NUE vs PPG: Dividend Comparison

At $182.61 per share, $10,000 buys about 54.8 shares of Nucor Corp (NUE). Each share pays $2.21 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $121 per year — about $10 a month.

At $131.33 per share, $10,000 buys about 76.1 shares of Ppg Industries Inc (PPG). Each share pays $2.78 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $212 per year — about $18 a month.

PPG is the larger income stream from day one: $91 per year more on the same $10,000 invested.

Nucor Corp (NUE) has raised its dividend about 6.5% a year over the past five years. If that pace held, the $115 per year that $10,000 generates today at the current 1.15% yield would reach $217 per year by 2036 — a 2.2% yield on the original cost.

Ppg Industries Inc (PPG) has raised its dividend about 5.3% a year over the past five years. If that pace held, the $215 per year that $10,000 generates today at the current 2.15% yield would reach $361 per year by 2036 — a 3.6% yield on the original cost.

On those trailing rates, PPG pays more in 2036: $361 versus $217 per year. The projection assumes each five-year growth rate persists and no dividends are reinvested — real payouts will differ.

Not within a realistic holding period. Nucor Corp (NUE) is growing its dividend faster (6.5% vs 5.3% a year), but the starting-yield gap — 2.15% for PPG vs 1.15% for NUE — is wide enough that the crossover sits more than 30 years out on trailing rates. For income you plan to spend, PPG's head start is decisive.

Nucor Corp (NUE) earns $7.51 per share against $2.21 paid out in dividends — 3.4x coverage (a 29% payout ratio).

Ppg Industries Inc (PPG) earns $6.92 per share against $2.78 paid out in dividends — 2.5x coverage (a 40% payout ratio).

NUE's wider coverage leaves more cushion if earnings dip. As a rule of thumb, coverage below about 1.5x (a payout ratio above ~65%) is where a dividend starts to look stretched — worth watching for PPG if earnings weaken.

For income you need right now, Ppg Industries Inc (PPG) leads: $100,000 invested today pays about $179 a month at the current 2.15% yield, versus $96 a month from Nucor Corp (NUE) at 1.15%.

With a decade or more before the income is needed, NUE's faster dividend growth (6.5% vs 5.3% a year) matters more than the starting yield — raises compound into the larger paycheck over time.

On consistency: NUE has raised its dividend 16 consecutive years; PPG has raised its dividend 42 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.