HomeCompareMRK vs HD

MRK vs HD: Dividend Comparison 2026

MRK yields 2.81% · HD yields 2.85%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 HD wins by $221.3K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 3
10 years
MRK
Merck & Co. Inc.
● Live price
2.81%
Share price
$118.10
Annual div
$3.32
5Y div CAGR
32.7%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$57.7K
Annual income
$10,113.78
Full MRK calculator →
HD
HD
● Live price
2.85%
Share price
$323.50
Annual div
$9.23
5Y div CAGR
53.4%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$279.0K
Annual income
$142,668.82
Full HD calculator →

Portfolio growth — MRK vs HD

📍 HD pulled ahead of the other in Year 3

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 PeriodMRKHD
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, MRK + HD cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
MRK pays
HD pays
Both pay
Neither
💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

MRK
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$238.95/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$8,596.71/yr
HD
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$242.52/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$121,268.50/yr
At 15% tax rate, HD beats the other by $112,671.78/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

MRK: 50%HD: 50%
100% HD50/50100% MRK
Portfolio after 10yr
$168.4K
Annual income
$76,391.30/yr
Blended yield
45.37%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on HD right now

MRK
Analyst Ratings
24
Buy
12
Hold
1
Sell
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$128.54
+8.8% upside vs current
Range: $100.00 — $150.00
Altman Z
4.0
Piotroski
6/9
HD
Analyst Ratings
1
Strong
37
Buy
20
Hold
4
Sell
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$408.08
+26.1% upside vs current
Range: $320.00 — $454.00
Altman Z
5.6
Piotroski
5/9
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)

MRK buys
0
HD buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for MRK or HD in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricMRKHD
Forward yield2.81%2.85%
Annual dividend / share$3.32$9.23
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR32.7%53.4%
Portfolio after 10y$57.7K$279.0K
Annual income after 10y$10,113.78$142,668.82
Total dividends collected$29.8K$244.1K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorHealthcareConsumer Discretionary
Analyst consensusBuyBuy
Analyst price target$128.54$408.08

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

YearMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrHD PortfolioHD Income/yrGap
1$11,213$373.04$11,138$437.68+$75.00MRK
2$12,667$512.06$12,616$698.86+$51.00MRK
3← crossover$14,439$708.14$14,634$1,134.92$195.00HD
4$16,640$988.16$17,546$1,887.33$906.00HD
5$19,432$1,394.07$22,018$3,244.11$2.6KHD
6$23,057$1,992.90$29,396$5,836.38$6.3KHD
7$27,889$2,894.79$42,625$11,170.93$14.7KHD
8$34,518$4,286.29$68,831$23,222.23$34.3KHD
9$43,912$6,494.35$127,410$53,760.90$83.5KHD
10$57,714$10,113.78$278,997$142,668.82$221.3KHD

MRK vs HD: Complete Analysis 2026

MRKHealthcare

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 →

HDConsumer Discretionary

The Home Depot, Inc. operates as a home improvement retailer. It operates The Home Depot stores that sell various building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products, and décor products, as well as facilities maintenance, repair, and operations products The company also offers installation services for flooring, cabinets and cabinet makeovers, countertops, furnaces and central air systems, and windows. In addition, it provides tool and equipment rental services. The company primarily serves homeowners; and professional renovators/remodelers, general contractors, maintenance professionals, handymen, property managers, building service contractors, and specialty tradesmen, such as electricians, plumbers, and painters. It also sells its products through websites, including homedepot.com; blinds.com, an online site for custom window coverings; and thecompanystore.com, an online site for textiles and décor products. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 2,317 stores in the United States. The Home Depot, Inc. was incorporated in 1978 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Full HD 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.