Is STAY or VYM a better dividend investment in 2026?

STAY currently yields 35.34% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. VYM yields 2.37% with 7.8% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: STAY offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between STAY and VYM?

STAY has a forward dividend yield of 35.34% ($7.23/share annually). VYM yields 2.37% ($3.51/share annually). The yield gap is 32.97 percentage points.

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STAY vs VYM: Dividend Comparison 2026

STAY yields 35.34% · VYM yields 2.37%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 VYM wins by $1.4K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 9

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

STAY

● Live price

35.34%

Share price

$20.46

Annual div

$7.23

5Y div CAGR

-50%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$26.4K

Annual income

$4.63

Full STAY calculator →

VYM

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF

● Live price

2.37%

Share price

$148.10

Annual div

$3.51

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.8K

Annual income

$272.94

Full VYM calculator →

Portfolio growth — STAY vs VYM

📍 VYM pulled ahead of the other in Year 9

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	STAY	VYM
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, STAY + VYM cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

STAY pays

VYM pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

STAY

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

$3,003.67/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$3.94/yr

VYM

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

$201.60/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$232.00/yr

At 15% tax rate, VYM beats the other by $228.06/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 STAY + VYM for your $10,000?

STAY: 50%VYM: 50%

100% VYM50/50100% STAY

Portfolio after 10yr

$27.1K

Annual income

$138.78/yr

Blended yield

0.51%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on STAY right now

STAY

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Hold

VYM

No analyst data

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)

STAY buys

VYM buys

No recent congressional trades found for STAY or VYM in the last 90 days.

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

MetricSTAYVYM

Forward yield	35.34% ✓	2.37%
Annual dividend / share	$7.23 ✓	$3.51
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	-50%	0% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$26.4K	$27.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$4.63	$272.94 ✓
Total dividends collected	$3.9K ✓	$2.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: STAY vs VYM ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	STAY Portfolio	STAY Income/yr	VYM Portfolio	VYM Income/yr	Gap
1	$12,467	$1,766.86	$11,147	$237.17	+$1.3K → STAY
2	$14,369	$1,029.31	$12,404	$242.33	+$2.0K → STAY
3	$15,929	$554.37	$13,780	$247.16	+$2.1K → STAY
4	$17,331	$287.18	$15,285	$251.67	+$2.0K → STAY
5	$18,690	$146.01	$16,932	$255.88	+$1.8K → STAY
6	$20,072	$73.58	$18,733	$259.81	+$1.3K → STAY
7	$21,514	$36.92	$20,701	$263.46	+$813.00 → STAY
8	$23,039	$18.49	$22,852	$266.86	+$187.00 → STAY
9← crossover	$24,661	$9.25	$25,201	$270.01	$540.00 → VYM
10	$26,392	$4.63	$27,768	$272.94	$1.4K → VYM

STAY vs VYM: Complete Analysis 2026

STAY — Stock

Extended Stay America, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, owns, operates, develops, and manages hotels in the United States. As of May 4, 2020, the company had a network of 634 hotels. It serves customers in the mid-priced extended stay segment. The company also licenses Extended Stay America brand to third party franchisees. Extended Stay America, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Full STAY Calculator →

VYM — ETF

Seeks to track the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, which measures the investment return of common stocks of companies characterized by high dividend yields. Provides a convenient way to track the performance of stocks that are forecasted to have above-average dividend yields. Follows a passively managed, full-replication approach.

Full VYM 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.