ETF Versus

SCHD vs SPYD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-08

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.44%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $84.8B ER: 0.06% Yield: 3.44% Since: Oct 20, 2011

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.35%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.1B ER: 0.07% Yield: 4.35% Since: Oct 21, 2015

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.06% vs 0.07%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Over the past year, SCHD has significantly outperformed with a 26.3% return vs 17.9%. Income investors may prefer SPYD for its higher yield (4.3% vs 3.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric SCHD SPYD
Expense Ratio 0.06% 0.07%
Dividend Yield 3.4% 4.3%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category US Dividend US Dividend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 94 103 112 121 130 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SCHD +24.8%
SPYD +17.7%

Performance Comparison

Period SCHD SPYD Difference
1 Month -0.95% -2.15% +1.20%
3 Months +8.11% +3.12% +4.99%
6 Months +15.77% +7.38% +8.39%
YTD +10.80% +4.90% +5.90%
1 Year +26.34% +17.87% +8.47%
3 Years +25.87% +20.41% +5.46%
5 Years +24.12% +17.39% +6.73%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SCHD Fees SPYD Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $120 $140 $20
$10,000 20 years $515 $600 $85
$10,000 30 years $1,664 $1,938 $275
$50,000 10 years $598 $698 $99
$50,000 30 years $8,318 $9,692 $1,373
$100,000 30 years $16,637 $19,383 $2,747

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SCHD SPYD
Annualized Volatility 14.6% 16.5%
Max Drawdown -18.9% -27.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.07 0.01

Dividend Comparison

Metric SCHD SPYD
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.06 $1.99
Dividend Yield 3.43% 4.35%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

2 of top 10 holdings overlap (20% overlap in top holdings)

SCHD Top Holdings

NameWeight
Chevron CorporationCVX4.43%
ConocoPhillipsCOP4.26%
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK4.16%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO4.06%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ3.99%
Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN3.98%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP3.96%
UnitedHealth Group IncorporatedUNH3.93%
Amgen Inc.AMGN3.80%
Abbott LaboratoriesABT3.76%

SPYD Top Holdings

NameWeight
APA CorporationAPA1.99%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB1.86%
Dow Inc.DOW1.75%
EOG Resources, Inc.EOG1.62%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ1.54%
Phillips 66PSX1.54%
AT&T Inc.T1.48%
Edison InternationalEIX1.48%
Chevron CorporationCVX1.46%
ONEOK, Inc.OKE1.43%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SCHD if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose SPYD if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

Either works if...

you just need broad us dividend exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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