Is AEL or ADC a better dividend investment in 2026?

AEL currently yields 0.67% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. ADC yields 4.13% with 5.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ADC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AEL and ADC?

AEL has a forward dividend yield of 0.67% ($0.38/share annually). ADC yields 4.13% ($3.10/share annually). The yield gap is 3.46 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AEL vs ADC

AEL vs ADC: Dividend Comparison 2026

AEL yields 0.67% · ADC yields 4.13%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 ADC wins by $155.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AEL

● Live price

0.67%

Share price

$56.47

Annual div

$0.38

5Y div CAGR

26.8%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$23.8K

Annual income

$843.38

Full AEL calculator →

ADC

Agree Realty Corporation

● Live price

4.13%

Share price

$74.97

Annual div

$3.10

5Y div CAGR

40.4%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$178.9K

Annual income

$80,797.29

Full ADC calculator →

Portfolio growth — AEL vs ADC

📍 ADC pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	AEL	ADC
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, AEL + ADC cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AEL pays

ADC pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

AEL

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$57.20/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$716.87/yr

ADC

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$351.36/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$68,677.70/yr

At 15% tax rate, ADC beats the other by $67,960.82/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of AEL + ADC for your $10,000?

AEL: 50%ADC: 50%

100% ADC50/50100% AEL

Portfolio after 10yr

$101.4K

Annual income

$40,820.34/yr

Blended yield

40.27%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on ADC right now

AEL

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$47.40

-16.1% upside vs current

Range: $43.00 — $55.00

Altman Z

0.2

Piotroski

5/9

ADC

Analyst Ratings

Strong

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$81.06

+8.1% upside vs current

Range: $75.00 — $84.50

Altman Z

1.6

Piotroski

7/9

Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AEL buys

ADC buys

No recent congressional trades found for AEL or ADC in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricAELADC

Forward yield	0.67%	4.13% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.38	$3.10 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	26.8%	40.4% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$23.8K	$178.9K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$843.38	$80,797.29 ✓
Total dividends collected	$3.4K	$156.7K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	REIT
Analyst consensus	Hold	Buy
Analyst price target	$47.40	$81.06 ✓

Year-by-year: AEL vs ADC ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	AEL Portfolio	AEL Income/yr	ADC Portfolio	ADC Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,785	$85.33	$10,990	$580.36	$205.00 → ADC
2	$11,649	$109.06	$12,301	$860.26	$652.00 → ADC
3	$12,604	$139.59	$14,104	$1,298.62	$1.5K → ADC
4	$13,666	$178.98	$16,691	$2,008.16	$3.0K → ADC
5	$14,852	$229.96	$20,580	$3,205.09	$5.7K → ADC
6	$16,188	$296.18	$26,754	$5,330.02	$10.6K → ADC
7	$17,704	$382.55	$37,196	$9,345.14	$19.5K → ADC
8	$19,439	$495.79	$56,244	$17,523.09	$36.8K → ADC
9	$21,445	$645.12	$94,286	$35,736.21	$72.8K → ADC
10	$23,789	$843.38	$178,949	$80,797.29	$155.2K → ADC

AEL vs ADC: Complete Analysis 2026

AEL — Stock

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, through its subsidiaries, provides life insurance products in the United States. The company issues fixed index and rate annuities, as well as single premium immediate annuities. It markets its products through independent agents, including independent marketing organizations, broker/dealers, banks, and registered investment advisors. American Equity Investment Life Holding Company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Full AEL Calculator →

ADC — REIT

Agree Realty Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust primarily engaged in the acquisition and development of properties net leased to industry-leading retail tenants. As of September 30, 2020, the Company owned and operated a portfolio of 1,027 properties, located in 45 states and containing approximately 21.0 million square feet of gross leasable area. The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ADC.

Full ADC Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.