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VPC vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

VPC yields 17.79% · MRK yields 3.25%● Live data

vsPost on X →
After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 VPC wins by $33.0K in total portfolio value
10 years
VPC
VPC
● Live price
17.79%
Share price
$15.11
Annual div
$2.69
5Y div CAGR
0%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$63.7K
Annual income
$5,285.46
Full VPC 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 — VPC vs MRK

📍 VPC 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 PeriodVPCMRK
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, VPC + MRK cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan
—
Feb
—
Mar
—
Apr
—
May
—
Jun
—
Jul
—
Aug
—
Sep
—
Oct
—
Nov
—
Dec
—
VPC pays
MRK pays
Both pay
Neither
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Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

VPC
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$1,512.45/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$4,492.64/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, VPC beats the other by $3,684.89/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

VPC: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% VPC
Portfolio after 10yr
$47.2K
Annual income
$3,117.88/yr
Blended yield
6.60%
📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

VPC
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)

VPC buys
0
MRK buys
8
PoliticianChamberTickerTypeAmountDate
Josh Gottheimer🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002026-02-04
Michael McCaul🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$15,001 - $50,0002026-01-13
Gilbert Cisneros🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-12-19
Julie Johnson🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-12-18
Julie Johnson🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-11-13
Ro Khanna🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-09-29
Val Hoyle🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-09-23
Marjorie Taylor Greene🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-28
Julie Johnson🏢 House$MRK▼ Sell$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-14
Gilbert Cisneros🏢 House$MRK▲ Buy$1,001 - $15,0002025-08-05
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricVPCMRK
Forward yield17.79% ✓3.25%
Annual dividend / share$2.69$3.08 ✓
Payout ratio50%42% ✓
1-year div growth0%5.5% ✓
5-year div CAGR0%8.2% ✓
Portfolio after 10y$63.7K ✓$30.7K
Annual income after 10y$5,285.46 ✓$950.29
Total dividends collected$34.0K ✓$6.1K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare

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

YearVPC PortfolioVPC Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1← crossover$12,479$1,779.36$11,192$351.54+$1.3K → VPC
2$15,428$2,075.26$12,524$392.70+$2.9K → VPC
3$18,906$2,397.78$14,015$438.65+$4.9K → VPC
4$22,975$2,746.06$15,682$489.96+$7.3K → VPC
5$27,703$3,118.83$17,547$547.23+$10.2K → VPC
6$33,156$3,514.50$19,632$611.16+$13.5K → VPC
7$39,408$3,931.20$21,963$682.53+$17.4K → VPC
8$46,534$4,366.81$24,571$762.18+$22.0K → VPC
9$54,610$4,819.04$27,486$851.08+$27.1K → VPC
10$63,718$5,285.46$30,745$950.29+$33.0K → VPC

VPC vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

VPC — Stock

The Fund strives to deliver an alternative source of yield to traditional fixed income by focusing on the private credit market. The Fund seeks to track the Indxx Private Credit Index, which provides passive exposure to listed instruments that emphasize private credit, including business development companies (BDCs) and closed-end funds (CEFs).

Full VPC Calculator →

MRK — Healthcare

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.