Is CME or CSCO a better dividend investment in 2026?

CME currently yields 4.00% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. CSCO yields 2.85% with 3.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: CME offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CME and CSCO?

CME has a forward dividend yield of 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). CSCO yields 2.85% ($1.60/share annually). The yield gap is 1.15 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CME vs CSCO

CME vs CSCO: Dividend Comparison 2026

CME yields 4.00% · CSCO yields 2.85%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 CME wins by $11.3K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CME

● Live price

4.00%

Share price

$50.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$28.0K

Annual income

$899.19

Full CME calculator →

CSCO

Cisco Systems Inc.

● Live price

2.85%

Share price

$56.20

Annual div

$1.60

5Y div CAGR

3.8%

Payout ratio

48%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$16.7K

Annual income

$543.86

Full CSCO calculator →

Portfolio growth — CME vs CSCO

📍 CME 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	CME	CSCO
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, CME + CSCO cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CME pays

CSCO pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CME

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

CSCO

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

$241.99/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$462.28/yr

At 15% tax rate, CME beats the other by $302.03/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 CME + CSCO for your $10,000?

CME: 50%CSCO: 50%

100% CSCO50/50100% CME

Portfolio after 10yr

$22.4K

Annual income

$721.53/yr

Blended yield

3.22%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on CSCO right now

CME

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$311.83

+523.7% upside vs current

Range: $300.00 — $340.00

Altman Z

0.6

Piotroski

5/9

CSCO

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$96.50

+71.7% upside vs current

Range: $91.00 — $100.00

Altman Z

3.3

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)

CME buys

CSCO buys

No recent congressional trades found for CME or CSCO in the last 90 days.

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

MetricCMECSCO

Forward yield	4.00% ✓	2.85%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.60
Payout ratio	50%	48% ✓
1-year div growth	5% ✓	2.5%
5-year div CAGR	5% ✓	3.8%
Portfolio after 10y	$28.0K ✓	$16.7K
Annual income after 10y	$899.19 ✓	$543.86
Total dividends collected	$6.4K ✓	$4.1K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Financials	Technology
Analyst consensus	Hold	Buy
Analyst price target	$311.83 ✓	$96.50

Year-by-year: CME vs CSCO ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	CME Portfolio	CME Income/yr	CSCO Portfolio	CSCO Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,120	$420.00	$10,506	$295.52	+$614.00 → CME
2	$12,357	$458.31	$11,042	$315.62	+$1.3K → CME
3	$13,721	$499.76	$11,611	$337.26	+$2.1K → CME
4	$15,227	$544.58	$12,215	$360.55	+$3.0K → CME
5	$16,885	$593.02	$12,857	$385.63	+$4.0K → CME
6	$18,713	$645.34	$13,540	$412.66	+$5.2K → CME
7	$20,724	$701.81	$14,266	$441.81	+$6.5K → CME
8	$22,938	$762.73	$15,039	$473.25	+$7.9K → CME
9	$25,372	$828.41	$15,862	$507.19	+$9.5K → CME
10	$28,047	$899.19	$16,739	$543.86	+$11.3K → CME

CME vs CSCO: Complete Analysis 2026

CME — Financials

CME is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in CME shares.

Full CME Calculator →

CSCO — Technology

Cisco has grown its dividend 12+ consecutive years since initiating payments in 2011. The network equipment leader is transitioning to software and subscription models via its security and observability platforms. Cisco returns 50%+ of free cash flow to shareholders via dividends and buybacks annually.

Full CSCO 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.