Is NLIGX or DGRO a better dividend investment in 2026?

NLIGX currently yields 9.16% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. DGRO yields 2.10% with 9.5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: NLIGX offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between NLIGX and DGRO?

NLIGX has a forward dividend yield of 9.16% ($2.00/share annually). DGRO yields 2.10% ($1.47/share annually). The yield gap is 7.06 percentage points.

Home › Compare › NLIGX vs DGRO

NLIGX vs DGRO: Dividend Comparison 2026

NLIGX yields 9.16% · DGRO yields 2.10%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 NLIGX wins by $5.1K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

NLIGX

● Live price

9.16%

Share price

$21.84

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$36.7K

Annual income

$1,630.93

Full NLIGX calculator →

DGRO

iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF

● Live price

2.10%

Share price

$70.18

Annual div

$1.47

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$31.6K

Annual income

$235.38

Full DGRO calculator →

Portfolio growth — NLIGX vs DGRO

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

Jan

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Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

NLIGX 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.

NLIGX

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

$778.39/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,386.29/yr

DGRO

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

$178.14/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$200.07/yr

At 15% tax rate, NLIGX beats the other by $1,186.22/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 NLIGX + DGRO for your $10,000?

NLIGX: 50%DGRO: 50%

100% DGRO50/50100% NLIGX

Portfolio after 10yr

$34.1K

Annual income

$933.16/yr

Blended yield

2.74%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

NLIGX buys

DGRO buys

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

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

MetricNLIGXDGRO

Forward yield	9.16% ✓	2.10%
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	$36.7K ✓	$31.6K
Annual income after 10y	$1,630.93 ✓	$235.38
Total dividends collected	$12.7K ✓	$2.2K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

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

Year	NLIGX Portfolio	NLIGX Income/yr	DGRO Portfolio	DGRO Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,616	$915.75	$11,290	$209.57	+$326.00 → NLIGX
2	$13,423	$994.12	$12,722	$213.54	+$701.00 → NLIGX
3	$15,436	$1,073.64	$14,314	$217.18	+$1.1K → NLIGX
4	$17,671	$1,153.90	$16,080	$220.53	+$1.6K → NLIGX
5	$20,142	$1,234.51	$18,040	$223.59	+$2.1K → NLIGX
6	$22,867	$1,315.11	$20,215	$226.40	+$2.7K → NLIGX
7	$25,863	$1,395.36	$22,627	$228.96	+$3.2K → NLIGX
8	$29,149	$1,474.94	$25,302	$231.31	+$3.8K → NLIGX
9	$32,743	$1,553.55	$28,268	$233.44	+$4.5K → NLIGX
10	$36,665	$1,630.93	$31,557	$235.38	+$5.1K → NLIGX

NLIGX vs DGRO: Complete Analysis 2026

NLIGX — Stock

The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities of large-capitalization companies. Large-capitalization companies are defined as companies that have market capitalizations within the market capitalization range of the companies in the Russell 1000 Index on the last business day of the month in which its most recent reconstitution was completed.

Full NLIGX 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.