Is XYLD or IRT a better dividend investment in 2026?

XYLD currently yields 10.98% with a 0.5% 5-year dividend growth rate. IRT yields 4.59% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: XYLD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between XYLD and IRT?

XYLD has a forward dividend yield of 10.98% ($4.30/share annually). IRT yields 4.59% ($0.68/share annually). The yield gap is 6.39 percentage points.

Home › Compare › XYLD vs IRT

XYLD vs IRT: Dividend Comparison 2026

XYLD yields 10.98% · IRT yields 4.59%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 IRT wins by $8.0K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

XYLD

Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

10.98%

Share price

$39.13

Annual div

$4.30

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.3K

Annual income

$3,219.02

Full XYLD calculator →

IRT

● Live price

4.59%

Share price

$14.81

Annual div

$0.68

5Y div CAGR

10.1%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$33.3K

Annual income

$1,914.49

Full IRT calculator →

Portfolio growth — XYLD vs IRT

📍 IRT pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	XYLD	IRT
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, XYLD + IRT cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

XYLD pays

IRT pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

XYLD

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

$933.63/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,736.17/yr

IRT

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

$390.28/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,627.32/yr

At 15% tax rate, XYLD beats the other by $1,108.85/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of XYLD + IRT for your $10,000?

XYLD: 50%IRT: 50%

100% IRT50/50100% XYLD

Portfolio after 10yr

$29.3K

Annual income

$2,566.75/yr

Blended yield

8.77%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on IRT right now

XYLD

No analyst data

IRT

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$20.08

+35.6% upside vs current

Range: $18.00 — $22.00

Altman Z

0.7

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)

XYLD buys

IRT buys

Politician	Chamber	Ticker	Type	Amount	Date
Gilbert Cisneros	🏢 House	$IRT	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2026-01-15
Josh Gottheimer	🏢 House	$IRT	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-09-22
Josh Gottheimer	🏢 House	$IRT	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-07-16
Lisa McClain	🏢 House	$IRT	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-06-17
Lisa McClain	🏢 House	$IRT	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2025-06-11
Josh Gottheimer	🏢 House	$IRT	▲ Buy	$1,001 - $15,000	2024-09-09
Daniel Goldman	🏢 House	$IRT	▼ Sell	$1,001 - $15,000	2023-07-12
John Thune	🏛 Senate	$IRT	▼ Sell	$15,001 - $50,000	2022-05-05

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

MetricXYLDIRT

Forward yield	10.98% ✓	4.59%
Annual dividend / share	$4.30 ✓	$0.68
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	10.1% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$25.3K	$33.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$3,219.02 ✓	$1,914.49
Total dividends collected	$19.6K ✓	$10.7K
Payment frequency	monthly	quarterly
Sector	ETF	REIT

Year-by-year: XYLD vs IRT ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	XYLD Portfolio	XYLD Income/yr	IRT Portfolio	IRT Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,818	$1,098.39	$11,206	$505.52	$388.00 → IRT
2	$11,738	$1,222.51	$12,573	$582.88	$835.00 → IRT
3	$12,774	$1,364.64	$14,126	$672.95	$1.4K → IRT
4	$13,944	$1,527.86	$15,893	$777.98	$1.9K → IRT
5	$15,270	$1,715.87	$17,906	$900.64	$2.6K → IRT
6	$16,775	$1,933.09	$20,203	$1,044.12	$3.4K → IRT
7	$18,490	$2,184.87	$22,830	$1,212.23	$4.3K → IRT
8	$20,450	$2,477.63	$25,837	$1,409.50	$5.4K → IRT
9	$22,697	$2,819.19	$29,287	$1,641.41	$6.6K → IRT
10	$25,280	$3,219.02	$33,252	$1,914.49	$8.0K → IRT

XYLD vs IRT: Complete Analysis 2026

XYLD — ETF

The Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF (XYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index.

Full XYLD Calculator →

IRT — REIT

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, and Raleigh. IRT's investment strategy is focused on gaining scale within key amenity rich submarkets that offer good school districts, high-quality retail and major employment centers. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjusted returns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance, and a consistent return on capital through distributions and capital appreciation.

Full IRT 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.