At a glance
DURA charges 0.3% a year, above the 0.24% average of the 8 funds most like it (the 5th cheapest of 9). It has $37.2M in assets, the 9th largest of that group; it paid 3.12% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned +23.2% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 4th of those 9 funds; over three years it returned +15.9% a year. At its worst it fell 32.3% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 15.8% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 9 months and 2 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 46.8% of the fund, out of 71 in all.
The short version
VanEck Durable High Dividend ETF (DURA) is an index fund that tracks the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index, a basket of about 70 US stocks screened for high dividends, financial strength and attractive valuation. It charges 0.30% a year, more than much larger rivals such as iShares Core High Dividend ETF (0.08%). With $37.2 million in assets as of June 30, 2026, it is the smallest fund in its peer group.
Price history
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DURA +23.2% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DURA official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +7.62% | — | +7.05% | — | +7.68% |
| Morningstar® US Dividend Valuation Index SM (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) index, same period | — | +7.92% | — | +7.20% | — | +8.00% |
| S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) index, same period | — | +17.88% | — | +14.42% | — | +15.82% |
| DURA price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +21.2% | +23.2% | +15.9% | +8.8% | — | +9.6% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, DURA returned +23.2%, 4th of 9 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +8.8%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 32.3% and regained its old high 8.5 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2020 (+0.1%); its best was 2019 (+27.5%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 33.1% (Jan 23, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020), recovered by Mar 10, 2021.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +21.2% | — |
| 2025 | +7.6% | +7.62% |
| 2024 | +8.5% | +8.58% |
| 2023 | +0.8% | +0.83% |
| 2022 | +2.4% | +2.47% |
| 2021 | +15.5% | +16.45% |
| 2020 | +0.1% | +0.43% |
| 2019 | +27.5% | +25.31% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 32.3% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 32.3%, back to its old high 8.5 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 11.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 15.8%, back to its old high 2 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.8300 | |
| 2025 | $1.2300 | +12.8% |
| 2024 | $1.0900 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | $1.1100 | +15.6% |
| 2022 | $0.9600 | +3.2% |
| 2021 | $0.9300 | -7.0% |
| 2020 | $1.0000 | -12.3% |
| 2019 | $1.1400 |
What's inside
As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 71 securities; the ten largest made up 46.82% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Merck & Co Inc | 5.39% | |
| Philip Morris International Inc | 5.14% | |
| Bank of America Corp | 5.12% | |
| Coca-Cola Co | 5.02% | |
| Texas Instruments Inc | 4.63% | |
| Exxon Mobil Corp | 4.58% | |
| Altria Group Inc | 4.52% | |
| Chevron Corp | 4.36% | |
| Verizon Communications Inc | 4.17% | |
| PepsiCo Inc | 3.89% | |
| AT&T Inc | 3.52% | |
| QUALCOMM Inc | 3.03% | |
| Amgen Inc | 3.01% | |
| McDonald's Corp | 2.51% | |
| ConocoPhillips | 2.14% |
By country
United States 96.14%Ireland 1.87%Netherlands 0.81%Switzerland 0.33%United Kingdom 0.23%By asset type
Stocks 99.7%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 86.2% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Jun 30, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors withdrew a net $1.8M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +2.08%, -0.40%, -1.65%.
How it works
DURA is a passive index fund from VanEck. Before fees, it aims to match the price and yield performance of the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index. It normally keeps at least 80% of its assets in the index's stocks. It does not try to beat the index, and it does not move to cash in rough markets. Morningstar builds the index from its US Market Index, which covers about 97% of the value of the US stock market.
A stock must pass four separate tests to get in. It must rank in the top half of that market by dividend yield over the past 12 months. It must rank in the top half of its sector on "distance to default," a Morningstar measure of financial stability based on market prices and financial reports. It must rank in the top 70% on Morningstar's star score, which compares a stock's price with Morningstar's estimate of its fair value. And it can't be among the 30% of stocks with the worst 12-month total return. As of December 31, 2025, 69 stocks qualified.
Morningstar rebuilds and rebalances the index twice a year. Buffers around the cutoffs limit churn. Even so, portfolio turnover was 66%, which adds trading costs. The fund may hold a few stocks or industries heavily if the index does.
What it really costs
- DURA charges 0.3% a year, versus an average of 0.24% for the similar funds below (5th of 9, cheapest first).
- Of that, 0.29% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $31 in the first year and $381 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DURA | $31 | $97 | $169 | $381 |
In a retirement portfolio
DURA holds dividend-paying US stocks screened for financial strength and paid a 3.12% trailing yield, distributed quarterly, as of October 27, 2026.
