Is CEM or HDV a better dividend investment in 2026?

CEM currently yields 6.90% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HDV yields 2.92% with 4.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: CEM offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CEM and HDV?

CEM has a forward dividend yield of 6.90% ($3.08/share annually). HDV yields 2.92% ($3.96/share annually). The yield gap is 3.98 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CEM vs HDV

CEM vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

CEM yields 6.90% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 HDV wins by $3.4K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 2

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CEM

● Live price

6.90%

Share price

$44.64

Annual div

$3.08

5Y div CAGR

-50%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$20.9K

Annual income

$0.72

Full CEM calculator →

HDV

iShares Core High Dividend ETF

● Live price

2.92%

Share price

$135.39

Annual div

$3.96

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$24.3K

Annual income

$352.73

Full HDV calculator →

Portfolio growth — CEM vs HDV

📍 HDV pulled ahead of the other in Year 2

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 Period	CEM	HDV
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, CEM + HDV cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CEM pays

HDV pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CEM

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$586.47/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$0.61/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, HDV beats the other by $299.21/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

CEM: 50%HDV: 50%

100% HDV50/50100% CEM

Portfolio after 10yr

$22.6K

Annual income

$176.72/yr

Blended yield

0.78%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is split right now

CEM

Analyst Ratings

Hold

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$32.50

-27.2% upside vs current

Range: $32.50 — $32.50

Altman Z

4.7

Piotroski

7/9

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)

CEM buys

HDV buys

No recent congressional trades found for CEM or HDV in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricCEMHDV

Forward yield	6.90% ✓	2.92%
Annual dividend / share	$3.08	$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	-50%	0% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$20.9K	$24.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$0.72	$352.73 ✓
Total dividends collected	$704.00 ✓	$3.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	CEM Portfolio	CEM Income/yr	HDV Portfolio	HDV Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,045	$344.98	$11,002	$292.38	+$43.00 → CEM
2← crossover	$11,996	$178.05	$12,084	$300.36	$88.00 → HDV
3	$12,926	$90.37	$13,250	$308.02	$324.00 → HDV
4	$13,877	$45.50	$14,506	$315.35	$629.00 → HDV
5	$14,871	$22.83	$15,858	$322.35	$987.00 → HDV
6	$15,923	$11.43	$17,313	$329.04	$1.4K → HDV
7	$17,044	$5.72	$18,878	$335.42	$1.8K → HDV
8	$18,239	$2.86	$20,560	$341.49	$2.3K → HDV
9	$19,518	$1.43	$22,367	$347.25	$2.8K → HDV
10	$20,885	$0.72	$24,307	$352.73	$3.4K → HDV

CEM vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

CEM — Stock

ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC. It is co-managed by Clearbridge Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the energy sector. The fund primarily invests in equity securities of MLPs and growth stocks of companies operating across diversified market capitalizations. It employs fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock selection approach, focusing on companies with long-lived assets, predictable cash flows, and low direct commodity exposure to create its portfolio. ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc. was formed on March 31, 2010 and is domiciled in the United States.

Full CEM 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.