It may surprise you that in 2021, the technology sector was the largest payer of dividends among sectors in the S&P 500 Index, according to investment research firm CFRA.
Tech stocks contributed more than 17% of the overall income for the broad-market benchmark. That's more than the contribution from healthcare (15%), financials (14%) and consumer staples (11%), notes CFRA.
And yet, many exchange-traded funds that invest in companies with a track record of hiking dividends have relatively limited exposure to tech. The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL), for example, which tracks an index requiring firms to have posted at least 25 consecutive years of dividend increases, holds 1.5% of assets in tech, compared with 22% in consumer staples.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The ProShares S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats (TDV) holds 77% of assets in tech stocks. Tracking an index that requires a minimum of just seven years of dividend hikes allows the fund to home in on tech names with the wherewithal to consistently return cash to shareholders. Holdings are equally weighted, so behemoths with giant market values can't dominate. The 40 stocks in the portfolio range from household names such as Apple (AAPL) and Broadcom (AVGO) to water-meter manufacturer Badger Meter (BMI) and pet pharmacy PetMed Express (PETS).
The ETF, yielding 1.2%, might be worth a look by dividend investors who want to balance out sector exposure or by tech investors who prefer the cushion of a dividend in an often-volatile sector.
-
Should You Buy a Second Home When You Retire?Buying a second home in retirement, especially with sufficient savings, can enhance your lifestyle or serve as a smart investment. But it requires careful planning.
-
What the OBBB Means for Social Security Taxes and Your Retirement: A Wealth Adviser's GuideFor Americans in lower- and middle-income tax brackets, the enhanced deduction for older people reduces taxable income, shielding most of their Social Security benefits from being taxed.
-
Nasdaq Ends the Week at a New High: Stock Market TodayThe S&P 500 came within a hair of a new high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average still has yet to hit a fresh peak in 2025.
-
Stocks Swing Lower as Eli Lilly, Fortinet Spiral: Stock Market TodayThe main indexes finished well off their session highs after a disappointing batch of corporate earnings reports.
-
Stocks Rally on Apple Strength: Stock Market TodayThe iPhone maker will boost its U.S. investment by $100 billion, which sent the Dow Jones stock soaring.
-
Rally Pauses for Hot Earnings, Cool Data: Stock Market TodayMarkets were mostly mixed Tuesday after decisive moves Friday and Monday.
-
Dow Rises 585 Points on Rate Cut Hope: Stock Market TodayStocks moved more than 1% again Monday, this time to the upside following the Jobs Friday sell-off.
-
Dow Dives 542 Points on Soft Jobs Data: Stock Market TodayThe last day of a busy week ends with the first greater-than-1% move in either direction in more than a month.
-
Stocks Can't Hold Meta, Microsoft Gains: Stock Market TodayThe main indexes all opened higher Thursday on impressive Big Tech earnings, but momentum faded into the close.
-
Stocks Are Up and Down on Fed Day: Stock Market TodayIn another sign of changing times, JPMorgan has partnered with Coinbase to enable cryptocurrency purchases with credit cards.
