Is ESML or QYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

ESML currently yields 1.08% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. QYLD yields 11.92% with -2.1% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: QYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ESML and QYLD?

ESML has a forward dividend yield of 1.08% ($0.51/share annually). QYLD yields 11.92% ($2.04/share annually). The yield gap is 10.84 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ESML vs QYLD

ESML vs QYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

ESML yields 1.08% · QYLD yields 11.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 QYLD wins by $4.2K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 8

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

ESML

● Live price

1.08%

Share price

$47.04

Annual div

$0.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$21.2K

Annual income

$115.58

Full ESML calculator →

QYLD

Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

11.92%

Share price

$17.15

Annual div

$2.04

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.4K

Annual income

$5,659.31

Full QYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — ESML vs QYLD

📍 QYLD pulled ahead of the other in Year 8

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	ESML	QYLD
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, ESML + QYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

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May

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Jun

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Jul

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Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

—

Dec

—

ESML pays

QYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

ESML

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

$91.61/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$98.24/yr

QYLD

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

$1,013.51/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$4,810.41/yr

At 15% tax rate, QYLD beats the other by $4,712.17/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 ESML + QYLD for your $10,000?

ESML: 50%QYLD: 50%

100% QYLD50/50100% ESML

Portfolio after 10yr

$23.3K

Annual income

$2,887.45/yr

Blended yield

12.39%

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

ESML buys

QYLD buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Tim Moore	🏢 House	$QYLD	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2025-05-02
Tim Moore	🏢 House	$QYLD	▲ Buy	$15,001 - $50,000	2025-04-07
Dwight Evans	🏢 House	$QYLD	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2022-11-14
Dwight Evans	🏢 House	$QYLD	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2020-10-29

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

MetricESMLQYLD

Forward yield	1.08%	11.92% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.51	$2.04 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$21.2K	$25.4K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$115.58	$5,659.31 ✓
Total dividends collected	$1.1K	$27.1K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: ESML vs QYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	ESML Portfolio	ESML Income/yr	QYLD Portfolio	QYLD Income/yr	Gap
1	$10,808	$107.78	$10,352	$1,192.36	+$456.00 → ESML
2	$11,673	$108.86	$10,830	$1,347.57	+$843.00 → ESML
3	$12,600	$109.89	$11,460	$1,539.07	+$1.1K → ESML
4	$13,593	$110.85	$12,275	$1,777.84	+$1.3K → ESML
5	$14,656	$111.76	$13,323	$2,078.95	+$1.3K → ESML
6	$15,795	$112.62	$14,667	$2,463.34	+$1.1K → ESML
7	$17,014	$113.43	$16,396	$2,960.57	+$618.00 → ESML
8← crossover	$18,319	$114.19	$18,631	$3,612.97	$312.00 → QYLD
9	$19,716	$114.91	$21,548	$4,482.15	$1.8K → QYLD
10	$21,212	$115.58	$25,398	$5,659.31	$4.2K → QYLD

ESML vs QYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

ESML — Stock

The iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF seeks to track the investment results of an optimized index designed to produce investment results comparable to a capitalization weighted index of small-capitalization U.S. companies, while reflecting a higher allocation to those companies with favorable environmental, social and governance ("ESG") profiles (as determined by the index provider).

Full ESML Calculator →

QYLD — ETF

The Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF (QYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Nasdaq-100 BuyWrite V2 Index.

Full QYLD 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.