The 3 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy Now: September 2023

All of which is to say that dividend stocks should not be viewed as a replacement for traditional fixed income investments but rather as a complement to a diversified portfolio. Financial services such as consumer and business lending are another place to find a handful of top dividend stocks, and American Express (AXP 0.4%) is one of the best. Although not on the list of every-year dividend raisers, American Express has a decades-long track record of either raising or maintaining its dividend through every economic environment. The big lesson here is that when other banks and lenders are cutting their dividends, Amex has proven able to stand pat during the downturns. With dividend growth at 50 years and counting, and shares trading for a steep discount to their all-time highs, dividend investors should put Target on their shopping list.

The company invests in, acquires, and operates renewables facilities, selling the power on long-term contracts — think decades, not years — to utility companies and very large power consumers. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. When vetting dividend-paying companies, long-term profitability is a key consideration. Only those that have demonstrated consistent annual growth should make the cut. When a company raises its dividend, that means the dividend per share increases.

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It aims to uncover companies that have grown their dividends the most over the last three years. In addition, each company must have positive earnings performance over recent years and forecasted EPS growth. The company has an “A” financial health rating from Morningstar and one of the highest dividend yields on this list. The company boasts the highest three-year dividend growth rate on our list. Strong expected earnings growth over the next five years and 14.3% forecasted EPS growth next year indicate that it should be able to keep growing its dividend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average component has paid shareholders a dividend since 1890, and has raised its payout for 68 years in a row.

In Journalism at New York University and is now based in Berlin, Germany. With annual sales of $15 billion, Stanley Black & Decker is today one of the world’s largest industrial product manufacturers. While the company’s sales can be cyclical and trend up or down with the economy, its strong brand and popularity with contractors help to see it through most economic downturns. If you invested all of that money at once, on the other hand, there’s a chance you’d buy in when the fund’s price was at a yearly high.

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Given the expected earnings growth and payout ratio, the company has room to continue increasing the dividend if they so choose. It has a “B” financial health rating from Morningstar and a buyback yield of 0.6%. The strategy should to provide support for McCormick’s dividend, which has been paid for 99 consecutive years and raised annually for 37. MKC last declared an increase to its dividend in November 2022 – a 5.4% raise to the quarterly payment to 39 cents per share. Through it all, however, EXPD remained committed to its semiannual dividend, which it has hiked every year for more than a quarter-century. A consistently low payout ratio should help ensure that Expeditors has ample resources to keep the streak alive and maintain its place on a list of the best dividend stocks.

Generous military spending has helped fuel this dividend stock’s steady stream of cash returned to shareholders. Indeed, General Dynamics has upped its distribution for more than three decades now. The most recent hike was declared in November 2022, when Roper lifted the quarterly payout by 10%, to 68.25 cents per share. Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD) was added to the Aristocrats in January 2020. The logistics company last raised its semiannual dividend in May 2023, to 69 cents a share from 67 cents a share. The REIT went public in 1994 and has been hiking its payout ever since.

The dividend payout ratio is only 22.9%, so ITT has room to continue raising dividends aggressively. It has an “A” financial health rating from Morningstar and a buyback yield of 1.4%. With a below-average payout ratio and plenty of free cash flow, investors can count on Emerson Electric to keep the dividend hikes coming. Colgate’s dividend dates back more than a century, to 1895, and the company has increased it annually for 61 years.

Five dividend stocks to buy

Formerly known as McGraw Hill Financial, S&P Global (SPGI) is the company behind S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Market Intelligence and S&P Global Platts. Air Products, which dates back to 1940, now is a slimmer company that has returned to focusing on its legacy industrial gases business. But it hasn’t taken its eye off the dividend, which it has improved on an annual basis for 41 years in a row.

CL last raised its payment in March 2023, upping the quarterly distribution by 2.1% to 48 cents per share. Real estate investment trusts such as Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT) are required to pay out at least 90% of their taxable earnings as dividends in exchange for certain tax benefits. Thus, REITs are well known as some of the best dividend stocks you can buy. The most recent increase came in December 2022 when NUE lifted the quarterly disbursement by 2% to 51 cents per share. Nucor returns an average of about $480 million in cash to shareholders in dividends alone, year in and year out. The world’s largest company by revenue might not pay the biggest dividend, but it sure is consistent.

Its ongoing dividend increases only strengthen the investment’s appeal. Some brokerages even allow you to buy fractional shares, meaning if you only had $100 to invest, you could buy a portion of a stock like Google, which has long traded for more than $1,000 a share. Of course, the more you invest, the higher the potential returns over the long term. Use our investment calculator to see how compounding returns work. Perhaps what’s more important is to consider when not to sell stocks.

