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VRLMX vs MRK: Dividend Comparison 2026

VRLMX yields 17.39% · MRK yields 2.76%● Live data

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After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled
🏆 VRLMX wins by $5.4K in total portfolio value
10 years
VRLMX
VRLMX
● Live price
17.39%
Share price
$11.50
Annual div
$2.00
5Y div CAGR
0%
Payout ratio
50%
After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP
Portfolio value
$62.1K
Annual income
$5,047.78
Full VRLMX 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 — VRLMX vs MRK

📍 VRLMX 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 PeriodVRLMXMRK
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, VRLMX + MRK cover 0 of 12 monthsgood coverage

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
VRLMX 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.

VRLMX
Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)
$1,478.29/yr
After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)
$4,290.61/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 $4,037.80/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000
⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

VRLMX: 50%MRK: 50%
100% MRK50/50100% VRLMX
Portfolio after 10yr
$59.5K
Annual income
$7,422.96/yr
Blended yield
12.48%
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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MRK right now

VRLMX
No analyst data
MRK
Analyst Ratings
25
Buy
11
Hold
1
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)

VRLMX buys
0
MRK buys
0
No recent congressional trades found for VRLMX or MRK in the last 90 days.
STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →
MetricVRLMXMRK
Forward yield17.39%2.76%
Annual dividend / share$2.00$3.32
Payout ratio50%50%
1-year div growth0%0%
5-year div CAGR0%32.7%
Portfolio after 10y$62.1K$56.8K
Annual income after 10y$5,047.78$9,798.13
Total dividends collected$32.8K$28.9K
Payment frequencyquarterlyquarterly
SectorStockHealthcare

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

YearVRLMX PortfolioVRLMX Income/yrMRK PortfolioMRK Income/yrGap
1← crossover$12,439$1,739.16$11,206$366.19+$1.2KVRLMX
2$15,332$2,021.84$12,650$502.35+$2.7KVRLMX
3$18,734$2,328.97$14,407$694.19+$4.3KVRLMX
4$22,705$2,659.61$16,585$967.82+$6.1KVRLMX
5$27,307$3,012.48$19,342$1,363.89+$8.0KVRLMX
6$32,604$3,386.03$22,913$1,947.19+$9.7KVRLMX
7$38,665$3,778.43$27,662$2,823.89+$11.0KVRLMX
8$45,559$4,187.66$34,159$4,173.35+$11.4KVRLMX
9$53,360$4,611.53$43,337$6,308.80+$10.0KVRLMX
10$62,143$5,047.78$56,776$9,798.13+$5.4KVRLMX

VRLMX vs MRK: Complete Analysis 2026

VRLMXStock

In managing the fund, the Adviser focuses primarily on one source of potential return: the receipt of option premiums from selling fully collateralized put options on equity indices. Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the value of the fund's net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) will be subject to written put options on U.S. equity securities. The fund will invest in U.S. Treasury securities of varying maturities, typically with remaining maturities of one year or less, to meet any applicable asset coverage or margin requirements on the fund's option writing strategy.

Full VRLMX Calculator →

MRKHealthcare

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.