Vanguard Dividend Growth Reopens. Enter at Will.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Good news. Vanguard has reopened Vanguard Dividend Growth (VDIGX, $29.67), one of its very best funds. What’s more, the fund is relatively low-risk, making it ideal for a bull market that is showing signs of age.” data-reactid=”18″>Good news. Vanguard has reopened Vanguard Dividend Growth (VDIGX, $29.67), one of its very best funds. What’s more, the fund is relatively low-risk, making it ideal for a bull market that is showing signs of age.

Wellington Management’s Donald Kilbride has piloted Vanguard Dividend Growth since 2006, a period through July 31 of this year during which the fund returned an annualized 10.0%, or an average of 1.3 percentage points per year better than Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index. Wellington manages several funds under contract with Vanguard.

A big part of the fund’s success can be attributed to its miniscule expense ratio – just 0.22% annually. Very few actively managed stock funds come close to that low price.

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Of course, low fees have been crucial to Vanguard’s long-term success.

Dividend Growth: One of Vanguard’s Best Funds

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Most of the attention on Vanguard has focused on its index funds. But low costs and careful attention to choosing and monitoring outside managers has allowed Vanguard to build a group of excellent actively managed funds. And, says Daniel P. Wiener, editor of the Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors newsletter: "Dividend Growth has been one of the best active funds in Vanguard’s stable."” data-reactid=”24″>Most of the attention on Vanguard has focused on its index funds. But low costs and careful attention to choosing and monitoring outside managers has allowed Vanguard to build a group of excellent actively managed funds. And, says Daniel P. Wiener, editor of the Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors newsletter: “Dividend Growth has been one of the best active funds in Vanguard’s stable.”

Over the past five years, the fund has returned an annualized 11.9% compared to an annualized 10.5% for the S&P 500. (All returns in this article are through Aug. 12 unless otherwise indicated.)

But the real trick: Kilbride delivered those index-beating returns while the fund exhibited about 15% less volatility than the S&P.

That counts for a lot when the stock market turns sour. In 2018’s selloff, for example, Dividend Growth lost 14.5% while the S&P tumbled 19.4%. In the 2007-09 bear market, Dividend Growth lost 42.0% while the S&P plunged 55.3%.

At the same time, don’t expect Dividend Growth to lead the pack in a straight-ahead bull market. Indeed, VDIGX finished in the bottom quartile against other large-blend funds in 2012 and 2016 – years when the S&P posted double-digit gains.

That’s because Kilbride focuses on stocks that can steadily grow their earnings – and distribute them to shareholders. He avoids more speculative fare.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="He owns a portfolio of 40 to 50 blue chips, and he holds on to stocks for about five years on average. He invests relatively little in technology compared to the benchmark and he has an overweight in consumer staples and industrials. Top holdings include McDonald's (MCD), Coca-Cola (KO), Microsoft (MSFT), PepsiCo (PEP) and Johnson &amp; Johnson (JNJ).” data-reactid=”30″>He owns a portfolio of 40 to 50 blue chips, and he holds on to stocks for about five years on average. He invests relatively little in technology compared to the benchmark and he has an overweight in consumer staples and industrials. Top holdings include McDonald’s (MCD), Coca-Cola (KO), Microsoft (MSFT), PepsiCo (PEP) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).

Don’t invest in Dividend Growth with the notion of collecting big dividend checks. The fund yields a meager 1.8%. Kilbride eschews stocks paying large dividends – instead, what matters most is that his holdings can grow their cash distributions in the coming years.

Alec Lucas, a Morningstar senior analyst and an investor in the fund, says Kilbride “has a laser-like focus on dividend growth. He looks for companies where there’s dividend growth he can understand.” Morningstar assigns VDIGX its top rating of gold.

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Kilbride puts his money where his mouth is, too; the lion’s share of his net worth is in the fund. Heavy manager ownership of a fund he or she manages has been a good indicator of fund performance.

Vanguard closed Dividend Growth in July 2016. Since then, it has experienced net outflows of $7.1 billion, and it currently has assets of $37.2 billion. “We’re confident that there is ample capacity to reopen the fund,” says Matthew Brancato, head of Vanguard’s portfolio review department.

Those new to the fund will need to make a $3,000 minimum initial investment. But Vanguard has a respectable alternative for those working with less.

VIG: Vanguard’s Indexed Option

Not sure whether you want to invest in an actively managed dividend growth fund? Vanguard still has you covered.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (VIG) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that replicates the Nasdaq U.S. Dividend Select Achievers Index. The index considers only dividend stocks that have hiked their payouts consistently for at least the past 10 years. It screens out less profitable companies and companies with deteriorating fundamentals.” data-reactid=”39″>Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (VIG) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that replicates the Nasdaq U.S. Dividend Select Achievers Index. The index considers only dividend stocks that have hiked their payouts consistently for at least the past 10 years. It screens out less profitable companies and companies with deteriorating fundamentals.