Is IRT or IEX a better dividend investment in 2026?

IRT currently yields 4.59% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. IEX yields 4.00% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: IRT offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between IRT and IEX?

IRT has a forward dividend yield of 4.59% ($0.68/share annually). IEX yields 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). The yield gap is 0.59 percentage points.

Home › Compare › IRT vs IEX

IRT vs IEX: Dividend Comparison 2026

IRT yields 4.59% · IEX yields 4.00%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 IRT wins by $5.2K 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 →

IEX

● Live price

4.00%

Share price

$50.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$28.0K

Annual income

$899.19

Full IEX calculator →

Portfolio growth — IRT vs IEX

📍 IRT 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	IRT	IEX
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 + IEX cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

IRT pays

IEX 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

IEX

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

At 15% tax rate, IRT beats the other by $863.00/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

IRT: 50%IEX: 50%

100% IEX50/50100% IRT

Portfolio after 10yr

$30.6K

Annual income

$1,406.84/yr

Blended yield

4.59%

📊

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

IEX

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$236.83

+373.7% upside vs current

Range: $220.00 — $247.00

Altman Z

4.8

Piotroski

8/9

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

IEX buys

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

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

MetricIRTIEX

Forward yield	4.59% ✓	4.00%
Annual dividend / share	$0.68	$2.00 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	5% ✓
5-year div CAGR	10.1% ✓	5%
Portfolio after 10y	$33.3K ✓	$28.0K
Annual income after 10y	$1,914.49 ✓	$899.19
Total dividends collected	$10.7K ✓	$6.4K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	REIT	Industrials
Analyst consensus	Buy	Hold
Analyst price target	$20.08	$236.83 ✓

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

Year	IRT Portfolio	IRT Income/yr	IEX Portfolio	IEX Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,206	$505.52	$11,120	$420.00	+$86.00 → IRT
2	$12,573	$582.88	$12,357	$458.31	+$216.00 → IRT
3	$14,126	$672.95	$13,721	$499.76	+$405.00 → IRT
4	$15,893	$777.98	$15,227	$544.58	+$666.00 → IRT
5	$17,906	$900.64	$16,885	$593.02	+$1.0K → IRT
6	$20,203	$1,044.12	$18,713	$645.34	+$1.5K → IRT
7	$22,830	$1,212.23	$20,724	$701.81	+$2.1K → IRT
8	$25,837	$1,409.50	$22,938	$762.73	+$2.9K → IRT
9	$29,287	$1,641.41	$25,372	$828.41	+$3.9K → IRT
10	$33,252	$1,914.49	$28,047	$899.19	+$5.2K → IRT

IRT vs IEX: 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 →

IEX — Industrials

IEX is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in IEX shares.

Full IEX 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.