Is QTS or EQR a better dividend investment in 2026?

QTS currently yields 15.65% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. EQR yields 4.73% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: QTS offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between QTS and EQR?

QTS has a forward dividend yield of 15.65% ($12.20/share annually). EQR yields 4.73% ($2.77/share annually). The yield gap is 10.92 percentage points.

Home › Compare › QTS vs EQR

QTS vs EQR: Dividend Comparison 2026

QTS yields 15.65% · EQR yields 4.73%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 QTS wins by $9757330.20M in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

QTS

● Live price

15.65%

Share price

$77.98

Annual div

$12.20

5Y div CAGR

100%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$9757330.24M

Annual income

$9,638,973,769,099.76

Full QTS calculator →

EQR

● Live price

4.73%

Share price

$58.58

Annual div

$2.77

5Y div CAGR

15.8%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$40.5K

Annual income

$3,819.61

Full EQR calculator →

Portfolio growth — QTS vs EQR

📍 QTS pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

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 Period	QTS	EQR
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, QTS + EQR cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

QTS pays

EQR pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

QTS

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

$1,329.83/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$8,193,127,703,734.80/yr

EQR

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

$401.93/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$3,246.67/yr

At 15% tax rate, QTS beats the other by $8,193,127,700,488.13/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of QTS + EQR for your $10,000?

QTS: 50%EQR: 50%

100% EQR50/50100% QTS

Portfolio after 10yr

$4878665.14M

Annual income

$4,819,486,886,459.68/yr

Blended yield

98.79%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on QTS right now

QTS

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$78.00

+0.0% upside vs current

Range: $78.00 — $78.00

EQR

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Hold

Price Target

$70.35

+20.1% upside vs current

Range: $63.00 — $78.50

Altman Z

1.8

Piotroski

7/9

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)

QTS buys

EQR buys

No recent congressional trades found for QTS or EQR in the last 90 days.

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

MetricQTSEQR

Forward yield	15.65% ✓	4.73%
Annual dividend / share	$12.20 ✓	$2.77
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	100% ✓	15.8%
Portfolio after 10y	$9757330.24M ✓	$40.5K
Annual income after 10y	$9,638,973,769,099.76 ✓	$3,819.61
Total dividends collected	$9749418.18M ✓	$16.9K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	REIT	REIT
Analyst consensus	Buy	Hold
Analyst price target	$78.00 ✓	$70.35

Year-by-year: QTS vs EQR ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	QTS Portfolio	QTS Income/yr	EQR Portfolio	EQR Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,829	$3,129.01	$11,248	$547.57	+$2.6K → QTS
2	$22,885	$8,088.05	$12,701	$666.53	+$10.2K → QTS
3	$49,505	$25,017.94	$14,405	$814.59	+$35.1K → QTS
4	$154,127	$101,156.60	$16,413	$999.84	+$137.7K → QTS
5	$753,583	$588,667.43	$18,795	$1,232.92	+$734.8K → QTS
6	$6,186,169	$5,379,834.56	$21,639	$1,527.95	+$6.16M → QTS
7	$89,167,030	$82,547,829.43	$25,057	$1,903.80	+$89.14M → QTS
8	$2,319,406,874	$2,223,998,151.65	$29,197	$2,385.87	+$2319.38M → QTS
9	$110,613,527,190	$108,131,761,834.95	$34,250	$3,008.70	+$110613.49M → QTS
10	$9,757,330,243,193	$9,638,973,769,099.76	$40,467	$3,819.61	+$9757330.20M → QTS

QTS vs EQR: Complete Analysis 2026

QTS — REIT

QTS Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: QTS) is a leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse footprint spanning more than 7 million square feet of owned data center space throughout primarily North America and Europe. Through its software-defined technology platform, QTS is able to deliver secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and premium customer service to leading hyperscale technology companies, enterprises, and government entities. QTS owns, operates or manages 27 data centers and supports more than 1,200 customers primarily in North America and Europe.

Full QTS Calculator →

EQR — REIT

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract high quality long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 305 properties consisting of 78,568 apartment units, located in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, Southern California and Denver.

Full EQR 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.