Is MRLN or DGRO a better dividend investment in 2026?

MRLN currently yields 27.21% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. DGRO yields 2.13% with 9.5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: MRLN offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between MRLN and DGRO?

MRLN has a forward dividend yield of 27.21% ($2.00/share annually). DGRO yields 2.13% ($1.47/share annually). The yield gap is 25.08 percentage points.

Home › Compare › MRLN vs DGRO

MRLN vs DGRO: Dividend Comparison 2026

MRLN yields 27.21% · DGRO yields 2.13%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 MRLN wins by $80.9K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

MRLN

● Live price

27.21%

Share price

$7.35

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$112.5K

Annual income

$13,675.30

Full MRLN calculator →

DGRO

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

● Live price

2.13%

Share price

$68.98

Annual div

$1.47

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$31.6K

Annual income

$239.96

Full DGRO calculator →

Portfolio growth — MRLN vs DGRO

📍 MRLN 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	MRLN	DGRO
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, MRLN + DGRO cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

MRLN pays

DGRO pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

MRLN

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

$2,312.93/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$11,624.01/yr

DGRO

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

$181.24/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$203.97/yr

At 15% tax rate, MRLN beats the other by $11,420.04/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 MRLN + DGRO for your $10,000?

MRLN: 50%DGRO: 50%

100% DGRO50/50100% MRLN

Portfolio after 10yr

$72.1K

Annual income

$6,957.63/yr

Blended yield

9.65%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

MRLN buys

DGRO buys

No recent congressional trades found for MRLN or DGRO in the last 90 days.

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

MetricMRLNDGRO

Forward yield	27.21% ✓	2.13%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.47
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$112.5K ✓	$31.6K
Annual income after 10y	$13,675.30 ✓	$239.96
Total dividends collected	$73.9K ✓	$2.3K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: MRLN vs DGRO ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	MRLN Portfolio	MRLN Income/yr	DGRO Portfolio	DGRO Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,421	$2,721.09	$11,293	$213.22	+$2.1K → MRLN
2	$17,774	$3,413.08	$12,730	$217.32	+$5.0K → MRLN
3	$23,242	$4,224.27	$14,326	$221.10	+$8.9K → MRLN
4	$30,032	$5,162.57	$16,098	$224.56	+$13.9K → MRLN
5	$38,368	$6,234.27	$18,064	$227.74	+$20.3K → MRLN
6	$48,498	$7,443.78	$20,246	$230.65	+$28.3K → MRLN
7	$60,686	$8,793.47	$22,666	$233.30	+$38.0K → MRLN
8	$75,218	$10,283.58	$25,349	$235.73	+$49.9K → MRLN
9	$92,395	$11,912.19	$28,325	$237.94	+$64.1K → MRLN
10	$112,538	$13,675.30	$31,624	$239.96	+$80.9K → MRLN

MRLN vs DGRO: Complete Analysis 2026

MRLN — Stock

Merlin, Inc. is an aerospace and defense technology company focused on developing autonomous flight solutions. The company is building an operating system of record for autonomous aviation, with its Merlin Pilot system enabling a wide range of aircraft and mission profiles. Its technology has been validated through hundreds of autonomous flights conducted at test facilities worldwide. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA.

Full MRLN Calculator →

DGRO — ETF

The iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. equities with a history of consistently growing dividends.

Full DGRO 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.