BDX vs ULTY: Dividend Comparison
Dividend data as of
Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX) from Health Care and YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY) from N/A offer different dividend profiles for income-focused portfolios. ULTY offers a significantly higher 137.83% yield compared to BDX's 2.36%, a gap of 135.47%. For dividend growth, BDX leads with a 5-year CAGR of 6.2% versus ULTY's -88.4%. BDX is a Dividend Aristocrat with 43 years of consecutive increases.
Verdict
Yield Analysis
ULTY yields 135.47% more than BDX. In dollar terms, BDX pays $4.20/share vs ULTY's $45.23/share annually.
Dividend Growth
BDX: Dividend growth has been steady, with a 3-year CAGR of 6.5% and a 5-year CAGR of 6.2% (10-year: 5.2%).
ULTY: Dividend growth has been steady, with a 3-year CAGR of -88.4% and a 5-year CAGR of -88.4% (10-year: -88.4%).
Dividend Safety
BDX: The payout ratio of 68% is moderate. The dividend is currently covered by earnings but leaves less room for growth. Earnings cover the dividend 1.5x.
Estimated Annual Dividend Income
Based on current dividend yields. Actual income may vary.
What does $10,000 buy in BDX vs ULTY today?
At $177.39 per share, $10,000 buys about 56.4 shares of Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX). Each share pays $4.20 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $237 per year — about $20 a month.
At $34.47 per share, $10,000 buys about 290.1 shares of YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY). Each share pays $45.23 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $13,120 per year — about $1,093 a month.
ULTY is the larger income stream from day one: $12,884 per year more on the same $10,000 invested.
What could $10,000 of BDX or ULTY income look like in 10 years?
Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX) has raised its dividend about 6.2% a year over the past five years. If that pace held, the $236 per year that $10,000 generates today at the current 2.36% yield would reach $431 per year by 2036 — a 4.3% yield on the original cost.
YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY)'s dividend has shrunk about 88.4% a year over the past five years. If that trend continued, today's $13,783 per year on $10,000 (at the current 137.83% yield) would fall to $0 per year by 2036.
On those trailing rates, BDX pays more in 2036: $431 versus $0 per year. The projection assumes each five-year growth rate persists and no dividends are reinvested — real payouts will differ.
When would BDX's dividend growth overtake ULTY's higher yield?
Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX) yields less today (2.36% vs 137.83%) but has grown its dividend faster — 6.2% vs -88.4% a year over the past five years. If both trends continued, a $10,000 position in BDX would start out-earning the same position in ULTY around 2028 (roughly 2 years from now), paying about $266 per year at the crossover. Before that point, ULTY pays more each year; after it, the gap compounds in BDX's favor.
Why is there no payout ratio for ULTY?
REWD has neither an earnings-per-share figure nor a payout ratio for YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY) — typical for ETFs and covered-call funds, whose distributions are funded by the underlying portfolio (stock dividends, option premium, or return of capital) rather than a single company's earnings. For a fund, judge sustainability by the distribution history and the strategy behind it, not a payout ratio.
Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX) earns $6.12 per share against $4.20 paid out in dividends — 1.5x coverage (a 68% payout ratio). That's the usual corporate affordability test — it just doesn't translate to the fund side of this comparison.
Which fits an early-retirement income portfolio better, BDX or ULTY?
For income you need right now, YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY) leads: $100,000 invested today pays about $11,486 a month at the current 137.83% yield, versus $197 a month from Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX) at 2.36%.
With a decade or more before the income is needed, BDX's faster dividend growth (6.2% vs -88.4% a year) matters more than the starting yield — raises compound into the larger paycheck over time.
On consistency: BDX has raised its dividend 43 consecutive years.
Many income investors simply hold both — the mix pairs current yield with growth and spreads single-name risk. Whichever way you lean, dividends are never guaranteed; recheck the payout each quarter rather than setting and forgetting.
$10,000 with DRIP: projected annual income
If each holding keeps raising its dividend at its real 5-year rate and every payment is reinvested, a $10,000 position pays $544/yr in BDX vs $0/yr in ULTY by year 10.
Assumes dividends are reinvested at the current yield and grow at each holding's trailing 5-year dividend CAGR. A projection, not a prediction — no price appreciation modeled.
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