Is RAYS or HDV a better dividend investment in 2026?

RAYS currently yields 0.09% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HDV yields 2.92% with 4.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: HDV offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between RAYS and HDV?

RAYS has a forward dividend yield of 0.09% ($0.01/share annually). HDV yields 2.92% ($3.96/share annually). The yield gap is 2.83 percentage points.

Home › Compare › RAYS vs HDV

RAYS vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

RAYS yields 0.09% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 HDV wins by $4.5K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

RAYS

● Live price

0.09%

Share price

$10.09

Annual div

$0.01

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$19.8K

Annual income

$8.77

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

RAYS pays

HDV pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

RAYS

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

$7.41/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$7.45/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 $292.37/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

RAYS: 50%HDV: 50%

100% HDV50/50100% RAYS

Portfolio after 10yr

$22.1K

Annual income

$180.74/yr

Blended yield

0.82%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

RAYS buys

HDV buys

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

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

MetricRAYSHDV

Forward yield	0.09%	2.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.01	$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$19.8K	$24.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$8.77	$352.73 ✓
Total dividends collected	$87.00 ✓	$3.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	RAYS Portfolio	RAYS Income/yr	HDV Portfolio	HDV Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,709	$8.72	$11,002	$292.38	$293.00 → HDV
2	$11,467	$8.73	$12,084	$300.36	$617.00 → HDV
3	$12,278	$8.73	$13,250	$308.02	$972.00 → HDV
4	$13,147	$8.74	$14,506	$315.35	$1.4K → HDV
5	$14,076	$8.75	$15,858	$322.35	$1.8K → HDV
6	$15,070	$8.75	$17,313	$329.04	$2.2K → HDV
7	$16,133	$8.76	$18,878	$335.42	$2.7K → HDV
8	$17,272	$8.76	$20,560	$341.49	$3.3K → HDV
9	$18,489	$8.77	$22,367	$347.25	$3.9K → HDV
10	$19,792	$8.77	$24,307	$352.73	$4.5K → HDV

RAYS vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

RAYS — Stock

The fund invests at least 80% of its total assets, plus borrowings for investments purposes (if any), in the securities of the underlying index and in American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") and Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") based on the securities in the underlying index. The underlying index is designed to provide exposure to companies that are positioned to benefit from further advances in the field of solar technology. The fund is non-diversified.

Full RAYS 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 RAYS vs HDV comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

RAYS vs SCHD RAYS vs JEPI RAYS vs O RAYS vs KO RAYS vs MAIN RAYS vs VYM RAYS vs DVY RAYS 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.