DURA launched in October 2018, so it has no record from the 2008 crisis. In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 32.3% in about a month. Its deepest drop, 33.1% from January 23 to March 23, 2020, took about 11.6 months to recover. In 2022 it fell 15.8% at its worst and regained its peak in about 2 months. It gained in every full calendar year from 2019 through 2025; its weakest year, 2020, returned 0.43%. Still, a retiree who had to sell shares in spring 2020 would have locked in a loss of nearly one-third.
Dividends are paid quarterly. The fund costs 0.30% a year, which comes to $31 in the first year on $10,000 under the SEC's standard example. That is above the 0.24% average for similar funds. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Income-focused investors who want quarterly dividends from about 70 US stocks; the trailing yield was 3.12% as of October 27, 2026.
- Investors who want dividend stocks screened for financial strength, valuation and momentum, not chosen on yield alone.
- Those comfortable with heavy weights in consumer staples, energy and health care, including Merck, Philip Morris and Exxon Mobil.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: HDV charges 0.08% and SCHD and VYM charge 0.06%, against DURA's 0.30%.
- Investors seeking broad market growth: over five years to December 31, 2025, DURA returned 7.05% a year versus 14.42% for the S&P 500.
- Investors wary of small funds: DURA held $37.2 million as of June 30, 2026, and had about $1.8 million of outflows over three months.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DURA this fund | — | 0.3% | $37.2M | +23.2% | +15.9% |
| HDV iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 49% | 0.08% | $14.90B | +38.0% | +21.7% |
| SCHD Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF | 39% | 0.06% | $112.34B | +38.9% | +19.9% |
| DHS WisdomTree US High Dividend Fund | 36% | 0.38% | $1.50B | +20.5% | +21.1% |
| SIXA ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF | 34% | 0.47% | $545.2M | +18.8% | +23.8% |
| FDL First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders In… | 32% | 0.45% | $7.29B | +26.1% | +23.9% |
| DGRO iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | 26% | 0.08% | $42.77B | +21.8% | +20.6% |
| VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index ETF | 25% | 0.06% | $99.19B | +19.1% | +21.2% |
Questions investors ask
Is DURA good for retirement income?
It may suit retirees who want quarterly dividends from US companies, but there are trade-offs. Its yield, based on dividends paid over the prior 12 months, was 3.12% as of October 27, 2026. Over the 5 years ended December 31, 2025, DURA returned 7.05% a year on average, versus 14.42% for the S&P 500. Its deepest drop was 33.1%, in early 2020, and it took about 11.6 months to recover. Dividends are not guaranteed, and the fund leans heavily on consumer staples, energy and health care.
Does DURA pay monthly dividends?
No. DURA pays dividends quarterly, not monthly. In the 12 months through October 27, 2026, it paid $1.25 per share, a trailing yield of 3.12%. A trailing yield looks back at past payouts. It does not promise future ones. Amounts can rise or fall as companies change their dividends and as Morningstar reshuffles the index at each semi-annual rebalance. That means income arrives in fewer, larger payments than from monthly-paying funds.
What's the difference between DURA and HDV?
HDV, the iShares Core High Dividend ETF, is far cheaper and larger, though about 49% of their holdings overlap. HDV charges 0.08% a year versus DURA's 0.30%. HDV had about $14.9 billion in net assets as of July 31, 2026, against about $37.2 million for DURA as of June 30, 2026. HDV's one-year return was 37.8% through October 30, 2026, compared with 23.2% for DURA through October 27, 2026. DURA's index also applies Morningstar's valuation and momentum screens.
How does DURA choose its stocks?
DURA tracks the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index, which screens the broad Morningstar US Market Index. A stock must rank in the top 50% for dividend yield, the top 50% of its sector for financial strength, and the top 70% on Morningstar's valuation score, which compares price with estimated fair value. The 30% of stocks with the weakest 12-month returns are excluded. As of June 30, 2026, the fund had 71 holdings, led by Merck, Philip Morris International, Bank of America and Coca-Cola at about 5% each.
What is DURA's expense ratio?
DURA's expense ratio, the annual fee deducted from fund assets, is 0.30%, per its prospectus filed January 27, 2026. That is above the 0.24% average for similar funds and well above HDV, SCHD and VYM, at 0.06% to 0.08%. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 earning 5% a year would cost about $31 over one year and $381 over 10 years. Portfolio turnover, the share of holdings traded in a year, was 66%. Those trading costs are not included in the expense ratio.