Is LTSF or MRK a better dividend investment in 2026?

LTSF currently yields 7.99% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MRK yields 2.76% with 8.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: LTSF offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between LTSF and MRK?

LTSF has a forward dividend yield of 7.99% ($2.00/share annually). MRK yields 2.76% ($3.32/share annually). The yield gap is 5.23 percentage points.

Home › Compare › LTSF vs MRK

LTSF vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

LTSF yields 7.99% · MRK yields 2.76%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 LTSF wins by $13886.06M in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

LTSF

● Live price

7.99%

Share price

$25.02

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

90.8%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$13886.12M

Annual income

$13,371,493,505.69

Full LTSF 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 — LTSF vs MRK

📍 LTSF 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	LTSF	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%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, LTSF + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

LTSF pays

MRK pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

LTSF

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

$679.46/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$11,365,769,479.84/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, LTSF beats the other by $11,365,761,151.43/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

LTSF: 50%MRK: 50%

100% MRK50/50100% LTSF

Portfolio after 10yr

$6943.09M

Annual income

$6,685,751,651.92/yr

Blended yield

96.29%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

LTSF

No analyst data

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)

LTSF buys

MRK buys

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

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

MetricLTSFMRK

Forward yield	7.99% ✓	2.76%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.32 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	90.8% ✓	32.7%
Portfolio after 10y	$13886.12M ✓	$56.8K
Annual income after 10y	$13,371,493,505.69 ✓	$9,798.13
Total dividends collected	$13850.16M ✓	$28.9K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Healthcare

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

Year	LTSF Portfolio	LTSF Income/yr	MRK Portfolio	MRK Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,225	$1,525.18	$11,206	$366.19	+$1.0K → LTSF
2	$16,406	$3,324.84	$12,650	$502.35	+$3.8K → LTSF
3	$25,510	$7,956.23	$14,407	$694.19	+$11.1K → LTSF
4	$49,357	$22,060.86	$16,585	$967.82	+$32.8K → LTSF
5	$128,923	$76,111.14	$19,342	$1,363.89	+$109.6K → LTSF
6	$492,455	$354,507.05	$22,913	$1,947.19	+$469.5K → LTSF
7	$2,941,581	$2,414,654.44	$27,662	$2,823.89	+$2.91M → LTSF
8	$28,867,081	$25,719,589.46	$34,159	$4,173.35	+$28.83M → LTSF
9	$480,958,410	$450,070,632.82	$43,337	$6,308.80	+$480.92M → LTSF
10	$13,886,119,004	$13,371,493,505.69	$56,776	$9,798.13	+$13886.06M → LTSF

LTSF vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

LTSF — Stock

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in investment banking and research, institutional sales and trading, asset management services, wholesale life insurance brokerage, and trust services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Independent Advisory and Brokerage Services; Ladenburg; and Insurance Brokerage. The Independent Advisory and Brokerage segment includes the investment advisory and brokerage services provided by independent advisory and brokerage subsidiaries. The Ladenburg segment comprises investment banking, sales and trading and asset management services, and investment activities. The Insurance Brokerage segment focuses in the wholesale insurance brokerage activities. The company was founded in February 1996 and is headquartered in Miami, FL.

Full LTSF 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.