In the 12 months to October 19, 2026, the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) returned 30.91% with dividends reinvested, well ahead of the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) at 15.88% and the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) at 12.81%, according to DataPorium price and dividend data [1][2]. SCHD also had the highest trailing 12-month yield, 3.08%, against 2.31% for VYM and 1.51% for VIG. Over the ten years to June 30, 2026, the order was different: VIG returned 13.13% a year, SCHD 12.4% and VYM 11.61%, according to the issuers [3][4][5]. The three funds cost 0.04% to 0.06% a year, so their selection rules, not their fees, explain the gaps.
How did SCHD, VYM and VIG perform in the last 12 months?
DataPorium's daily prices and dividends cover the 12 months from October 21, 2025 to October 19, 2026 for all three funds [2]. SCHD's lead came mostly from its share price, which rose 26.49%, about twice the price gain of VYM or VIG.
| Measure | SCHD | VYM | VIG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closing price, October 21, 2025 | $27.07 | $140.98 | $217.13 |
| Closing price, October 19, 2026 | $34.24 | $159.45 | $241.03 |
| Price return | 26.49% | 13.10% | 11.01% |
| Total return, dividends reinvested | 30.91% | 15.88% | 12.81% |
| 2026 year to date (price, from December 31, 2025) | 24.83% | 11.10% | 9.67% |
| Trailing 12-month dividends per share | $1.055 | $3.676 | $3.646 |
| Trailing 12-month dividend yield | 3.08% | 2.31% | 1.51% |
| Largest drop from a closing high | -7.61% | -7.24% | -8.27% |
| Annualized volatility of daily returns | 11.2% | 10.1% | 10.0% |
Source: DataPorium Stock Market, daily closing prices and dividends of SCHD, VYM and VIG, October 21, 2025 to October 19, 2026 [2]. Total return reinvests each dividend at the closing price on its ex-dividend date. Yield is the sum of dividends with ex-dates in the 12 months divided by the October 19, 2026 close. Volatility is the standard deviation of daily returns times the square root of 252.
The funds fell at different times. VYM's largest drop, 7.24%, ran from February 11 to March 20, 2026, and VIG's, 8.27%, from February 9 to March 30, 2026 [2]. SCHD rose 3.78% from January 27 to March 30, 2026, while VOO fell 9.19%; its largest drop, 7.61%, came later, from its August 24, 2026 high of $35.21 to $32.53 on September 30 [2]. For comparison, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned 15.50% with dividends over the same 12 months and yielded 1.05% [2].
The issuers' own one-year figures, for a different window, point the same way: to June 30, 2026, SCHD returned 24.1% at net asset value, VYM 21.52% and VIG 17.53% [3][4][5].
What are SCHD's and VIG's ten-year returns?
Over ten years the ranking reverses. VIG returned 13.13% a year at net asset value to June 30, 2026, SCHD 12.4% and VYM 11.61% [3][4][5]. Over five years VYM led at 11.78%, ahead of VIG at 10.90% and SCHD at 8.5% [3][4][5]. DataPorium's daily price history in this comparison covers 12 months, so the longer returns below are the issuers' figures as of June 30, 2026.
| Metric (June 30, 2026) | SCHD | VYM | VIG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| Number of stocks | about 100 (index) | 605 | 332 |
| Top ten weight | n/a | 25.9% | 31.9% |
| Price/earnings | n/a | 21.6x | 26.6x |
| 1-year return (NAV) | 24.1% | 21.52% | 17.53% |
| 5-year return (annualized, NAV) | 8.5% | 11.78% | 10.90% |
| 10-year return (annualized, NAV) | 12.4% | 11.61% | 13.13% |
| ETF net assets | n/a | $79.0 billion | $110.2 billion |
Source: Schwab ETF report card for SCHD and Vanguard fact sheets for VYM and VIG, as of June 30, 2026 [3][4][5].
VIG's ten-year lead came with the heaviest technology weight of the three, 26.3% on June 30, 2026, and holdings such as Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) that raise dividends but yield little; it also traded at the highest multiple, 26.6 times earnings against 21.6 for VYM [3][4]. SCHD's 8.5% five-year figure next to its 24.1% one-year figure shows that value and yield screens can lag for years and then lead within a single year [5].
How fast have SCHD, VYM and VIG raised their dividends?
DataPorium's dividend records go back well beyond ten years [2]. Each fund paid four dividends in every calendar year from 2016 to 2025, and each raised its yearly total in every one of those years. SCHD's figures are adjusted for its 3-for-1 share split of October 2024, so the per-share amounts are comparable across the decade.
| Year | SCHD | VYM | VIG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $0.419 | $2.206 | $1.826 |
| 2017 | $0.449 | $2.401 | $1.919 |
| 2018 | $0.480 | $2.649 | $2.038 |
| 2019 | $0.575 | $2.842 | $2.134 |
| 2020 | $0.676 | $2.906 | $2.297 |
| 2021 | $0.750 | $3.096 | $2.661 |
| 2022 | $0.854 | $3.252 | $2.973 |
| 2023 | $0.886 | $3.479 | $3.209 |
| 2024 | $0.995 | $3.495 | $3.379 |
| 2025 | $1.047 | $3.501 | $3.558 |
| Change, 2016 to 2025 | +149.7% | +58.7% | +94.9% |
| Average yearly growth | 10.7% | 5.3% | 7.7% |
Source: DataPorium Stock Market, dividend history of SCHD, VYM and VIG, calendar years 2016 to 2025, four payments each year; SCHD amounts split adjusted [2].
