Is CNP or DARDEN a better dividend investment in 2026?

CNP currently yields 2.07% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. DARDEN yields 4.00% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: DARDEN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CNP and DARDEN?

CNP has a forward dividend yield of 2.07% ($0.89/share annually). DARDEN yields 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). The yield gap is 1.93 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CNP vs DARDEN

CNP vs DARDEN: Dividend Comparison 2026

CNP yields 2.07% · DARDEN yields 4.00%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 DARDEN wins by $6.7K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CNP

● Live price

2.07%

Share price

$42.99

Annual div

$0.89

5Y div CAGR

-11.8%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$21.4K

Annual income

$63.87

Full CNP calculator →

DARDEN

● 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 DARDEN calculator →

Portfolio growth — CNP vs DARDEN

📍 DARDEN 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	CNP	DARDEN
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, CNP + DARDEN cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CNP pays

DARDEN pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CNP

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

$175.97/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$54.29/yr

DARDEN

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

At 15% tax rate, DARDEN beats the other by $710.02/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 CNP + DARDEN for your $10,000?

CNP: 50%DARDEN: 50%

100% DARDEN50/50100% CNP

Portfolio after 10yr

$24.7K

Annual income

$481.53/yr

Blended yield

1.95%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on CNP right now

CNP

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$41.75

-2.9% upside vs current

Range: $37.00 — $47.00

Altman Z

0.8

Piotroski

4/9

DARDEN

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)

CNP buys

DARDEN buys

No recent congressional trades found for CNP or DARDEN in the last 90 days.

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

MetricCNPDARDEN

Forward yield	2.07%	4.00% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.89	$2.00 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	5% ✓
5-year div CAGR	-11.8%	5% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$21.4K	$28.0K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$63.87	$899.19 ✓
Total dividends collected	$1.2K	$6.4K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Utilities	Stock

Year-by-year: CNP vs DARDEN ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	CNP Portfolio	CNP Income/yr	DARDEN Portfolio	DARDEN Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,883	$182.60	$11,120	$420.00	$237.00 → DARDEN
2	$11,808	$163.80	$12,357	$458.31	$549.00 → DARDEN
3	$12,781	$146.50	$13,721	$499.76	$940.00 → DARDEN
4	$13,807	$130.71	$15,227	$544.58	$1.4K → DARDEN
5	$14,890	$116.39	$16,885	$593.02	$2.0K → DARDEN
6	$16,035	$103.47	$18,713	$645.34	$2.7K → DARDEN
7	$17,250	$91.85	$20,724	$701.81	$3.5K → DARDEN
8	$18,538	$81.44	$22,938	$762.73	$4.4K → DARDEN
9	$19,908	$72.15	$25,372	$828.41	$5.5K → DARDEN
10	$21,366	$63.87	$28,047	$899.19	$6.7K → DARDEN

CNP vs DARDEN: Complete Analysis 2026

CNP — Utilities

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through Electric and Natural Gas segments. The Electric segment includes electric transmission and distribution services to electric customers and electric generation assets, as well as assets in the wholesale power market. The Natural Gas segment provides natural gas distribution services, as well as home appliance maintenance and repair services to customers in Minnesota; and home repair protection plans to natural gas customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas and Louisiana through a third party. This segment also engages in the sale of regulated intrastate natural gas, and transportation and storage of natural gas for residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers. As of December 31, 2021, it served approximately 2.7 million metered customers; owned 239 substation sites with a total installed rated transformer capacity of 71,241 megavolt amperes; operated approximately 1,00,000 linear miles of natural gas distribution and transmission mains; and owned and operated 285 miles of intrastate pipeline in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Full CNP Calculator →

DARDEN — Stock

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

Full DARDEN 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.