Is FCAL or HDV a better dividend investment in 2026?

FCAL currently yields 3.32% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HDV yields 2.92% with 4.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: FCAL offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between FCAL and HDV?

FCAL has a forward dividend yield of 3.32% ($1.63/share annually). HDV yields 2.92% ($3.96/share annually). The yield gap is 0.40 percentage points.

Home › Compare › FCAL vs HDV

FCAL vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

FCAL yields 3.32% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 FCAL wins by $469.00 in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

FCAL

● Live price

3.32%

Share price

$48.89

Annual div

$1.63

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$24.8K

Annual income

$411.71

Full FCAL 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 — FCAL vs HDV

📍 FCAL pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

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

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

FCAL pays

HDV pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

FCAL

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

$282.55/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$349.95/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, FCAL beats the other by $50.13/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 FCAL + HDV for your $10,000?

FCAL: 50%HDV: 50%

100% HDV50/50100% FCAL

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.5K

Annual income

$382.21/yr

Blended yield

1.56%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

FCAL buys

HDV buys

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

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

MetricFCALHDV

Forward yield	3.32% ✓	2.92%
Annual dividend / share	$1.63	$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$24.8K ✓	$24.3K
Annual income after 10y	$411.71 ✓	$352.73
Total dividends collected	$3.7K ✓	$3.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	FCAL Portfolio	FCAL Income/yr	HDV Portfolio	HDV Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,032	$332.41	$11,002	$292.38	+$30.00 → FCAL
2	$12,147	$342.74	$12,084	$300.36	+$63.00 → FCAL
3	$13,350	$352.69	$13,250	$308.02	+$100.00 → FCAL
4	$14,647	$362.26	$14,506	$315.35	+$141.00 → FCAL
5	$16,044	$371.45	$15,858	$322.35	+$186.00 → FCAL
6	$17,547	$380.25	$17,313	$329.04	+$234.00 → FCAL
7	$19,164	$388.67	$18,878	$335.42	+$286.00 → FCAL
8	$20,903	$396.72	$20,560	$341.49	+$343.00 → FCAL
9	$22,770	$404.40	$22,367	$347.25	+$403.00 → FCAL
10	$24,776	$411.71	$24,307	$352.73	+$469.00 → FCAL

FCAL vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

FCAL — Stock

The First Trust California Municipal High Income ETF's primary investment objective will be to seek to provide current income that is exempt from regular federal income taxes and California income taxes, and its secondary objective will be long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in municipal debt securities that pay interest that is exempt from regular federal income taxes and California income taxes (collectively, "Municipal Securities").

Full FCAL 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.