Is AIRC or QYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

AIRC currently yields 4.61% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. QYLD yields 11.92% with -2.1% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: QYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between AIRC and QYLD?

AIRC has a forward dividend yield of 4.61% ($1.80/share annually). QYLD yields 11.92% ($2.04/share annually). The yield gap is 7.31 percentage points.

Home › Compare › AIRC vs QYLD

AIRC vs QYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

AIRC yields 4.61% · QYLD yields 11.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 QYLD wins by $1.6K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 10

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

AIRC

● Live price

4.61%

Share price

$39.08

Annual div

$1.80

5Y div CAGR

-10.7%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$23.8K

Annual income

$178.62

Full AIRC calculator →

QYLD

Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

11.92%

Share price

$17.15

Annual div

$2.04

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.4K

Annual income

$5,659.31

Full QYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — AIRC vs QYLD

📍 QYLD pulled ahead of the other in Year 10

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	AIRC	QYLD
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, AIRC + QYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

AIRC pays

QYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

AIRC

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

$391.50/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$151.83/yr

QYLD

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

$1,013.51/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$4,810.41/yr

At 15% tax rate, QYLD beats the other by $4,658.59/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of AIRC + QYLD for your $10,000?

AIRC: 50%QYLD: 50%

100% QYLD50/50100% AIRC

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.6K

Annual income

$2,918.97/yr

Blended yield

11.86%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

AIRC buys

QYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for AIRC or QYLD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricAIRCQYLD

Forward yield	4.61%	11.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.80	$2.04 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	-10.7%	0% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$23.8K	$25.4K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$178.62	$5,659.31 ✓
Total dividends collected	$2.9K	$27.1K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: AIRC vs QYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	AIRC Portfolio	AIRC Income/yr	QYLD Portfolio	QYLD Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,111	$411.31	$10,352	$1,192.36	+$759.00 → AIRC
2	$12,271	$381.42	$10,830	$1,347.57	+$1.4K → AIRC
3	$13,481	$351.53	$11,460	$1,539.07	+$2.0K → AIRC
4	$14,747	$322.33	$12,275	$1,777.84	+$2.5K → AIRC
5	$16,074	$294.27	$13,323	$2,078.95	+$2.8K → AIRC
6	$17,466	$267.68	$14,667	$2,463.34	+$2.8K → AIRC
7	$18,932	$242.76	$16,396	$2,960.57	+$2.5K → AIRC
8	$20,477	$219.60	$18,631	$3,612.97	+$1.8K → AIRC
9	$22,108	$198.23	$21,548	$4,482.15	+$560.00 → AIRC
10← crossover	$23,834	$178.62	$25,398	$5,659.31	$1.6K → QYLD

AIRC vs QYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

AIRC — Stock

AIR is a real estate investment trust focused on the ownership and management of quality apartment communities located in the largest markets in the United States. AIR is one of the country's largest owners and operators of apartments, with 99 communities in 12 states and the District of Columbia. AIR common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AIRC, and are included in the S&P 400. For more information about AIR, please visit our website at www.aircommunities.com.

Full AIRC Calculator →

QYLD — ETF

The Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF (QYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Nasdaq-100 BuyWrite V2 Index.

Full QYLD 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.