Is ZME or MCD a better dividend investment in 2026?

ZME currently yields 4.00% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MCD yields 2.35% with 8.5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: ZME offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between ZME and MCD?

ZME has a forward dividend yield of 4.00% ($2.00/share annually). MCD yields 2.35% ($7.26/share annually). The yield gap is 1.65 percentage points.

Home › Compare › ZME vs MCD

ZME vs MCD: Dividend Comparison 2026

ZME yields 4.00% · MCD yields 2.35%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 MCD wins by $50.5K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 5

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

ZME

● 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 ZME calculator →

MCD

McDonald's Corporation

● Live price

2.35%

Share price

$308.53

Annual div

$7.26

5Y div CAGR

42.3%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$78.5K

Annual income

$26,227.70

Full MCD calculator →

Portfolio growth — ZME vs MCD

📍 MCD pulled ahead of the other in Year 5

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	ZME	MCD
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, ZME + MCD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

ZME pays

MCD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

ZME

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

$340.00/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$764.31/yr

MCD

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

$200.01/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$22,293.55/yr

At 15% tax rate, MCD beats the other by $21,529.23/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 ZME + MCD for your $10,000?

ZME: 50%MCD: 50%

100% MCD50/50100% ZME

Portfolio after 10yr

$53.3K

Annual income

$13,563.45/yr

Blended yield

25.45%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MCD right now

ZME

No analyst data

MCD

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$351.76

+14.0% upside vs current

Range: $320.00 — $385.00

Altman Z

4.9

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)

ZME buys

MCD buys

No recent congressional trades found for ZME or MCD in the last 90 days.

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

MetricZMEMCD

Forward yield	4.00% ✓	2.35%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$7.26 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	5% ✓	0%
5-year div CAGR	5%	42.3% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$28.0K	$78.5K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$899.19	$26,227.70 ✓
Total dividends collected	$6.4K	$58.5K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Consumer Discretionary

Year-by-year: ZME vs MCD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	ZME Portfolio	ZME Income/yr	MCD Portfolio	MCD Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,120	$420.00	$10,815	$334.85	+$305.00 → ZME
2	$12,357	$458.31	$11,826	$491.71	+$531.00 → ZME
3	$13,721	$499.76	$13,123	$730.06	+$598.00 → ZME
4	$15,227	$544.58	$14,853	$1,100.07	+$374.00 → ZME
5← crossover	$16,885	$593.02	$17,257	$1,690.61	$372.00 → MCD
6	$18,713	$645.34	$20,752	$2,667.01	$2.0K → MCD
7	$20,724	$701.81	$26,103	$4,354.83	$5.4K → MCD
8	$22,938	$762.73	$34,794	$7,437.78	$11.9K → MCD
9	$25,372	$828.41	$49,926	$13,461.60	$24.6K → MCD
10	$28,047	$899.19	$78,550	$26,227.70	$50.5K → MCD

ZME vs MCD: Complete Analysis 2026

ZME — Stock

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

Full ZME Calculator →

MCD — Consumer Discretionary

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants in the United States and internationally. Its restaurants offer hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and nuggets, wraps, fries, salads, oatmeal, shakes, desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, bakery items, soft drinks, coffee, and beverages and other beverages, as well as breakfast menu, including biscuit and bagel sandwiches, breakfast burritos, hotcakes, and other sandwiches. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 40,031 restaurants. McDonald's Corporation was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Full MCD 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.