SCHD's dividend grew fastest, by 10.7% a year on average, while VIG, the fund built around dividend growth, grew its payout 7.7% a year [2]. VYM's growth slowed sharply: its yearly dividend rose only 0.6% from 2023 to 2025. In 2026, the first three payments came to $0.777 for SCHD, $2.729 for VYM and $2.762 for VIG, which is 1.0%, 6.9% and 3.3% more than the first three payments of 2025 [2]. VYM's quarterly amounts are uneven: $0.947 in December 2025, $0.862 in March 2026, $0.980 in June and $0.887 in September [1].
What does VYM hold, and how do the holdings differ?
VYM tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, a broad basket of U.S. stocks forecast to have above-average dividend yields. It excludes real estate investment trusts, which generally do not qualify for the lower tax rate on qualified dividends, and uses buffer zones at its annual rebalance to limit turnover [3]. As of June 30, 2026, its largest holding was Broadcom (AVGO) at 7.3%, followed by holdings including Exxon Mobil (XOM) at 2.4%, Caterpillar (CAT) at 2.0% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.9%, with JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) also in the top ten [3]. Its largest sectors were financials at 20.6%, technology at 14.6%, industrials at 14.4% and health care at 12.4%, with consumer staples and energy at 8.5% each [3].
VIG tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, which favors large companies with a record of raising dividends year after year, regardless of current yield [4]. Broadcom was also its largest holding (4.5%) on June 30, 2026, followed by Apple at 4.2%, Eli Lilly (LLY) at 4.1% and Microsoft at 3.5% [4]. VIG carried 26.3% in information technology, 20.7% in financials, 17.7% in health care and 12.0% in industrials [4].
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which selects high-yielding U.S. stocks with a record of consistent payments and screens them on financial ratios for fundamental strength; the fund invests at least 90% of its assets in index stocks [5]. The result is a compact portfolio of about 100 names, against 605 for VYM and 332 for VIG [3][4][5].
Do SCHD, VYM and VIG move together?
Less than their shared label suggests. VYM and VIG, two broad Vanguard funds that overlap in many large holdings, moved closely together over the 12 months to October 19, 2026. SCHD, with its narrower list of about 100 stocks, followed its own path.
Our analysis of DataPorium's price data shows that the daily returns of VYM and VIG had a correlation of 0.92 over the 12 months to October 19, 2026, while SCHD's correlation was 0.68 with VYM, 0.59 with VIG and only 0.24 with VOO.
A correlation of 1 means two funds rise and fall on the same days by proportional amounts; 0 means no relation. SCHD's low figure against the S&P 500 fund matches its path in the past year: it gained while VOO fell in the spring of 2026, and from August 24 to September 30, 2026 it lost 7.61% while VOO slipped 0.14% [2]. VIG's correlation with VOO was 0.81 and VYM's 0.70 [2]. Daily prices, dividends and charts for all three funds are on DataPorium's ETF pages [1].
Key takeaways
- Total returns in the 12 months to October 19, 2026: SCHD 30.91%, VYM 15.88%, VIG 12.81% [2].
- Trailing 12-month yields on October 19, 2026: SCHD 3.08%, VYM 2.31%, VIG 1.51% [2].
- Ten-year annualized NAV returns to June 30, 2026 favor VIG (13.13%) over SCHD (12.4%) and VYM (11.61%) [3][4][5].
- From 2016 to 2025, yearly dividends grew 10.7% a year for SCHD, 7.7% for VIG and 5.3% for VYM [2].
- Expense ratios as of June 30, 2026 were 0.06% for SCHD and 0.04% for VYM and VIG, or $2 a year apart per $10,000 [3][4][5].
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, SCHD, VYM or VIG?
None led on every measure. SCHD had the highest 12-month total return to October 19, 2026 (30.91%) and the highest yield (3.08%), VIG the best ten-year return to June 30, 2026 (13.13% a year), and VYM the broadest portfolio with 605 stocks [2][3][4].
What are SCHD's and VIG's ten-year returns?
As of June 30, 2026, VIG returned 13.13% a year over ten years at net asset value and SCHD 12.4%, according to Vanguard and Schwab [4][5]. VYM returned 11.61% a year over the same period [3].
What stocks does VYM hold?
VYM held 605 stocks on June 30, 2026, led by Broadcom at 7.3%, with Exxon Mobil, Caterpillar, Cisco Systems, JPMorgan Chase and Johnson & Johnson among its top ten; the top ten made up 25.9% of the fund [3].
What dividend yield do SCHD, VYM and VIG pay in 2026?
On trailing 12-month dividends as of October 19, 2026, SCHD yielded 3.08% ($1.055 a share), VYM 2.31% ($3.676) and VIG 1.51% ($3.646) [2].
Sources & References
- [1] DataPorium ETF prices and dividends (VYM)
- [2] DataPorium Stock Market (daily prices and dividend history of US stocks and ETFs)
- [3] Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) fact sheet as of June 30, 2026
- [4] Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) fact sheet as of June 30, 2026
- [5] Charles Schwab ETF report card: Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD)