Is CTR or RYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

CTR currently yields 6.96% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. RYLD yields 12.39% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: RYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between CTR and RYLD?

CTR has a forward dividend yield of 6.96% ($2.80/share annually). RYLD yields 12.39% ($1.81/share annually). The yield gap is 5.43 percentage points.

Home › Compare › CTR vs RYLD

CTR vs RYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

CTR yields 6.96% · RYLD yields 12.39%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 RYLD wins by $24.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

CTR

● Live price

6.96%

Share price

$40.25

Annual div

$2.80

5Y div CAGR

-50%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$20.9K

Annual income

$0.72

Full CTR calculator →

RYLD

● Live price

12.39%

Share price

$14.64

Annual div

$1.81

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$45.3K

Annual income

$2,682.98

Full RYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — CTR vs RYLD

📍 RYLD 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	CTR	RYLD
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, CTR + RYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

CTR pays

RYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

CTR

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

$591.30/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$0.61/yr

RYLD

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

$1,053.44/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,280.53/yr

At 15% tax rate, RYLD beats the other by $2,279.92/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 CTR + RYLD for your $10,000?

CTR: 50%RYLD: 50%

100% RYLD50/50100% CTR

Portfolio after 10yr

$33.1K

Annual income

$1,341.85/yr

Blended yield

4.06%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on RYLD right now

CTR

Analyst Ratings

Sell

Consensus: Sell

Altman Z

5.8

Piotroski

6/9

RYLD

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)

CTR buys

RYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for CTR or RYLD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricCTRRYLD

Forward yield	6.96%	12.39% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$2.80 ✓	$1.81
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	-50%	0% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$20.9K	$45.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$0.72	$2,682.98 ✓
Total dividends collected	$710.00 ✓	$19.4K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: CTR vs RYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	CTR Portfolio	CTR Income/yr	RYLD Portfolio	RYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,048	$347.83	$11,939	$1,239.34	$891.00 → RYLD
2	$12,001	$179.57	$14,158	$1,382.89	$2.2K → RYLD
3	$12,932	$91.15	$16,682	$1,532.59	$3.8K → RYLD
4	$13,883	$45.90	$19,537	$1,687.64	$5.7K → RYLD
5	$14,878	$23.02	$22,752	$1,847.20	$7.9K → RYLD
6	$15,931	$11.53	$26,355	$2,010.43	$10.4K → RYLD
7	$17,052	$5.77	$30,376	$2,176.45	$13.3K → RYLD
8	$18,248	$2.89	$34,847	$2,344.43	$16.6K → RYLD
9	$19,527	$1.44	$39,800	$2,513.54	$20.3K → RYLD
10	$20,895	$0.72	$45,269	$2,682.98	$24.4K → RYLD

CTR vs RYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

CTR — Stock

ClearBridge MLP and Midstream Total Return Fund Inc. is an open ended equity mutual fund of funds launched and managed by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC. The fund is co-managed by ClearBridge Investments, LLC. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the energy sector. It primarily invests in equity securities of MLPs, stocks of entities holding primarily general partner or managing member interests in MLPs, and securities that are derivatives of interests in MLPs such as exchange traded funds. ClearBridge MLP and Midstream Total Return Fund Inc. was formed on April 10, 2012 and is domiciled in the United States.

Full CTR Calculator →

RYLD — ETF

The Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF (RYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Russell 2000 BuyWrite Index.

Full RYLD 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.