HomeCompareTPZ vs MRK

TPZ vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

TPZ yields 3.71% · MRK yields 3.25%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 TPZ wins by $3.6K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 5
10 years
TPZ
TPZ
● Live price
3.71%
Share price
$21.94
Annual div
$0.81
5Y div CAGR
15.3%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$34.3K
Annual income
$2,491.82
Full TPZ calculator →
MRK
Merck & Co. Inc.
● Live price
3.25%
Share price
$94.80
Annual div
$3.08
5Y div CAGR
8.2%
Payout ratio
42%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$30.7K
Annual income
$950.29
Full MRK calculator →

Portfolio growth — TPZ vs MRK

📍 TPZ pulled ahead of the other in Year 5

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 PeriodTPZMRK
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, TPZ + MRK cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

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

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

TPZ
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$315.40/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$2,118.05/yr
MRK
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$276.16/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$807.75/yr
At 15% tax rate, TPZ beats the other by $1,310.30/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

TPZ: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% TPZ
Portfolio after 10yr
$32.5K
Annual income
$1,721.06/yr
Blended yield
5.29%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

TPZ
Analyst Ratings
1
Buy
Consensus: Buy
Altman Z
3.8
Piotroski
7/9
MRK
Analyst Ratings
25
Buy
11
Hold
1
Sell
Consensus: Buy
Price Target
$128.54
+35.6% 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)

TPZ buys
0
MRK buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for TPZ or MRK in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricTPZMRK
Forward yield3.71%3.25%
Annual dividend / share$0.81$3.08
Payout ratio50%42%
1-year div growth0%5.5%
5-year div CAGR15.3%8.2%
Portfolio after 10y$34.3K$30.7K
Annual income after 10y$2,491.82$950.29
Total dividends collected$11.8K$6.1K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare
Analyst consensusBuyBuy

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

YearTPZ PortfolioTPZ Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1$11,128$427.83$11,192$351.54$64.00MRK
2$12,420$513.02$12,524$392.70$104.00MRK
3$13,906$616.99$14,015$438.65$109.00MRK
4$15,624$744.42$15,682$489.96$58.00MRK
5← crossover$17,619$901.26$17,547$547.23+$72.00TPZ
6$19,947$1,095.18$19,632$611.16+$315.00TPZ
7$22,680$1,336.09$21,963$682.53+$717.00TPZ
8$25,904$1,636.95$24,571$762.18+$1.3KTPZ
9$29,732$2,014.72$27,486$851.08+$2.2KTPZ
10$34,306$2,491.82$30,745$950.29+$3.6KTPZ

TPZ vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

TPZStock

TPZ invests in equity and fixed income securities, mainly in US electrification infrastructure companies that are expected to provide consistent income regardless of the economic cycle. The fund invests in companies that use long-lived assets for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power, and related energy infrastructure such as utilities, pipelines, LNG facilities, and renewable energy assets. Fixed income investments may be of any maturity, comprising up to 50% of the portfolio. The fund caps junk bonds to 25%, MLPs to 25%, and non-US issuers to 10%. In addition, the actively managed fund employs a covered call strategy against select equity positions. Starting with $313 million in assets, the ETF is the product of the merger of three closed-end funds: Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure (TPZ), Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. (NDP), and Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. Before Jan 1, 2026, the fund was named Tortoise Essential Energy Fund.

Full TPZ Calculator →

MRKHealthcare

Merck is a Dividend Aristocrat with 14+ consecutive years of increases. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is the world's best-selling cancer drug and drives exceptional cash generation. The company's oncology and vaccines pipeline provides long-term growth visibility beyond the Keytruda patent cliff in the 2030s.

Full MRK Calculator →
📬

Get this TPZ vs MRK comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

TPZ vs SCHDTPZ vs JEPITPZ vs OTPZ vs KOTPZ vs MAINTPZ vs JNJTPZ vs ABBVTPZ vs PFE

⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.