Is PLL or MRK a better dividend investment in 2026?

PLL currently yields 27.59% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MRK yields 2.81% with 8.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: PLL offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between PLL and MRK?

PLL has a forward dividend yield of 27.59% ($2.00/share annually). MRK yields 2.81% ($3.32/share annually). The yield gap is 24.78 percentage points.

Home › Compare › PLL vs MRK

PLL vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

PLL yields 27.59% · MRK yields 2.81%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 PLL wins by $57.3K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

PLL

● Live price

27.59%

Share price

$7.25

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$115.0K

Annual income

$14,148.53

Full PLL calculator →

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 →

Portfolio growth — PLL vs MRK

📍 PLL 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	PLL	MRK
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, PLL + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

PLL pays

MRK pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

PLL

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

$2,344.83/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$12,026.25/yr

MRK

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

$238.95/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$8,596.71/yr

At 15% tax rate, PLL beats the other by $3,429.54/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 PLL + MRK for your $10,000?

PLL: 50%MRK: 50%

100% MRK50/50100% PLL

Portfolio after 10yr

$86.4K

Annual income

$12,131.15/yr

Blended yield

14.04%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

PLL

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$11.50

+58.6% upside vs current

Range: $9.50 — $13.50

Altman Z

1.3

Piotroski

2/9

MRK

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$128.54

+8.8% upside vs current

Range: $100.00 — $150.00

Altman Z

4.0

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)

PLL buys

MRK buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Josh Gottheimer	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2026-02-04
Michael McCaul	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2026-01-13
Gilbert Cisneros	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-12-19
Julie Johnson	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-12-18
Julie Johnson	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-11-13
Ro Khanna	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-29
Val Hoyle	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-23
Marjorie Taylor Greene	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-28
Julie Johnson	🏢 House	$MRK	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-14
Gilbert Cisneros	🏢 House	$MRK	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-08-05

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

MetricPLLMRK

Forward yield	27.59% ✓	2.81%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$3.32 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	32.7% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$115.0K ✓	$57.7K
Annual income after 10y	$14,148.53 ✓	$10,113.78
Total dividends collected	$75.9K ✓	$29.8K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Healthcare
Analyst consensus	Hold	Buy
Analyst price target	$11.50	$128.54 ✓

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

Year	PLL Portfolio	PLL Income/yr	MRK Portfolio	MRK Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,459	$2,758.62	$11,213	$373.04	+$2.2K → PLL
2	$17,871	$3,469.83	$12,667	$512.06	+$5.2K → PLL
3	$23,427	$4,305.89	$14,439	$708.14	+$9.0K → PLL
4	$30,343	$5,275.51	$16,640	$988.16	+$13.7K → PLL
5	$38,853	$6,385.76	$19,432	$1,394.07	+$19.4K → PLL
6	$49,214	$7,641.75	$23,057	$1,992.90	+$26.2K → PLL
7	$61,705	$9,046.45	$27,889	$2,894.79	+$33.8K → PLL
8	$76,625	$10,600.56	$34,518	$4,286.29	+$42.1K → PLL
9	$94,292	$12,302.53	$43,912	$6,494.35	+$50.4K → PLL
10	$115,041	$14,148.53	$57,714	$10,113.78	+$57.3K → PLL

PLL vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

PLL — Stock

Piedmont Lithium Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the exploration and development of resource projects in the United States. The company primarily holds a 100% interest in the Carolina Lithium Project that include an area of approximately 3,116 acres located within the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt situated to the west of Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. It also owns a 61-acre property in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Piedmont Lithium Inc. is headquartered in Belmont, North Carolina.

Full PLL Calculator →

MRK — Healthcare

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 →

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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.