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VCAIX vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

VCAIX yields 2.83% · MRK yields 3.25%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 MRK wins by $6.8K in total portfolio value
10 years
VCAIX
VCAIX
● Live price
2.83%
Share price
$11.42
Annual div
$0.32
5Y div CAGR
0%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$24.0K
Annual income
$339.99
Full VCAIX 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 — VCAIX vs MRK

📍 MRK 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 PeriodVCAIXMRK
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, VCAIX + MRK cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

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

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VCAIX
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$240.75/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$288.99/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, MRK beats the other by $518.76/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

VCAIX: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% VCAIX
Portfolio after 10yr
$27.3K
Annual income
$645.14/yr
Blended yield
2.36%
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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

VCAIX
No analyst data
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)

VCAIX buys
0
MRK buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for VCAIX or MRK in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricVCAIXMRK
Forward yield2.83%3.25%
Annual dividend / share$0.32$3.08
Payout ratio50%42%
1-year div growth0%5.5%
5-year div CAGR0%8.2%
Portfolio after 10y$24.0K$30.7K
Annual income after 10y$339.99$950.29
Total dividends collected$3.1K$6.1K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare

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

YearVCAIX PortfolioVCAIX Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1← crossover$10,983$283.24$11,192$351.54$209.00MRK
2$12,043$290.74$12,524$392.70$481.00MRK
3$13,184$297.93$14,015$438.65$831.00MRK
4$14,411$304.82$15,682$489.96$1.3KMRK
5$15,732$311.41$17,547$547.23$1.8KMRK
6$17,151$317.69$19,632$611.16$2.5KMRK
7$18,675$323.69$21,963$682.53$3.3KMRK
8$20,311$329.40$24,571$762.18$4.3KMRK
9$22,068$334.83$27,486$851.08$5.4KMRK
10$23,953$339.99$30,745$950.29$6.8KMRK

VCAIX vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

VCAIXStock

The fund’s investment objective is to seek to provide a higher level of current income than shorter-term bonds, but with less share-price fluctuation than longer-term bonds. The fund is intended for California residents only. It invests primarily in high-quality municipal bonds issued by California state and local governments, as well as by regional government and public financing authorities. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the fund’s assets will be invested in securities whose income is exempt from federal and California state taxes. Although the fund has no limitations on the maturities of individual securities, its dollar-weighted average maturity is expected to be between 6 and 12 years. Risks of the fund include the fact that changes in interest rates, both up and down, can affect the fund by resulting in lower bond prices or an eventual decrease in income for the fund. Investors who are looking for a fund that may provide federal and California state tax-exempt interest income and can tolerate moderate price and income fluctuations may wish to consider this fund.The Vanguard California Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund is a stand alone product and is separate and distinct from the Vanguard California Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTEC). Differences in scale, certain investment processes, and underlying holdings are expected to produce different investment returns by the funds.

Full VCAIX 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 →
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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.