Is MLAI or HDV a better dividend investment in 2026?

MLAI currently yields 19.25% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HDV yields 2.92% with 4.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: MLAI offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between MLAI and HDV?

MLAI has a forward dividend yield of 19.25% ($2.00/share annually). HDV yields 2.92% ($3.96/share annually). The yield gap is 16.33 percentage points.

Home › Compare › MLAI vs HDV

MLAI vs HDV: Dividend Comparison 2026

MLAI yields 19.25% · HDV yields 2.92%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 MLAI wins by $45.4K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

MLAI

● Live price

19.25%

Share price

$10.39

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$69.7K

Annual income

$6,214.97

Full MLAI calculator →

HDV

iShares Core High Dividend ETF

● Live price

2.92%

Share price

$135.72

Annual div

$3.96

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$24.3K

Annual income

$351.71

Full HDV calculator →

Portfolio growth — MLAI vs HDV

📍 MLAI 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	MLAI	HDV
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, MLAI + HDV cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

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Sep

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Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

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MLAI pays

HDV pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

MLAI

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

$1,636.19/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$5,282.72/yr

HDV

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

$247.92/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$298.95/yr

At 15% tax rate, MLAI beats the other by $4,983.77/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of MLAI + HDV for your $10,000?

MLAI: 50%HDV: 50%

100% HDV50/50100% MLAI

Portfolio after 10yr

$47.0K

Annual income

$3,283.35/yr

Blended yield

6.98%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

MLAI buys

HDV buys

No recent congressional trades found for MLAI or HDV in the last 90 days.

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

MetricMLAIHDV

Forward yield	19.25% ✓	2.92%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.96 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$69.7K ✓	$24.3K
Annual income after 10y	$6,214.97 ✓	$351.71
Total dividends collected	$38.9K ✓	$3.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: MLAI vs HDV ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	MLAI Portfolio	MLAI Income/yr	HDV Portfolio	HDV Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,625	$1,924.93	$11,002	$291.67	+$1.6K → MLAI
2	$15,780	$2,271.22	$12,082	$299.61	+$3.7K → MLAI
3	$19,538	$2,653.08	$13,247	$307.23	+$6.3K → MLAI
4	$23,975	$3,069.97	$14,503	$314.52	+$9.5K → MLAI
5	$29,174	$3,520.80	$15,854	$321.50	+$13.3K → MLAI
6	$35,220	$4,004.01	$17,308	$328.15	+$17.9K → MLAI
7	$42,203	$4,517.59	$18,871	$334.49	+$23.3K → MLAI
8	$50,217	$5,059.13	$20,551	$340.53	+$29.7K → MLAI
9	$59,358	$5,625.92	$22,357	$346.27	+$37.0K → MLAI
10	$69,728	$6,214.97	$24,296	$351.71	+$45.4K → MLAI

MLAI vs HDV: Complete Analysis 2026

MLAI — Stock

McLaren Technology Acquisition Corp. focuses on effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or related business combination with one or more businesses. It intends to focus on companies within the banking, financial services, and insurance sector that leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital, technology, and fintech. The company was incorporated in 2021 and is based in Irvine, California.

Full MLAI Calculator →

HDV — ETF

The iShares Core High Dividend ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of relatively high dividend paying U.S. equities.

Full HDV 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.