Is HDLS or MRK a better dividend investment in 2026?

HDLS currently yields 7.79% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MRK yields 3.25% with 8.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: HDLS offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between HDLS and MRK?

HDLS has a forward dividend yield of 7.79% ($2.00/share annually). MRK yields 3.25% ($3.08/share annually). The yield gap is 4.54 percentage points.

Home › Compare › HDLS vs MRK

HDLS vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

HDLS yields 7.79% · MRK yields 3.25%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 HDLS wins by $2.7K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

HDLS

● Live price

7.79%

Share price

$25.68

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$33.5K

Annual income

$1,275.40

Full HDLS calculator →

MRK

Merck & Co. Inc.

● Live price

3.25%

Share price

$94.80

Annual div

$3.08

5Y div CAGR

8.2%

Payout ratio

42%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$30.7K

Annual income

$950.29

Full MRK calculator →

Portfolio growth — HDLS vs MRK

📍 HDLS pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	HDLS	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, HDLS + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

HDLS pays

MRK pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

HDLS

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

$661.99/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,084.09/yr

MRK

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

$276.16/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$807.75/yr

At 15% tax rate, HDLS beats the other by $276.34/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

HDLS: 50%MRK: 50%

100% MRK50/50100% HDLS

Portfolio after 10yr

$32.1K

Annual income

$1,112.85/yr

Blended yield

3.46%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

HDLS

No analyst data

MRK

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$128.54

+35.6% 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.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

HDLS buys

MRK buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Josh Gottheimer	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2026-02-04
Michael McCaul	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2026-01-13
Gilbert Cisneros	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-12-19
Julie Johnson	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-12-18
Julie Johnson	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-11-13
Ro Khanna	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-29
Val Hoyle	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-23
Marjorie Taylor Greene	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-28
Julie Johnson	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-14
Gilbert Cisneros	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-05

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

MetricHDLSMRK

Forward yield	7.79% ✓	3.25%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.08 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	42% ✓
1-year div growth	0%	5.5% ✓
5-year div CAGR	0%	8.2% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$33.5K ✓	$30.7K
Annual income after 10y	$1,275.40 ✓	$950.29
Total dividends collected	$10.3K ✓	$6.1K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Healthcare

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

Year	HDLS Portfolio	HDLS Income/yr	MRK Portfolio	MRK Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,479	$778.82	$11,192	$351.54	+$287.00 → HDLS
2	$13,118	$835.50	$12,524	$392.70	+$594.00 → HDLS
3	$14,928	$892.34	$14,015	$438.65	+$913.00 → HDLS
4	$16,922	$949.07	$15,682	$489.96	+$1.2K → HDLS
5	$19,113	$1,005.46	$17,547	$547.23	+$1.6K → HDLS
6	$21,512	$1,061.29	$19,632	$611.16	+$1.9K → HDLS
7	$24,134	$1,116.37	$21,963	$682.53	+$2.2K → HDLS
8	$26,994	$1,170.51	$24,571	$762.18	+$2.4K → HDLS
9	$30,107	$1,223.57	$27,486	$851.08	+$2.6K → HDLS
10	$33,490	$1,275.40	$30,745	$950.29	+$2.7K → HDLS

HDLS vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

HDLS — Stock

Hub Deals Corp. operates sales platform. The Company offers real estates, luxury items, paintings, jewelry, watches, and yachts.

Full HDLS Calculator →

MRK — Healthcare

Merck is a Dividend Aristocrat with 14+ consecutive years of increases. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is the world's best-selling cancer drug and drives exceptional cash generation. The company's oncology and vaccines pipeline provides long-term growth visibility beyond the Keytruda patent cliff in the 2030s.

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.