Is XEC or HTGC a better dividend investment in 2026?

XEC currently yields 4.00% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. HTGC yields 10.22% with 4.2% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: HTGC offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between XEC and HTGC?

XEC has a forward dividend yield of 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). HTGC yields 10.22% ($1.88/share annually). The yield gap is 6.22 percentage points.

Home › Compare › XEC vs HTGC

XEC vs HTGC: Dividend Comparison 2026

XEC yields 4.00% · HTGC yields 10.22%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 HTGC wins by $25.6K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

XEC

● Live price

4.00%

Share price

$50.00

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$28.0K

Annual income

$899.19

Full XEC calculator →

HTGC

Hercules Capital Inc.

● Live price

10.22%

Share price

$18.40

Annual div

$1.88

5Y div CAGR

4.2%

Payout ratio

90%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$53.7K

Annual income

$3,064.35

Full HTGC calculator →

Portfolio growth — XEC vs HTGC

📍 HTGC 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	XEC	HTGC
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, XEC + HTGC cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

XEC pays

HTGC pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

XEC

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

HTGC

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

$868.48/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,604.70/yr

At 15% tax rate, HTGC beats the other by $1,840.39/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 XEC + HTGC for your $10,000?

XEC: 50%HTGC: 50%

100% HTGC50/50100% XEC

Portfolio after 10yr

$40.9K

Annual income

$1,981.78/yr

Blended yield

4.85%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on XEC right now

XEC

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$81.56

+63.1% upside vs current

Range: $72.00 — $104.00

HTGC

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$18.81

+2.2% upside vs current

Range: $17.50 — $19.75

Altman Z

1.1

Piotroski

5/9

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)

XEC buys

HTGC buys

No recent congressional trades found for XEC or HTGC in the last 90 days.

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

MetricXECHTGC

Forward yield	4.00%	10.22% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$2.00 ✓	$1.88
Payout ratio	50% ✓	90%
1-year div growth	5%	5.6% ✓
5-year div CAGR	5% ✓	4.2%
Portfolio after 10y	$28.0K	$53.7K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$899.19	$3,064.35 ✓
Total dividends collected	$6.4K	$19.5K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	BDC
Analyst consensus	Buy	Buy
Analyst price target	$81.56 ✓	$18.81

Year-by-year: XEC vs HTGC ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	XEC Portfolio	XEC Income/yr	HTGC Portfolio	HTGC Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$11,120	$420.00	$12,045	$1,064.65	$925.00 → HTGC
2	$12,357	$458.31	$14,442	$1,216.94	$2.1K → HTGC
3	$13,721	$499.76	$17,242	$1,384.73	$3.5K → HTGC
4	$15,227	$544.58	$20,501	$1,568.89	$5.3K → HTGC
5	$16,885	$593.02	$24,280	$1,770.26	$7.4K → HTGC
6	$18,713	$645.34	$28,649	$1,989.67	$9.9K → HTGC
7	$20,724	$701.81	$33,685	$2,227.97	$13.0K → HTGC
8	$22,938	$762.73	$39,472	$2,485.98	$16.5K → HTGC
9	$25,372	$828.41	$46,104	$2,764.50	$20.7K → HTGC
10	$28,047	$899.19	$53,687	$3,064.35	$25.6K → HTGC

XEC vs HTGC: Complete Analysis 2026

XEC — Stock

XEC is a dividend-paying stock. Use this calculator to estimate your future dividend income, DRIP compounding returns, and passive income potential from investing in XEC shares.

Full XEC Calculator →

HTGC — BDC

Hercules Capital specializes in lending to venture-backed technology and life sciences companies. This unique focus allows it to capture higher yields than traditional BDCs. Strong origination network with leading VC firms. HTGC pays regular plus supplemental dividends, making total yield among the highest in BDC space.

Full HTGC 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.