iShares Core High Dividend ETF vs Southwest Airlines Co — how do they compare? iShares Core High Dividend ETF trades at $29.07, while Southwest Airlines Co trades at $45.8 (market cap $21.97B). The key difference: Southwest Airlines Co pays a 1.6% dividend while iShares Core High Dividend ETF pays none, and iShares Core High Dividend ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Southwest Airlines Co nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HDV | LUV | |
|---|---|---|
52-Week High | $29.14 | $54.80 |
52-Week Low | $23.64 | $29.67 |
Market Cap | — | $21.97B |
Sector | — | Industrials |
Enterprise Value | — | $25.06B |
Dividend Yield | — | 1.6% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
HDV trades at $28.78, up 0.21% with a bullish technical signal. It yields approximately 3.1% from dividends, with recent payouts in June and July 2026. The ETF focuses on high-quality U.S. large-cap dividend stocks, outperforming the S&P 500 year-to-date by 9 percentage points. News highlights its appeal for retirement income and institutional buying, such as 180 Wealth Advisors increasing its stake by 386.2% in Q2 2026.
The outlook is positive due to strong dividend sustainability and defensive sector weighting, but risks include interest rate sensitivity and concentrated holdings. Analysts favor HDV for income-focused portfolios, citing its quality screening and lower volatility.
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $47.05, up 0.23% today, with a bullish technical signal and consensus price target of $53.86. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations with EPS of $0.94 versus $0.51 expected, driven by record revenue. The company maintains a solid liquidity position of $8.73B cash and has declared quarterly dividends of $0.18 per share, with new board appointments signaling strategic focus.
Outlook is positive with projected 2026 net income margin of 2.78% and revenue growth to $30.1B, but risks include fuel cost volatility and competitive pressures. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 42% buy ratings, offering potential upside of 14.5% to the consensus target, though institutional selling by firms like Elliott Management warrants monitoring.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
The fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index. The underlying index is comprised of qualified income paying securities that are screened for superior company quality and financial health as determined by Morningstar, Inc.'s proprietary index methodology. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on HDV →Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic carrier in the United States, as measured by the number of originating passengers boarded. Southwest operates over 700 aircraft in an all-Boeing 737 fleet. Despite expanding into longer routes and business travel, the airline still specializes in short-haul leisure flights, using a point-to-point network. Southwest operates a low-cost carrier business model.
Read more on LUV →