HomeCompareHEDG vs MRK

HEDG vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

HEDG yields 1.90% · MRK yields 2.76%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 MRK wins by $34.3K in total portfolio value
10 years
HEDG
HEDG
● Live price
1.90%
Share price
$28.98
Annual div
$0.55
5Y div CAGR
0%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$22.5K
Annual income
$214.85
Full HEDG 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 — HEDG vs MRK

📍 MRK 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 PeriodHEDGMRK
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%.
📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, HEDG + MRK cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
HEDG pays
MRK pays
Both pay
Neither
💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

HEDG
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$161.50/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$182.62/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, MRK beats the other by $8,145.79/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

HEDG: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% HEDG
Portfolio after 10yr
$39.6K
Annual income
$5,006.49/yr
Blended yield
12.64%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

HEDG
No analyst data
MRK
Analyst Ratings
25
Buy
11
Hold
1
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)

HEDG buys
0
MRK buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for HEDG or MRK in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricHEDGMRK
Forward yield1.90%2.76%
Annual dividend / share$0.55$3.32
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR0%32.7%
Portfolio after 10y$22.5K$56.8K
Annual income after 10y$214.85$9,798.13
Total dividends collected$2.0K$28.9K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare

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

YearHEDG PortfolioHEDG Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1← crossover$10,890$190.00$11,206$366.19$316.00MRK
2$11,846$193.37$12,650$502.35$804.00MRK
3$12,871$196.58$14,407$694.19$1.5KMRK
4$13,972$199.63$16,585$967.82$2.6KMRK
5$15,153$202.52$19,342$1,363.89$4.2KMRK
6$16,419$205.27$22,913$1,947.19$6.5KMRK
7$17,776$207.86$27,662$2,823.89$9.9KMRK
8$19,230$210.32$34,159$4,173.35$14.9KMRK
9$20,789$212.65$43,337$6,308.80$22.5KMRK
10$22,459$214.85$56,776$9,798.13$34.3KMRK

HEDG vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

HEDGStock

HEDG is a fund-of-funds, aiming to generate income and mitigate downside risk through a covered call option-writing strategy. The fund invests in equity securities based on the S&P 500 index, using either ETFs or direct stock purchases. It writes covered call options on these securities to earn premiums, which provide partial downside protection while limiting potential gains. Options positions are typically rolled quarterly. To maintain liquidity or meet redemptions, the fund may hold cash, cash equivalents, ETFs, or money-market funds, capped at 20%. Additionally, assets may fully shift to the same short-term instrumetns in response to adverse market conditions. Prior to October 13, 2025, HEDG was a mutual fund called Equable Shares Hedged Equity Fund before converting to an ETF structure, starting with $275.2 million in assets.

Full HEDG Calculator →

MRKHealthcare

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 →
📬

Get this HEDG vs MRK comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

HEDG vs SCHDHEDG vs JEPIHEDG vs OHEDG vs KOHEDG vs MAINHEDG vs JNJHEDG vs ABBVHEDG vs PFE

⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.