Is MER or YUM a better dividend investment in 2026?

MER currently yields 4.00% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. YUM yields 1.86% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: MER offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between MER and YUM?

MER has a forward dividend yield of 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). YUM yields 1.86% ($2.88/share annually). The yield gap is 2.14 percentage points.

Home › Compare › MER vs YUM

MER vs YUM: Dividend Comparison 2026

MER yields 4.00% · YUM yields 1.86%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 YUM wins by $79.9K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 3

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

MER

● 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 MER calculator →

YUM

● Live price

1.86%

Share price

$154.59

Annual div

$2.88

5Y div CAGR

51.4%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$107.9K

Annual income

$40,443.52

Full YUM calculator →

Portfolio growth — MER vs YUM

📍 YUM pulled ahead of the other in Year 3

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	MER	YUM
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, MER + YUM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

MER pays

YUM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

MER

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

YUM

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

$158.35/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$34,376.99/yr

At 15% tax rate, YUM beats the other by $33,612.68/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of MER + YUM for your $10,000?

MER: 50%YUM: 50%

100% YUM50/50100% MER

Portfolio after 10yr

$68.0K

Annual income

$20,671.36/yr

Blended yield

30.40%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on YUM right now

MER

No analyst data

YUM

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$173.15

+12.0% upside vs current

Range: $158.00 — $190.00

Altman Z

2.6

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)

MER buys

YUM buys

No recent congressional trades found for MER or YUM in the last 90 days.

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

MetricMERYUM

Forward yield	4.00% ✓	1.86%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$2.88 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	5% ✓	0%
5-year div CAGR	5%	51.4% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$28.0K	$107.9K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$899.19	$40,443.52 ✓
Total dividends collected	$6.4K	$81.2K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Consumer Discretionary

Year-by-year: MER vs YUM ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	MER Portfolio	MER Income/yr	YUM Portfolio	YUM Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,120	$420.00	$10,982	$282.06	+$138.00 → MER
2	$12,357	$458.31	$12,189	$438.29	+$168.00 → MER
3← crossover	$13,721	$499.76	$13,731	$688.32	$10.00 → YUM
4	$15,227	$544.58	$15,789	$1,097.12	$562.00 → YUM
5	$16,885	$593.02	$18,679	$1,785.08	$1.8K → YUM
6	$18,713	$645.34	$22,975	$2,988.18	$4.3K → YUM
7	$20,724	$701.81	$29,784	$5,200.49	$9.1K → YUM
8	$22,938	$762.73	$41,408	$9,539.16	$18.5K → YUM
9	$25,372	$828.41	$63,071	$18,765.27	$37.7K → YUM
10	$28,047	$899.19	$107,930	$40,443.52	$79.9K → YUM

MER vs YUM: Complete Analysis 2026

MER — Stock

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

Full MER Calculator →

YUM — Consumer Discretionary

YUM! Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises quick service restaurants worldwide. It operates through four segments: the KFC Division, the Taco Bell Division, the Pizza Hut Division, and the Habit Burger Grill Division. The company operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, Mexican-style food categories, and other food products. As of December 31, 2021, it had 26,934 KFC units; 18,381 Pizza Hut units; 7,791 Taco Bell units; and 318 The Habit Burger Grill units in approximately 157 countries and territories. The company was formerly known as TRICON Global Restaurants, Inc. and changed its name to YUM! Brands, Inc. in May 2002. YUM! Brands, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Full YUM 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.