Is ESAC or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

ESAC currently yields 28.69% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.37% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ESAC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ESAC and VYM?

ESAC has a forward dividend yield of 28.69% ($2.00/share annually). VYM yields 2.37% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 26.32 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ESAC vs VYM

ESAC vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

ESAC yields 28.69% · VYM yields 2.37%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 ESAC wins by $95.0K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

ESAC

● Live price

28.69%

Share price

$6.97

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$122.7K

Annual income

$15,622.70

Full ESAC calculator →

VYM

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

● Live price

2.37%

Share price

$148.10

Annual div

$3.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$272.94

Full VYM calculator →

Portfolio growth — ESAC vs VYM

📍 ESAC 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	ESAC	VYM
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, ESAC + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

ESAC pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

ESAC

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

$2,439.02/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$13,279.30/yr

VYM

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

$201.60/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$232.00/yr

At 15% tax rate, ESAC beats the other by $13,047.30/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 ESAC + VYM for your $10,000?

ESAC: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% ESAC

Portfolio after 10yr

$75.2K

Annual income

$7,947.82/yr

Blended yield

10.56%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

ESAC buys

VYM buys

No recent congressional trades found for ESAC or VYM in the last 90 days.

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

MetricESACVYM

Forward yield	28.69% ✓	2.37%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.51 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$122.7K ✓	$27.8K
Annual income after 10y	$15,622.70 ✓	$272.94
Total dividends collected	$82.3K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: ESAC vs VYM ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	ESAC Portfolio	ESAC Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,569	$2,869.44	$11,147	$237.17	+$2.4K → ESAC
2	$18,158	$3,638.94	$12,404	$242.33	+$5.8K → ESAC
3	$23,980	$4,550.97	$13,780	$247.16	+$10.2K → ESAC
4	$31,276	$5,616.95	$15,285	$251.67	+$16.0K → ESAC
5	$40,312	$6,846.54	$16,932	$255.88	+$23.4K → ESAC
6	$51,381	$8,247.26	$18,733	$259.81	+$32.6K → ESAC
7	$64,802	$9,824.16	$20,701	$263.46	+$44.1K → ESAC
8	$80,917	$11,579.68	$22,852	$266.86	+$58.1K → ESAC
9	$100,095	$13,513.53	$25,201	$270.01	+$74.9K → ESAC
10	$122,724	$15,622.70	$27,768	$272.94	+$95.0K → ESAC

ESAC vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

ESAC — Stock

ESGEN Acquisition Corporation does not have significant operations. It focuses on effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The company intends to target opportunities in the energy and infrastructure sector in North America. ESGEN Acquisition Corporation was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Full ESAC Calculator →

VYM — ETF

Seeks to track the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, which measures the investment return of common stocks of companies characterized by high dividend yields. Provides a convenient way to track the performance of stocks that are forecasted to have above-average dividend yields. Follows a passively managed, full-replication approach.

Full VYM 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.