Is COWZ or IRT a better dividend investment in 2026?

COWZ currently yields 2.08% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. IRT yields 4.59% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: IRT offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between COWZ and IRT?

COWZ has a forward dividend yield of 2.08% ($1.29/share annually). IRT yields 4.59% ($0.68/share annually). The yield gap is 2.51 percentage points.

Home › Compare › COWZ vs IRT

COWZ vs IRT: Dividend Comparison 2026

COWZ yields 2.08% · IRT yields 4.59%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 IRT wins by $10.5K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

COWZ

● Live price

2.08%

Share price

$61.89

Annual div

$1.29

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$22.7K

Annual income

$238.58

Full COWZ calculator →

IRT

● Live price

4.59%

Share price

$14.81

Annual div

$0.68

5Y div CAGR

10.1%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$33.3K

Annual income

$1,914.49

Full IRT calculator →

Portfolio growth — COWZ vs IRT

📍 IRT 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	COWZ	IRT
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, COWZ + IRT cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

COWZ pays

IRT pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

COWZ

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

$177.22/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$202.79/yr

IRT

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

$390.28/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,627.32/yr

At 15% tax rate, IRT beats the other by $1,424.52/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of COWZ + IRT for your $10,000?

COWZ: 50%IRT: 50%

100% IRT50/50100% COWZ

Portfolio after 10yr

$28.0K

Annual income

$1,076.53/yr

Blended yield

3.84%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on IRT right now

COWZ

No analyst data

IRT

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$20.08

+35.6% upside vs current

Range: $18.00 — $22.00

Altman Z

0.7

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)

COWZ buys

IRT buys

No recent congressional trades found for COWZ or IRT in the last 90 days.

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

MetricCOWZIRT

Forward yield	2.08%	4.59% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.29 ✓	$0.68
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	10.1% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$22.7K	$33.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$238.58	$1,914.49 ✓
Total dividends collected	$2.2K	$10.7K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	ETF	REIT

Year-by-year: COWZ vs IRT ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	COWZ Portfolio	COWZ Income/yr	IRT Portfolio	IRT Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,908	$208.49	$11,206	$505.52	$298.00 → IRT
2	$11,885	$212.56	$12,573	$582.88	$688.00 → IRT
3	$12,933	$216.43	$14,126	$672.95	$1.2K → IRT
4	$14,058	$220.11	$15,893	$777.98	$1.8K → IRT
5	$15,266	$223.61	$17,906	$900.64	$2.6K → IRT
6	$16,562	$226.94	$20,203	$1,044.12	$3.6K → IRT
7	$17,951	$230.09	$22,830	$1,212.23	$4.9K → IRT
8	$19,441	$233.08	$25,837	$1,409.50	$6.4K → IRT
9	$21,038	$235.90	$29,287	$1,641.41	$8.2K → IRT
10	$22,749	$238.58	$33,252	$1,914.49	$10.5K → IRT

COWZ vs IRT: Complete Analysis 2026

COWZ — ETF

A strategy driven exchange traded fund that aims to provide capital appreciation over time by screening the Russell 1000 for the top 100 companies based on free cash flow yield.

Full COWZ Calculator →

IRT — REIT

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, and Raleigh. IRT's investment strategy is focused on gaining scale within key amenity rich submarkets that offer good school districts, high-quality retail and major employment centers. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjusted returns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance, and a consistent return on capital through distributions and capital appreciation.

Full IRT 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.