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AEL vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

AEL yields 0.67% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 HDV wins by $518.00 in total portfolio value
10 years
AEL
AEL
● Live price
0.67%
Share price
$56.47
Annual div
$0.38
5Y div CAGR
26.8%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$23.8K
Annual income
$843.38
Full AEL calculator →
HDV
iShares Core High Dividend ETF
● Live price
2.92%
Share price
$135.39
Annual div
$3.96
5Y div CAGR
0%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$24.3K
Annual income
$352.73
Full HDV calculator →

Portfolio growth — AEL vs HDV

📍 HDV pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis PeriodAELHDV
2008–2009
GFC
— No data— No data
2020 Q1–Q2
COVID
— No data— No data
2022 Q4
Rate Hike
— No data— No data
Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.
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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, AEL + HDV cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan
—
Feb
—
Mar
—
Apr
—
May
—
Jun
—
Jul
—
Aug
—
Sep
—
Oct
—
Nov
—
Dec
—
AEL pays
HDV pays
Both pay
Neither
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Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

AEL
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$57.20/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$716.87/yr
HDV
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$248.52/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$299.82/yr
At 15% tax rate, AEL beats the other by $417.05/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of AEL + HDV for your $10,000?

AEL: 50%HDV: 50%
100% HDV50/50100% AEL
Portfolio after 10yr
$24.0K
Annual income
$598.05/yr
Blended yield
2.49%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on AEL right now

AEL
Analyst Ratings
2
Buy
17
Hold
Consensus: Hold
Price Target
$47.40
-16.1% upside vs current
Range: $43.00 — $55.00
Altman Z
0.2
Piotroski
5/9
HDV
No analyst data
Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.
🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AEL buys
0
HDV buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for AEL or HDV in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricAELHDV
Forward yield0.67%2.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share$0.38$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR26.8% ✓0%
Portfolio after 10y$23.8K$24.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y$843.38 ✓$352.73
Total dividends collected$3.4K ✓$3.2K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockETF

Year-by-year: AEL vs HDV ($10,000, DRIP)

YearAEL PortfolioAEL Income/yrHDV PortfolioHDV Income/yrGap
1← crossover$10,785$85.33$11,002$292.38$217.00 → HDV
2$11,649$109.06$12,084$300.36$435.00 → HDV
3$12,604$139.59$13,250$308.02$646.00 → HDV
4$13,666$178.98$14,506$315.35$840.00 → HDV
5$14,852$229.96$15,858$322.35$1.0K → HDV
6$16,188$296.18$17,313$329.04$1.1K → HDV
7$17,704$382.55$18,878$335.42$1.2K → HDV
8$19,439$495.79$20,560$341.49$1.1K → HDV
9$21,445$645.12$22,367$347.25$922.00 → HDV
10$23,789$843.38$24,307$352.73$518.00 → HDV

AEL vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

AEL — Stock

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors. American Equity Investment Life Holding Company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Full AEL Calculator →

HDV — ETF

The iShares Core High Dividend ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of relatively high dividend paying U.S. equities.

Full HDV Calculator →
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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.