Hilton BDC ETF Declares $0.106 Dividend in Q2 2026
0h ago|4 min readStandard
Fazen Markets Editorial Desk
Collective editorial team · methodology
bdc-etfcorporate-bondsfixed-income
Fazen Markets Editorial Desk
Collective editorial team · methodology
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The Hilton BDC Corporate Bond ETF declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.106 per share in a filing released on May 28, 2026. The dividend is payable to shareholders of record as of June 10, 2026, with a distribution date set for June 17, 2026. The fund trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HBDC and invests primarily in senior secured loans issued by business development companies. This latest distribution maintains the fund's income-generating profile amid a macro environment where short-term interest rates hold between 3.75% and 4.00%.
Business Development Companies provide capital to middle-market firms, which often lack access to traditional bank financing. The Hilton BDC Corporate Bond ETF aggregates the debt of multiple BDCs, offering diversified exposure to this opaque lending segment. The last significant dividend adjustment for the fund occurred in Q4 2025, when it paid $0.104 per share, marking a modest sequential increase in the current distribution.
The current macroeconomic backdrop is defined by a 'higher-for-longer' interest rate outlook from the Federal Reserve. Central bankers have signaled a gradual path to rate reductions, prioritizing inflation control over aggressive easing. This environment directly impacts BDCs, as their loan portfolios typically feature floating-rate coupons linked to benchmarks like SOFR.
The recent dividend declaration aligns with ongoing corporate earnings reports from major BDC portfolio holdings. Firms like Ares Capital Corporation and Main Street Capital reported strong net investment income for Q1 2026, driven by stable portfolio yields. The specific catalyst for the ETF's payout is the underlying cash flow generated by interest payments from these BDC-held loans over the preceding quarter.
The declared $0.106 per share dividend represents the fund's second-quarter 2026 distribution. Based on HBDC's closing price of $24.85 on May 27, 2026, this dividend implies a forward annualized yield of approximately 1.71%. This yield compares to the broader iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, which offers a 30-day SEC yield of 3.35%.
The Hilton BDC Corporate Bond ETF holds a net asset value of $25.12 as of the latest reporting date. The fund's current market price represents a discount to NAV of roughly 1.07%. The fund's portfolio comprises senior secured loans with a weighted average effective yield of 8.9%, as per its most recent quarterly report.
| Metric | HBDC ETF | S&P 500 Index YTD |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Dividend Yield | 1.71% | 1.43% |
| 30-Day Avg. Volume | 85,000 shares | — |
| YTD Total Return | +2.8% | +7.2% |
The fund's expense ratio is 0.40%, which is deducted from gross portfolio returns before distributions are calculated.
This consistent dividend payment reinforces the defensive income characteristics of BDC-focused credit instruments. Direct beneficiaries include other publicly traded BDCs like FS KKR Capital Corp. (FSK) and Golub Capital BDC (GBDC), as analyst sentiment often clusters around sector-wide cash flow stability. Their share prices can see supportive sentiment flows when peer vehicles demonstrate reliable distributions.
A counter-argument centers on credit risk. A prolonged economic slowdown or recession could increase default rates within the middle-market loan portfolios that BDCs finance. This would pressure the net investment income of the underlying BDCs and, by extension, the distributions from the Hilton BDC ETF. The high-yield nature of the underlying assets carries inherent default risk not present in investment-grade corporate bonds.
Positioning data from the Options Clearing Corporation shows a recent uptick in put option volume for HBDC, suggesting some investors are hedging against potential short-term price declines. Simultaneously, institutional custody data from the Depository Trust Company indicates a net increase in share holdings over the past month, pointing to accumulation by income-focused asset managers.
The next immediate catalyst is the fund's ex-dividend date of June 9, 2026. Shareholders must own the ETF before this date to qualify for the declared $0.106 payment. Following the distribution, analysts will monitor whether the fund's market price narrows its discount to NAV, a common post-payout dynamic for closed-end income funds.
Key market levels to watch include the 50-day moving average for HBDC, currently at $24.70, which serves as near-term technical support. On the macro front, the next Federal Reserve FOMC meeting on June 18, 2026, will provide critical guidance on the path for the federal funds rate, directly influencing SOFR and the floating-rate income of BDC portfolios.
Investor focus will shift to the fund's next monthly net asset value report in mid-June. A stable or rising NAV would support the sustainability of the current dividend level. Conversely, a contracting NAV could signal underlying portfolio stress and prompt questions about future distribution capacity.
For retail investors, the Hilton BDC Corporate Bond ETF provides access to a niche, high-yield segment of the corporate credit market typically dominated by institutional buyers. The $0.106 dividend offers a component of income return, but the total return also depends on changes in the fund's share price and net asset value. Retail investors should assess the fund's premium or discount to NAV, its expense ratio, and the credit risk profile of the underlying BDC loans, which are not FDIC-insured.
The Hilton BDC ETF's forward yield of 1.71% is below the current yield offered by many government money market funds, which often exceed 4.00%. This difference reflects the distinct risk-return profiles. Money market funds invest in short-term, high-credit-quality debt with minimal principal risk. The BDC ETF takes on longer-duration credit and liquidity risk by investing in loans to middle-market companies, targeting a different segment of the fixed-income spectrum for total return rather than pure capital preservation.
Historically, BDC equities and related ETFs have exhibited a complex relationship with interest rates. During rising rate environments, such as 2022-2023, the floating-rate nature of their loan assets provided a natural hedge, boosting interest income. However, sharp rate hikes also increased borrowing costs for portfolio companies and raised recession risks, potentially hurting credit quality. The current 'stable-rate' phase allows BDCs to benefit from a high base rate without the immediate stress of rapid tightening, a period that has historically supported stable distributions.
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