NUE vs SHW: 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 $368.50 per share, $10,000 buys about 27.1 shares of Sherwin Williams Co (SHW). Each share pays $3.16 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $86 per year — about $7 a month.

NUE is the larger income stream from day one: $35 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.

Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) has raised its dividend about 9.5% a year over the past five years. If that pace held, the $87 per year that $10,000 generates today at the current 0.87% yield would reach $214 per year by 2036 — a 2.1% yield on the original cost.

On those trailing rates, NUE pays more in 2036: $217 versus $214 per year. The projection assumes each five-year growth rate persists and no dividends are reinvested — real payouts will differ.

Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) yields less today (0.87% vs 1.15%) but has grown its dividend faster — 9.5% vs 6.5% a year over the past five years. If both trends continued, a $10,000 position in SHW would start out-earning the same position in NUE around 2037 (roughly 11 years from now), paying about $235 per year at the crossover. Before that point, NUE pays more each year; after it, the gap compounds in SHW's favor.

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

Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) earns $10.28 per share against $3.16 paid out in dividends — 3.3x coverage (a 31% payout ratio).

Coverage is similar for both, so neither dividend looks meaningfully more stretched than the other on current earnings.

For income you need right now, Nucor Corp (NUE) leads: $100,000 invested today pays about $96 a month at the current 1.15% yield, versus $72 a month from Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) at 0.87%.

With a decade or more before the income is needed, SHW's faster dividend growth (9.5% vs 6.5% 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; SHW has raised its dividend 40 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.