Is VOT or MRK a better dividend investment in 2026?

VOT currently yields 0.72% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MRK yields 2.76% with 8.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: MRK offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between VOT and MRK?

VOT has a forward dividend yield of 0.72% ($1.85/share annually). MRK yields 2.76% ($3.32/share annually). The yield gap is 2.04 percentage points.

Home › Compare › VOT vs MRK

VOT vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

VOT yields 0.72% · MRK yields 2.76%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 MRK wins by $36.1K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

VOT

● Live price

0.72%

Share price

$257.35

Annual div

$1.85

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$20.7K

Annual income

$75.26

Full VOT 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 — VOT 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 Period	VOT	MRK
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, VOT + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

VOT pays

MRK pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VOT

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

$61.06/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$63.97/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 $8,264.44/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 VOT + MRK for your $10,000?

VOT: 50%MRK: 50%

100% MRK50/50100% VOT

Portfolio after 10yr

$38.7K

Annual income

$4,936.70/yr

Blended yield

12.75%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

VOT

No analyst data

MRK

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

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.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

VOT buys

MRK buys

No recent congressional trades found for VOT or MRK in the last 90 days.

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

MetricVOTMRK

Forward yield	0.72%	2.76% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.85	$3.32 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	32.7% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$20.7K	$56.8K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$75.26	$9,798.13 ✓
Total dividends collected	$737.00 ✓	$28.9K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Healthcare

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

Year	VOT Portfolio	VOT Income/yr	MRK Portfolio	MRK Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,772	$71.83	$11,206	$366.19	$434.00 → MRK
2	$11,598	$72.31	$12,650	$502.35	$1.1K → MRK
3	$12,483	$72.77	$14,407	$694.19	$1.9K → MRK
4	$13,430	$73.19	$16,585	$967.82	$3.2K → MRK
5	$14,443	$73.60	$19,342	$1,363.89	$4.9K → MRK
6	$15,529	$73.97	$22,913	$1,947.19	$7.4K → MRK
7	$16,690	$74.33	$27,662	$2,823.89	$11.0K → MRK
8	$17,933	$74.66	$34,159	$4,173.35	$16.2K → MRK
9	$19,263	$74.97	$43,337	$6,308.80	$24.1K → MRK
10	$20,687	$75.26	$56,776	$9,798.13	$36.1K → MRK

VOT vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

VOT — Stock

Seeks to track the performance of the CRSP US Mid Cap Growth Index, which measures the investment return of mid-capitalization growth stocks. Provides a convenient way to match the performance of a diversified group of midsize growth companies. Follows a passively managed, full-replication approach.

Full VOT 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.