HomeCompareBTN vs MRK

BTN vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

BTN yields 77.52% · MRK yields 2.81%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 MRK wins by $21.5K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 8
10 years
BTN
BTN
● Live price
77.52%
Share price
$2.58
Annual div
$2.00
5Y div CAGR
-50%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$36.2K
Annual income
$13.92
Full BTN calculator →
MRK
Merck & Co. Inc.
● Live price
2.81%
Share price
$118.10
Annual div
$3.32
5Y div CAGR
32.7%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$57.7K
Annual income
$10,113.78
Full MRK calculator →

Portfolio growth — BTN vs MRK

📍 MRK pulled ahead of the other in Year 8

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 PeriodBTNMRK
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, BTN + MRK cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
BTN pays
MRK pays
Both pay
Neither
💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

BTN
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$6,589.15/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$11.83/yr
MRK
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$238.95/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$8,596.71/yr
At 15% tax rate, MRK beats the other by $8,584.88/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of BTN + MRK for your $10,000?

BTN: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% BTN
Portfolio after 10yr
$47.0K
Annual income
$5,063.85/yr
Blended yield
10.78%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

BTN
No analyst data
Altman Z
0.5
Piotroski
2/9
MRK
Analyst Ratings
24
Buy
12
Hold
1
Sell
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$128.54
+8.8% upside vs current
Range: $100.00 — $150.00
Altman Z
4.0
Piotroski
6/9
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.
🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

BTN buys
0
MRK buys
8
PoliticianChamberTickerTypeAmountDate
Josh Gottheimer🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002026-02-04
Michael McCaul🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$15,001 - $50,0002026-01-13
Gilbert Cisneros🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-12-19
Julie Johnson🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-12-18
Julie Johnson🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-11-13
Ro Khanna🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-09-29
Val Hoyle🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-09-23
Marjorie Taylor Greene🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-28
Julie Johnson🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-14
Gilbert Cisneros🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-05
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricBTNMRK
Forward yield77.52%2.81%
Annual dividend / share$2.00$3.32
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR-50%32.7%
Portfolio after 10y$36.2K$57.7K
Annual income after 10y$13.92$10,113.78
Total dividends collected$9.8K$29.8K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare

Year-by-year: BTN vs MRK ($10,000, DRIP)

YearBTN PortfolioBTN Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1$14,576$3,875.97$11,213$373.04+$3.4KBTN
2$18,236$2,640.00$12,667$512.06+$5.6KBTN
3$21,056$1,543.44$14,439$708.14+$6.6KBTN
4$23,363$832.76$16,640$988.16+$6.7KBTN
5$25,430$431.77$19,432$1,394.07+$6.0KBTN
6$27,430$219.61$23,057$1,992.90+$4.4KBTN
7$29,461$110.69$27,889$2,894.79+$1.6KBTN
8← crossover$31,578$55.56$34,518$4,286.29$2.9KMRK
9$33,817$27.83$43,912$6,494.35$10.1KMRK
10$36,198$13.92$57,714$10,113.78$21.5KMRK

BTN vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

BTNStock

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. operates in the entertainment industry worldwide. The company manufactures and distributes projection screens and customized screen support systems directly, as well as through third-party distributors and integrators. It also distributes other products and provides technical support services to the cinema exhibition industry, theme parks, schools, museums, and other entertainment-related markets. In addition, the company offers technical services, such as digital projection equipment installation, and after-sale maintenance and network support services directly to theater owners and other entertainment-related markets, as well as through dealers or value added reseller networks. Further, it distributes and supports third party products, including digital projectors, servers, library management systems, menu boards, and sound systems; and operates digital ignition technology incubator and co-working facility in Alpharetta, Georgia. Ballantyne Strong, Inc. was founded in 1932 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Full BTN Calculator →

MRKHealthcare

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions and services, as well as digitally connected identification, traceability, and monitoring products. It serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, and government agencies; managed health care providers, such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, and other institutions; and physicians and physician distributors, veterinarians, and animal producers. The company has collaborations with AstraZeneca PLC; Bayer AG; Eisai Co., Ltd.; Ridgeback Biotherapeutics; and Gilead Sciences, Inc. to jointly develop and commercialize long-acting treatments in HIV. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey.

Full MRK 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.