defensive and consumer cyclical. The ETF is up about 4% in 2017.
| Top Holdings | Weight |
| AT&T (T) | 2.13% |
| People’s United Financial Inc (PBCT) | 1.96% |
| HCP (HCP) | 1.83% |
| Chevron (CVX) | 1.82% |
| International Business Machines (IBM) | 1.61% |
| Emerson Electric Co (EMR) | 1.60% |
| Caterpillar (CAT) | 1.52% |
iShares Core High Dividend ETF (NYSE: HDV)
The iShares Core High Dividend ETF currently trades at around $85 and has a dividend yield of 3.35%. The fund focus on giant sized companies. Its largest weighted industries are consumer defensive, energy, and healthcare. The ETF is up about 3% in 2017.
| Top Holdings | Weight |
| AT&T (T) | 8.07% |
| Exxon (XOM) | 7.79% |
| Verizon (VZ) | 5.90% |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 5.83% |
| Chevron (CVX) | 5.21% |
| Procter & Gamble (PG) | 4.90% |
| Pfizer (PFE) | 4.87% |
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Thanks for sharing this info. My sister just asked me to help her find ETFs for dividends. Now I don’t need to 😉