Is HCYT or MRK a better dividend investment in 2026?

HCYT currently yields 201.01% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MRK yields 2.76% with 8.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: HCYT offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between HCYT and MRK?

HCYT has a forward dividend yield of 201.01% ($2.00/share annually). MRK yields 2.76% ($3.32/share annually). The yield gap is 198.25 percentage points.

Home › Compare › HCYT vs MRK

HCYT vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

HCYT yields 201.01% · MRK yields 2.76%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 HCYT wins by $122.82M in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

HCYT

● Live price

201.01%

Share price

$1.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$122.88M

Annual income

$62,103,539.90

Full HCYT calculator →

MRK

Merck & Co. Inc.

● Live price

2.76%

Share price

$120.31

Annual div

$3.32

5Y div CAGR

32.7%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$56.8K

Annual income

$9,798.13

Full MRK calculator →

Portfolio growth — HCYT vs MRK

📍 HCYT 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	HCYT	MRK
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, HCYT + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

HCYT pays

MRK pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

HCYT

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

$17,085.43/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$52,788,008.92/yr

MRK

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

$234.56/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$8,328.41/yr

At 15% tax rate, HCYT beats the other by $52,779,680.50/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of HCYT + MRK for your $10,000?

HCYT: 50%MRK: 50%

100% MRK50/50100% HCYT

Portfolio after 10yr

$61.47M

Annual income

$31,056,669.02/yr

Blended yield

50.52%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

HCYT

No analyst data

Altman Z

-150.6

Piotroski

3/9

MRK

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$128.54

+6.8% upside vs current

Range: $100.00 — $150.00

Altman Z

4.0

Piotroski

6/9

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.

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

HCYT buys

MRK buys

No recent congressional trades found for HCYT or MRK in the last 90 days.

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

MetricHCYTMRK

Forward yield	201.01% ✓	2.76%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.32 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	32.7% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$122.88M ✓	$56.8K
Annual income after 10y	$62,103,539.90 ✓	$9,798.13
Total dividends collected	$115.84M ✓	$28.9K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Healthcare

Year-by-year: HCYT vs MRK ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	HCYT Portfolio	HCYT Income/yr	MRK Portfolio	MRK Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$30,801	$20,100.50	$11,206	$366.19	+$19.6K → HCYT
2	$90,817	$57,860.33	$12,650	$502.35	+$78.2K → HCYT
3	$256,617	$159,443.16	$14,407	$694.19	+$242.2K → HCYT
4	$695,638	$421,057.46	$16,585	$967.82	+$679.1K → HCYT
5	$1,811,064	$1,066,731.28	$19,342	$1,363.89	+$1.79M → HCYT
6	$4,533,343	$2,595,504.46	$22,913	$1,947.19	+$4.51M → HCYT
7	$10,922,551	$6,071,874.75	$27,662	$2,823.89	+$10.89M → HCYT
8	$25,359,524	$13,672,394.20	$34,159	$4,173.35	+$25.33M → HCYT
9	$56,801,975	$29,667,284.47	$43,337	$6,308.80	+$56.76M → HCYT
10	$122,881,654	$62,103,539.90	$56,776	$9,798.13	+$122.82M → HCYT

HCYT vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

HCYT — Stock

H-CYTE, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops and delivers various treatments for patients with chronic respiratory and pulmonary disorders in the United States. The company develops and implements treatment options in autologous cellular therapy to treat chronic lung disorders. It has a product supply agreement with Rion, LLC to develop and distribute a biologic for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The company is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Full HCYT Calculator →

MRK — Healthcare

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions and services, as well as digitally connected identification, traceability, and monitoring products. It serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, and government agencies; managed health care providers, such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, and other institutions; and physicians and physician distributors, veterinarians, and animal producers. The company has collaborations with AstraZeneca PLC; Bayer AG; Eisai Co., Ltd.; Ridgeback Biotherapeutics; and Gilead Sciences, Inc. to jointly develop and commercialize long-acting treatments in HIV. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey.

Full MRK 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.