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Data last updated: Sep 21, 2026
Snapshot (as of Sep 21, 2026): Vanguard Health Care Fund Admiral Shares (VGHAX) pays a $5.52 annual dividend, yielding 6.29% at $87.86/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-03-30. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 6.29%
Annual Dividend: $5.52 per share
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-03-30
Dividend Frequency: annually
Sector: Financial Services
Years of Dividend History: 25
The Vanguard Health Care Fund Admiral Shares dividend comes from an actively managed portfolio with over 25 years of history, holding pharmaceutical giants, medical equipment manufacturers, and research organizations across global markets. The fund currently yields 6.29%, paying $5.5222 per share on a trailing annual basis. VGHAX pays annually, with the next ex-dividend date set for March 30, 2026. A beta of 0.547 means the fund moves at roughly half the volatility of the broader market, which suits income-focused investors who want healthcare exposure without the full swing of a single-stock position.
Vanguard Health Care Fund Admiral Shares pays out dividends as a fund, making the traditional payout ratio not applicable (fund/ETF). Vanguard Health Care Fund Admiral Shares dividend safety rests on the underlying portfolio's ability to generate income from its holdings in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and research, rather than on a corporate earnings payout constraint. The most significant pressure point is concentration risk: the fund invests exclusively in healthcare, so a sector-wide downturn directly affects the income it can distribute.
Vanguard Health Care Fund Admiral Shares dividend history shows a CAGR of 6.9% per year from 2005 to 2024. Per-share payments grew from $2.8370 to $10.0846 over that period (2026 is a partial year and excluded from this calculation). The largest annual increase in the window was 119.4% in 2013, and the data also contains at least one year-over-year decline exceeding 5%, which reflects the fund's annual distribution variability rather than a straight-line growth path.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | -8.7% | $4.93 (2022) | $3.76 (2025) |
| 5-Year | -12.4% | $7.30 (2020) | $3.76 (2025) |
| 10-Year | -6.8% | $7.63 (2015) | $3.76 (2025) |
VGHAX fits income-focused investors who want broad healthcare exposure, including international holdings, at a yield classified as high (above 4%). At 6.29%, the current yield runs below the 5-year average of 7.55%, so buyers today are getting less income than the fund's recent history has delivered. The fund has zero consecutive years of dividend increases, meaning distributions fluctuate year to year rather than compounding steadily upward. What an investor gains is meaningful annual income from a diversified healthcare portfolio with low market volatility (beta 0.547). The trade-off is unpredictable year-to-year payouts and full concentration in a single sector.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-30 | $3.2434 |
| 2025-12-19 | $2.2788 |
| 2025-03-28 | $1.4804 |
| 2024-12-20 | $7.4764 |
| 2024-03-27 | $2.6083 |
| 2023-12-27 | $3.5137 |
| 2023-03-28 | $2.8502 |
| 2022-12-28 | $1.6671 |
| 2022-03-28 | $3.2652 |
| 2021-12-29 | $6.6026 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $3.2434 |
| 2025 | $3.7592 |
| 2024 | $10.0846 |
| 2023 | $6.3639 |
| 2022 | $4.9323 |
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