Is CSCO or DARDEN a better dividend investment in 2026?

CSCO currently yields 2.85% with a 3.8% 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 CSCO and DARDEN?

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

Home › Compare › CSCO vs DARDEN

CSCO vs DARDEN: Dividend Comparison 2026

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

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 DARDEN wins by $11.3K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

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 →

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 — CSCO 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	CSCO	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, CSCO + DARDEN cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CSCO pays

DARDEN pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CSCO

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

$241.99/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$462.28/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 $302.03/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of CSCO + DARDEN for your $10,000?

CSCO: 50%DARDEN: 50%

100% DARDEN50/50100% CSCO

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

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

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)

CSCO buys

DARDEN buys

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

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

MetricCSCODARDEN

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

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

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

CSCO vs DARDEN: Complete Analysis 2026

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 →

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.