Is WAESX or HDV a better dividend investment in 2026?

WAESX currently yields 11.74% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HDV yields 2.92% with 4.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: WAESX offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between WAESX and HDV?

WAESX has a forward dividend yield of 11.74% ($2.00/share annually). HDV yields 2.92% ($3.96/share annually). The yield gap is 8.82 percentage points.

Home › Compare › WAESX vs HDV

WAESX vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

WAESX yields 11.74% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 WAESX wins by $19.1K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

WAESX

● Live price

11.74%

Share price

$17.04

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$43.4K

Annual income

$2,443.12

Full WAESX 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 — WAESX vs HDV

📍 WAESX 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	WAESX	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, WAESX + HDV cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

WAESX pays

HDV pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

WAESX

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

$997.65/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,076.65/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, WAESX beats the other by $1,777.70/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

WAESX: 50%HDV: 50%

100% HDV50/50100% WAESX

Portfolio after 10yr

$33.8K

Annual income

$1,397.42/yr

Blended yield

4.13%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

WAESX buys

HDV buys

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

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

MetricWAESXHDV

Forward yield	11.74% ✓	2.92%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$43.4K ✓	$24.3K
Annual income after 10y	$2,443.12 ✓	$351.71
Total dividends collected	$18.0K ✓	$3.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	WAESX Portfolio	WAESX Income/yr	HDV Portfolio	HDV Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,874	$1,173.71	$11,002	$291.67	+$872.00 → WAESX
2	$14,007	$1,302.46	$12,082	$299.61	+$1.9K → WAESX
3	$16,424	$1,435.98	$13,247	$307.23	+$3.2K → WAESX
4	$19,147	$1,573.56	$14,503	$314.52	+$4.6K → WAESX
5	$22,202	$1,714.46	$15,854	$321.50	+$6.3K → WAESX
6	$25,614	$1,857.93	$17,308	$328.15	+$8.3K → WAESX
7	$29,410	$2,003.24	$18,871	$334.49	+$10.5K → WAESX
8	$33,618	$2,149.66	$20,551	$340.53	+$13.1K → WAESX
9	$38,268	$2,296.51	$22,357	$346.27	+$15.9K → WAESX
10	$43,390	$2,443.12	$24,296	$351.71	+$19.1K → WAESX

WAESX vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

WAESX — Stock

The fund invests primarily in companies of all market capitalizations that are tied economically to emerging market countries. It will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in the equity securities of companies that are tied economically to emerging market countries. The fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in a few sectors, including communication services, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, financials, health care, industrials, information technology. It is non-diversified.

Full WAESX 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 WAESX vs HDV comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

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