Is AEL or DGRO a better dividend investment in 2026?

AEL currently yields 0.67% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. DGRO yields 2.13% with 9.5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: DGRO offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AEL and DGRO?

AEL has a forward dividend yield of 0.67% ($0.38/share annually). DGRO yields 2.13% ($1.47/share annually). The yield gap is 1.46 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AEL vs DGRO

AEL vs DGRO: Dividend Comparison 2026

AEL yields 0.67% · DGRO yields 2.13%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 DGRO wins by $7.8K 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 →

DGRO

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

● Live price

2.13%

Share price

$68.98

Annual div

$1.47

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$31.6K

Annual income

$239.96

Full DGRO calculator →

Portfolio growth — AEL vs DGRO

📍 DGRO 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	DGRO
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 + DGRO cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AEL pays

DGRO pays

Both pay

Neither

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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

DGRO

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

$181.24/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$203.97/yr

At 15% tax rate, AEL beats the other by $512.91/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

AEL: 50%DGRO: 50%

100% DGRO50/50100% AEL

Portfolio after 10yr

$27.7K

Annual income

$541.67/yr

Blended yield

1.95%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on AEL 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

DGRO

No analyst data

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

DGRO buys

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

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

MetricAELDGRO

Forward yield	0.67%	2.13% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.38	$1.47 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	26.8% ✓	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$23.8K	$31.6K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$843.38 ✓	$239.96
Total dividends collected	$3.4K ✓	$2.3K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	AEL Portfolio	AEL Income/yr	DGRO Portfolio	DGRO Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,785	$85.33	$11,293	$213.22	$508.00 → DGRO
2	$11,649	$109.06	$12,730	$217.32	$1.1K → DGRO
3	$12,604	$139.59	$14,326	$221.10	$1.7K → DGRO
4	$13,666	$178.98	$16,098	$224.56	$2.4K → DGRO
5	$14,852	$229.96	$18,064	$227.74	$3.2K → DGRO
6	$16,188	$296.18	$20,246	$230.65	$4.1K → DGRO
7	$17,704	$382.55	$22,666	$233.30	$5.0K → DGRO
8	$19,439	$495.79	$25,349	$235.73	$5.9K → DGRO
9	$21,445	$645.12	$28,325	$237.94	$6.9K → DGRO
10	$23,789	$843.38	$31,624	$239.96	$7.8K → DGRO

AEL vs DGRO: 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 →

DGRO — ETF

The iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. equities with a history of consistently growing dividends.

Full DGRO 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.