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SSY vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

SSY yields 8.97% · MRK yields 2.76%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 MRK wins by $20.6K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 6
10 years
SSY
SSY
● Live price
8.97%
Share price
$1.12
Annual div
$0.10
5Y div CAGR
0%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$36.2K
Annual income
$1,578.98
Full SSY calculator →
MRK
Merck & Co. Inc.
● Live price
2.76%
Share price
$120.31
Annual div
$3.32
5Y div CAGR
32.7%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$56.8K
Annual income
$9,798.13
Full MRK calculator →

Portfolio growth — SSY vs MRK

📍 MRK pulled ahead of the other in Year 6

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 PeriodSSYMRK
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, SSY + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

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

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

SSY
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$762.33/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$1,342.13/yr
MRK
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$234.56/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$8,328.41/yr
At 15% tax rate, MRK beats the other by $6,986.28/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

SSY: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% SSY
Portfolio after 10yr
$46.5K
Annual income
$5,688.56/yr
Blended yield
12.24%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

SSY
No analyst data
Altman Z
2.9
Piotroski
4/9
MRK
Analyst Ratings
25
Buy
11
Hold
1
Sell
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$128.54
+6.8% 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.
🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SSY buys
0
MRK buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for SSY or MRK in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricSSYMRK
Forward yield8.97% ✓2.76%
Annual dividend / share$0.10$3.32 ✓
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR0%32.7% ✓
Portfolio after 10y$36.2K$56.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y$1,578.98$9,798.13 ✓
Total dividends collected$12.4K$28.9K ✓
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare

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

YearSSY PortfolioSSY Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1$11,597$896.86$11,206$366.19+$391.00 → SSY
2$13,381$972.03$12,650$502.35+$731.00 → SSY
3$15,366$1,048.18$14,407$694.19+$959.00 → SSY
4$17,566$1,124.92$16,585$967.82+$981.00 → SSY
5$19,998$1,201.89$19,342$1,363.89+$656.00 → SSY
6← crossover$22,676$1,278.74$22,913$1,947.19$237.00 → MRK
7$25,619$1,355.16$27,662$2,823.89$2.0K → MRK
8$28,843$1,430.85$34,159$4,173.35$5.3K → MRK
9$32,367$1,505.54$43,337$6,308.80$11.0K → MRK
10$36,212$1,578.98$56,776$9,798.13$20.6K → MRK

SSY vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

SSY — Stock

SunLink Health Systems, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides healthcare products and services in the southeastern United States. It operates through two segments, Healthcare Services and Pharmacy. The Healthcare Services segment owns and operates an 84-bed community hospital, which includes an 18-bed geriatric psychiatry unit; and a 66-bed extended care and rehabilitation center. This segment also provides information technology services; and owns unimproved lands. The Pharmacy segment offers institutional and non-institutional pharmacy services; and durable medical equipment products and services, including the sale and rental of products for institutional clients or to patients in institutional settings and patient-administered home care, as well as retails pharmacy products and services. SunLink Health Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 1959 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Full SSY 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.