Is AEL or NNN a better dividend investment in 2026?

AEL currently yields 0.67% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. NNN yields 5.68% with 2.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: NNN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AEL and NNN?

AEL has a forward dividend yield of 0.67% ($0.38/share annually). NNN yields 5.68% ($2.38/share annually). The yield gap is 5.01 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AEL vs NNN

AEL vs NNN: Dividend Comparison 2026

AEL yields 0.67% · NNN yields 5.68%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 NNN wins by $1.8K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 5

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 →

NNN

NNN REIT Inc.

● Live price

5.68%

Share price

$41.89

Annual div

$2.38

5Y div CAGR

8.6%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.6K

Annual income

$2,637.42

Full NNN calculator →

Portfolio growth — AEL vs NNN

📍 NNN pulled ahead of the other in Year 5

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

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

Crisis Period	AEL	NNN
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 + NNN cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AEL pays

NNN 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

NNN

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

$482.93/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,241.81/yr

At 15% tax rate, NNN beats the other by $1,524.93/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 + NNN for your $10,000?

AEL: 50%NNN: 50%

100% NNN50/50100% AEL

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.7K

Annual income

$1,740.40/yr

Blended yield

7.05%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on NNN 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

NNN

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$44.93

+7.3% upside vs current

Range: $43.00 — $48.50

Altman Z

1.1

Piotroski

5/9

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

NNN buys

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

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

MetricAELNNN

Forward yield	0.67%	5.68% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.38	$2.38 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	26.8% ✓	8.6%
Portfolio after 10y	$23.8K	$25.6K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$843.38	$2,637.42 ✓
Total dividends collected	$3.4K	$13.7K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	REIT
Analyst consensus	Hold	Hold
Analyst price target	$47.40 ✓	$44.93

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

Year	AEL Portfolio	AEL Income/yr	NNN Portfolio	NNN Income/yr	Gap
1	$10,785	$85.33	$10,737	$617.02	+$48.00 → AEL
2	$11,649	$109.06	$11,577	$710.93	+$72.00 → AEL
3	$12,604	$139.59	$12,538	$822.59	+$66.00 → AEL
4	$13,666	$178.98	$13,645	$956.06	+$21.00 → AEL
5← crossover	$14,852	$229.96	$14,925	$1,116.51	$73.00 → NNN
6	$16,188	$296.18	$16,415	$1,310.57	$227.00 → NNN
7	$17,704	$382.55	$18,158	$1,546.77	$454.00 → NNN
8	$19,439	$495.79	$20,213	$1,836.20	$774.00 → NNN
9	$21,445	$645.12	$22,649	$2,193.37	$1.2K → NNN
10	$23,789	$843.38	$25,558	$2,637.42	$1.8K → NNN

AEL vs NNN: 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 →

NNN — REIT

National Retail Properties invests primarily in high-quality retail properties subject generally to long-term, net leases. As of September 30, 2020, the company owned 3,114 properties in 48 states with a gross leasable area of approximately 32.4 million square feet and with a weighted average remaining lease term of 10.7 years.

Full NNN 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.