Why This Top Dividend ETF’s 13% Decline Made it a Must-Buy for My Retirement Account
I’ve had my eye on the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHD) for a while. As I’m an income-focused investor, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) is right up my alley. It holds 100 of the top high-yielding dividend stocks, focusing on companies with high-quality payouts.
That’s why I couldn’t resist the opportunity to add this high-quality dividend ETF to my portfolio following the 13% decline in its price from its high point earlier this year. As a result, the fund now has a yield of over 4% based on its latest dividend payment, well above the 1.5% dividend yield of the S&P 500. That high yield from such a high-quality fund made it a must-buy for my retirement account.
The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF is a passively managed fund that tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. That index aims to measure the performance of high-yielding dividend stocks in the U.S. that consistently pay dividends. It selects companies based on their strength relative to their peers.
The index’s manager screens dividend stocks based on four quality factors:
The fund aims to balance dividend yield with payout growth. As a result, it has an attractive current income stream that should rise at a healthy rate in the future. For example, the roughly 100 holdings in the fund had a dividend yield of 3.8% at its annual reconstitution last month while delivering an average annual dividend growth rate of 8.4%.
Many of the fund’s holdings excel at growing their high-yielding dividend. For example, top 10 holding ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) currently offers a 3.8% dividend yield. The oil and gas giant recently raised its dividend payment by 34%. That followed a 14% increase in 2023 and 11% in 2022. ConocoPhillips aims to deliver annual dividend growth within the top 25% of companies in the S&P 500.
Because of dividend growers like ConocoPhillips, the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF should continue its trend of steadily distributing more income to investors:
The fund’s focus on companies that grow their dividend is worth highlighting, since dividend growers have historically delivered the highest returns:
|
Dividend Policy |
Average Annual Total Returns |
|---|---|
|
Dividend growers and initiators |
10.24% |
|
Dividend payers |
9.20% |
|
No change in dividend policy |
6.75% |
|
Dividend cutters and eliminators |
(0.89%) |
|
Dividend non-payers |
4.31% |
|
Equal-weighted S&P 500 index |
7.65% |
Data source: Ned Davis Research and Hartford Funds. Note: returns from 1973 to 2024.
