Is CULAX or HDV a better dividend investment in 2026?

CULAX currently yields 4.08% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HDV yields 2.92% with 4.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: CULAX offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CULAX and HDV?

CULAX has a forward dividend yield of 4.08% ($0.40/share annually). HDV yields 2.92% ($3.96/share annually). The yield gap is 1.16 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CULAX vs HDV

CULAX vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

CULAX yields 4.08% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 CULAX wins by $1.8K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CULAX

● Live price

4.08%

Share price

$9.90

Annual div

$0.40

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$26.1K

Annual income

$530.64

Full CULAX calculator →

HDV

iShares Core High Dividend ETF

● Live price

2.92%

Share price

$135.72

Annual div

$3.96

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$24.3K

Annual income

$351.71

Full HDV calculator →

Portfolio growth — CULAX vs HDV

📍 CULAX 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 Period	CULAX	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%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CULAX pays

HDV pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CULAX

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

$347.07/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$451.04/yr

HDV

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

$247.92/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$298.95/yr

At 15% tax rate, CULAX beats the other by $152.09/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

CULAX: 50%HDV: 50%

100% HDV50/50100% CULAX

Portfolio after 10yr

$25.2K

Annual income

$441.18/yr

Blended yield

1.75%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

CULAX buys

HDV buys

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

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

MetricCULAXHDV

Forward yield	4.08% ✓	2.92%
Annual dividend / share	$0.40	$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$26.1K ✓	$24.3K
Annual income after 10y	$530.64 ✓	$351.71
Total dividends collected	$4.7K ✓	$3.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	CULAX Portfolio	CULAX Income/yr	HDV Portfolio	HDV Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,108	$408.31	$11,002	$291.67	+$106.00 → CULAX
2	$12,310	$423.89	$12,082	$299.61	+$228.00 → CULAX
3	$13,610	$439.01	$13,247	$307.23	+$363.00 → CULAX
4	$15,017	$453.64	$14,503	$314.52	+$514.00 → CULAX
5	$16,536	$467.78	$15,854	$321.50	+$682.00 → CULAX
6	$18,175	$481.39	$17,308	$328.15	+$867.00 → CULAX
7	$19,941	$494.49	$18,871	$334.49	+$1.1K → CULAX
8	$21,844	$507.06	$20,551	$340.53	+$1.3K → CULAX
9	$23,893	$519.11	$22,357	$346.27	+$1.5K → CULAX
10	$26,096	$530.64	$24,296	$351.71	+$1.8K → CULAX

CULAX vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

CULAX — Stock

The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes) in a portfolio of floating-rate securities (e.g., corporate floating-rate securities) and securities with durations of less than or equal to one year. The manager generally defines ultra-short duration securities as those with durations of less than or equal to one year.

Full CULAX 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 →

📬

Get this CULAX vs HDV comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

CULAX vs SCHD CULAX vs JEPI CULAX vs O CULAX vs KO CULAX vs MAIN CULAX vs VYM CULAX vs DVY CULAX vs SPHD

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