Is IRT or BEN a better dividend investment in 2026?

IRT currently yields 4.59% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. BEN yields 5.63% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: BEN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between IRT and BEN?

IRT has a forward dividend yield of 4.59% ($0.68/share annually). BEN yields 5.63% ($1.29/share annually). The yield gap is 1.04 percentage points.

Home › Compare › IRT vs BEN

IRT vs BEN: Dividend Comparison 2026

IRT yields 4.59% · BEN yields 5.63%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 BEN wins by $31.9K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

IRT

● Live price

4.59%

Share price

$14.81

Annual div

$0.68

5Y div CAGR

10.1%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$33.3K

Annual income

$1,914.49

Full IRT calculator →

BEN

● Live price

5.63%

Share price

$22.91

Annual div

$1.29

5Y div CAGR

22.6%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$65.2K

Annual income

$11,735.62

Full BEN calculator →

Portfolio growth — IRT vs BEN

📍 BEN 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	IRT	BEN
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, IRT + BEN cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

IRT pays

BEN pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

IRT

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

$390.28/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,627.32/yr

BEN

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

$478.61/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$9,975.28/yr

At 15% tax rate, BEN beats the other by $8,347.96/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of IRT + BEN for your $10,000?

IRT: 50%BEN: 50%

100% BEN50/50100% IRT

Portfolio after 10yr

$49.2K

Annual income

$6,825.05/yr

Blended yield

13.87%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on IRT right now

IRT

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$20.08

+35.6% upside vs current

Range: $18.00 — $22.00

Altman Z

0.7

Piotroski

6/9

BEN

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$23.50

+2.6% upside vs current

Range: $22.00 — $25.00

Altman Z

1.4

Piotroski

7/9

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)

IRT buys

BEN buys

No recent congressional trades found for IRT or BEN in the last 90 days.

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

MetricIRTBEN

Forward yield	4.59%	5.63% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.68	$1.29 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	10.1%	22.6% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$33.3K	$65.2K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$1,914.49	$11,735.62 ✓
Total dividends collected	$10.7K	$38.7K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	REIT	Stock
Analyst consensus	Buy	Hold
Analyst price target	$20.08	$23.50 ✓

Year-by-year: IRT vs BEN ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	IRT Portfolio	IRT Income/yr	BEN Portfolio	BEN Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,206	$505.52	$11,390	$690.33	$184.00 → BEN
2	$12,573	$582.88	$13,089	$900.94	$516.00 → BEN
3	$14,126	$672.95	$15,191	$1,186.21	$1.1K → BEN
4	$15,893	$777.98	$17,832	$1,577.47	$1.9K → BEN
5	$17,906	$900.64	$21,202	$2,121.67	$3.3K → BEN
6	$20,203	$1,044.12	$25,576	$2,890.42	$5.4K → BEN
7	$22,830	$1,212.23	$31,362	$3,995.15	$8.5K → BEN
8	$25,837	$1,409.50	$39,170	$5,613.10	$13.3K → BEN
9	$29,287	$1,641.41	$49,945	$8,032.75	$20.7K → BEN
10	$33,252	$1,914.49	$65,177	$11,735.62	$31.9K → BEN

IRT vs BEN: Complete Analysis 2026

IRT — REIT

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, and Raleigh. IRT's investment strategy is focused on gaining scale within key amenity rich submarkets that offer good school districts, high-quality retail and major employment centers. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjusted returns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance, and a consistent return on capital through distributions and capital appreciation.

Full IRT Calculator →

BEN — Stock

Franklin Resources, Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides its services to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, and partnerships. It launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and multi-asset mutual funds through its subsidiaries. The firm invests in the public equity, fixed income, and alternative markets. Franklin Resources, Inc. was founded in 1947 and is based in San Mateo, California with an additional office in Hyderabad, India.

Full BEN 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.