Is DARDEN or HTGC a better dividend investment in 2026?

DARDEN currently yields 4.00% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HTGC yields 10.22% with 4.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: HTGC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between DARDEN and HTGC?

DARDEN has a forward dividend yield of 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). HTGC yields 10.22% ($1.88/share annually). The yield gap is 6.22 percentage points.

Home › Compare › DARDEN vs HTGC

DARDEN vs HTGC: Dividend Comparison 2026

DARDEN yields 4.00% · HTGC yields 10.22%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 HTGC wins by $25.6K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

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 →

HTGC

Hercules Capital Inc.

● Live price

10.22%

Share price

$18.40

Annual div

$1.88

5Y div CAGR

4.2%

Payout ratio

90%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$53.7K

Annual income

$3,064.35

Full HTGC calculator →

Portfolio growth — DARDEN vs HTGC

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

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

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Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

DARDEN pays

HTGC pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

DARDEN

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

HTGC

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

$868.48/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,604.70/yr

At 15% tax rate, HTGC beats the other by $1,840.39/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 DARDEN + HTGC for your $10,000?

DARDEN: 50%HTGC: 50%

100% HTGC50/50100% DARDEN

Portfolio after 10yr

$40.9K

Annual income

$1,981.78/yr

Blended yield

4.85%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

DARDEN buys

HTGC buys

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

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

MetricDARDENHTGC

Forward yield	4.00%	10.22% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.88
Payout ratio	50% ✓	90%
1-year div growth	5%	5.6% ✓
5-year div CAGR	5% ✓	4.2%
Portfolio after 10y	$28.0K	$53.7K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$899.19	$3,064.35 ✓
Total dividends collected	$6.4K	$19.5K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	BDC

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

Year	DARDEN Portfolio	DARDEN Income/yr	HTGC Portfolio	HTGC Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,120	$420.00	$12,045	$1,064.65	$925.00 → HTGC
2	$12,357	$458.31	$14,442	$1,216.94	$2.1K → HTGC
3	$13,721	$499.76	$17,242	$1,384.73	$3.5K → HTGC
4	$15,227	$544.58	$20,501	$1,568.89	$5.3K → HTGC
5	$16,885	$593.02	$24,280	$1,770.26	$7.4K → HTGC
6	$18,713	$645.34	$28,649	$1,989.67	$9.9K → HTGC
7	$20,724	$701.81	$33,685	$2,227.97	$13.0K → HTGC
8	$22,938	$762.73	$39,472	$2,485.98	$16.5K → HTGC
9	$25,372	$828.41	$46,104	$2,764.50	$20.7K → HTGC
10	$28,047	$899.19	$53,687	$3,064.35	$25.6K → HTGC

DARDEN vs HTGC: Complete Analysis 2026

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 →

HTGC — BDC

Hercules Capital specializes in lending to venture-backed technology and life sciences companies. This unique focus allows it to capture higher yields than traditional BDCs. Strong origination network with leading VC firms. HTGC pays regular plus supplemental dividends, making total yield among the highest in BDC space.

Full HTGC 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.