For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 15, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. ETFs recently featured in the blog include: SPDR S&P Dividend ETF SDY, ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL, O'shares FTSE US Quality Dividend ETF OUSA, Invesco Dividend Achievers ETF PFM, Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF PEY and Xtrackers S&P Dividend Aristocrats Screened ETF SNPD.
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Guide to Dividend Aristocrat ETF Investing
Dividend investing continues to be a favored strategy across market environments. While it may not generate explosive capital gains, it offers investors a reliable stream of income and a measure of stability during periods of uncertainty.
The appeal of dividend-focused investments lies in their ability to provide regular payouts while gaining exposure to established, financially sound companies that are less-volatile in nature. When equity market returns come under pressure, dividend-paying securities can help cushion portfolios.
With numerous dividend ETFs available, funds focused on Dividend Aristocrats may be particularly attractive in today's volatile market, which is caught in a web of high inflation and geopolitical risks. These companies have a long track record of consistently increasing dividends, making them a compelling choice for investors seeking both income and resilience.
Why Dividend Aristocrats?
Dividend aristocrats are blue-chip dividend-paying companies with a long history of increasing dividend payments year over year. These generally act as a hedge against economic uncertainty and provide downside protection by offering outsized payouts or sizable yields on a regular basis. Additionally, aristocrats tend to skew the portfolio to less volatile sectors and mature companies.
Additionally, these companies have a sustainable business model, a long track of profitability, rising cash flows, good liquidity, a strong balance sheet and some value characteristics. Further, a history of strong dividend growth indicates a likely hike in the future.
Power of Dividend Growth
Since 1973, companies that grew or initiated dividends have delivered higher returns with lower volatility. Since 1973, Dividend Growers & Initiators have seen average annualized returns of 10.22% with a Beta of 0.89. Dividend Payers have seen average annualized returns of 9.20% with a Beta of 0.94, per Hartford Funds.
Dividend Non-Payers have recorded average annualized returns of 4.21% with a Beta of 1.18. Equal-Weighted S&P 500 Index has added 7.74% returns with a Beta of 1.00, according to Hartford Funds’ research.
Historically, from 1940–2025, dividend income’s contribution to the total return of the S&P 500 Index averaged 33%, per the same source.
ETFs in Focus
As a result, these products provide a nice combination of annual dividend growth and capital appreciation opportunity and are mainly suitable for risk-averse, long-term investors. For them, we have highlighted some popular ETFs that could be excellent choices:
SPDR S&P Dividend ETF
The underlying S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index measures the performance of the highest dividend yielding S&P Composite 1500 Index constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 20 consecutive years. The fund charges 35 bps in fees and yields 2.47% annually (as of June 4, 2026).
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF
The underlying S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index targets companies that are currently members of the S&P 500, have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years & meet certain market capitalization & liquidity requirements. The fund charges 35 bps in fees and yields 2.10% annually.
O'shares FTSE US Quality Dividend ETF
The underlying OShares U.S. Quality Dividend Index measures the performance of publicly-listed large-capitalization and mid-capitalization dividend-paying issuers in the United States. The fund charges 48 bps in fees and yields 1.41% annually.
Invesco Dividend Achievers ETF
The underlying NASDAQ US Broad Dividend Achievers Index is designed to identify a diversified group of dividend-paying companies which have increased their annual dividend for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years. It charges 52 bps in fees and yields about 1.33% annually.
Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF
The underlying NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers 50 Index is comprised of 50 stocks selected principally on the basis of dividend yield and consistent growth in dividends. The fund charges 50 bps in fees and yields 4.46% annually,
Xtrackers S&P Dividend Aristocrats Screened ETF
The underlying S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Screened Index measures the performance of constituents from the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index that meet certain sustainability criteria. The fund charges 15 bps in fees and yields 2.99% annually.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF (PEY): ETF Research Reports
State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY): ETF Research Reports
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL): ETF Research Reports
Invesco Dividend Achievers ETF (PFM): ETF Research Reports
ALPS OShares U.S. Quality Dividend ETF (OUSA): ETF Research Reports
Xtrackers S&P Dividend Aristocrats Screened ETF (SNPD): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).