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Walmart (WMT) has been delivering meager penny-per-share increases to its quarterly dividend since 2014, including February 2023’s bump to 57 cents per share. Through good economic times and bad, one of ADP’s great advantages is its “stickiness.” After all, it’s complicated and expensive for corporate customers to change payroll service providers. That competitive advantage helps https://1investing.in/ throw off consistent income and cash flow. In turn, ADP has become a dependable dividend payer – one that has provided an annual raise for shareholders since 1975. Income investors certainly don’t need to worry about Sherwin-Williams’ steady and rising dividend stream. The most recent hike came in February 2023 with an 8.3% increase to the quarterly payment to 65 cents per share.

• Although attractive at first glance, this often goes hand in hand with a low share price.
• Indeed, Cardinal Health has upped the ante on its annual payout for 37 years and counting.
• The company joins the Dividend Aristocrats on Feb. 1, 2023 by dint of its 25-year streak of payout hikes.
• Broadcom is a semiconductor company with a wide array of product offerings.
• Tracing its roots back to a single drugstore founded in 1901, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has boosted its dividend every year for more than four decades.
• The company invests in, acquires, and operates renewables facilities, selling the power on long-term contracts — think decades, not years — to utility companies and very large power consumers.

A low P/E ratio indicates a stock isn’t expensive, but it’s important to compare its P/E with other companies in the sector and the general market to validate this. A low dividend yield today doesn’t tell investors anything about the future. Apple’s current dividend yield of around 0.6% might seem lackluster, but the company’s 3-year stock dividend growth is a whopping 31,3%. Share price appreciation is the key thing most investors think of when they have to spell out their investing goals. However, dividend investors prioritize a company’s dividend yield over anything else, including price appreciation.

Best Dividend Stocks To Buy Now

It’s crucial to review the dividend classification provided by the company to determine whether dividends qualify as ordinary or qualified. The tax treatment of dividends is subject to change, so it’s advisable to consult with a tax professional for personalized advice based on your tax situation. McDonald’s has been stung by rising prices just like everyone else. A forward-looking strategy is positioned to improve the their online presence and build out delivery and drive-thru options as well. All these positives come with a price tag, and McDonalds shares don’t come cheap.

Property and casualty insurer Cincinnati Financial’s (CINF) offerings include life insurance, annuities, umbrella insurance and a wide range of business insurance products. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), founded in 1886 and public since 1944, operates in several different segments of the healthcare industry. In addition to pharmaceuticals, it also manufactures medical devices.

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Analysts expect 9.5% yearly EPS growth for the next five years, and Morningstar gives the company a “B” financial health rating. It has grown earnings more than 10.4% over the last five years, and analysts expect 9.4% yearly EPS growth going forward. The main benefit of taking the fund approach is that you’ll spread your risk across a larger number of companies versus just picking a handful of individual stocks on your own. Dividends are usually paid quarterly, but other schedules are also possible. Special dividends are one-time payments that should not be counted on to reoccur. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service.

• Investors looking for great share-price appreciation will likely be disappointed and will be better off looking at other stocks.
• Ignoring companies with a low dividend yield, on the other hand, can also be a mistake as some of these companies can become great dividend-payers in the future.
• Practically speaking, its products help optimize everything from offshore oil production to electronics polishing to commercial laundries.
• The company has seen impressive growth, including nearly 24% yearly EPS over the last five years, and 12% expected yearly EPS growth over the next five years.
• It sticks to ones with private equity sponsors that generate enough cash to pay their bills.
• Dividend stocks can be useful sources of income, but the best dividend stocks can also be excellent ways to increase your wealth over the long term.

But if you’d reinvested all dividend payments back in the fund over the same period, your annualized return would have been 6.2%, for a cumulative return of 247%. During most of the 20th century, the annual dividend yield of the S&P 500 ranged between 3% and 5%. More elements of scm recently, dividend yields are lower as companies have been more cautious with their cash payouts. Of course this extra tax burden doesn’t apply if your dividend stocks are held in a tax-advantaged retirement plan such as an individual retirement account (IRA).

The one thing the pool fantasy gets sort-of right is that yes, dividend stocks do pay out regular dividends — meaning a part of their profits — to shareholders. Investors pursuing a long-term financial goal tend to favor dividend-paying stock because it can be an important potential step toward finally living off of a regular stream of income. In business since 1842, Stanley Black & Decker has increased its dividend for 55 consecutive years. Today, SWK stock offers shareholders a quarterly dividend payment of 81 cents a share, giving it a yield of 3.50%.