Dividend Aristocrats exhibit the following characteristics:
- They are a member of the S&P 500
- The index is equally weighted with constituents re-weighted quarterly
- List is reviewed and updated annually in December
Make no mistake, Dividend Aristocrats are the blue-blood of dividend growth stocks. When building your core portfolio, this list is where you want to start your evaluation. If you want dividend growth, these stocks have been there, and done that - for decades.
This week week, I screened my dividend growth stocks database for Dividend Aristocrats with a yield greater than 3% and have increased their dividends for at least 35 consecutive years. The results are presented below:
McDonald's Corporation (MCD) is the largest fast-food restaurant company in the world, with about 35,000 restaurants in 119 countries. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1976 and has increased its dividend payments for 38 consecutive years. Yield: 3.1%
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is the world's largest soft drink company, and also has a sizable fruit juice business. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1893 and has increased its dividend payments for 53 consecutive years. Yield: 3.1%
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) is one of the world's leading agribusiness concerns, with major market positions in agricultural processing and merchandising. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1927 and has increased its dividend payments for 40 consecutive years. Yield: 3.1%
Target Corp. (TGT) operates nearly 1,800 Target, SuperTarget and CityTarget general merchandise stores across the U.S. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1965 and has increased its dividend payments for 48 consecutive years. Yield: 3.2%
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) is the largest retailer in the world, operating a chain of over 10,000 discount department stores, wholesale clubs, supermarkets and supercenters. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1973 and has increased its dividend payments for 41 consecutive years. Yield: 3.3%
The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) is a leading consumer products company that markets household and personal care products in more than 180 countries. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1891 and has increased its dividend payments for 58 consecutive years. Yield: 3.5%
Nucor Corporation (NUE) is the largest minimill steelmaker in the U.S., Nucor has one of the most diverse product lines of any steelmaker in the Americas. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1973 and has increased its dividend payments for 42 consecutive years. Yield: 3.6%
Abbvie Inc. (ABBV) is a global research-based pharmaceuticals business that emerged as a separate entity following its spin-off from Abbott Laboratories at the start of 2013. AbbVie's key drug is Humira for rheumatoid arthritis. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1926 and has increased its dividend payments for 43 consecutive years. Yield: 3.7%
Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) designs and supplies product technology, and delivers engineering services and solutions to a wide range of industrial, commercial and consumer markets around the world. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1947 and has increased its dividend payments for 59 consecutive years. Yield: 3.8%
Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED) is an electric and gas utility holding company serves parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1885 and has increased its dividend payments for 42 consecutive years. Yield: 4.1%
As with past screens, the data presented above is in its raw form. Some of the the companies would be disqualified for poor dividend fundamentals. However some of the others may be worth additional due diligence.
My database, D4L-Data, is an Open Office spreadsheet containing more than 20 columns of information on the 250+ companies that I track. The data is sortable and has built-in buttons and macros to make it easy to use. Companies included in the list are those that have had a history of dividend growth. The D4L-Data spreadsheet is a part of D4L-Premium Services and is updated each Saturday for subscribers.
Full Disclosure: Long MCD, KO, WMT, ABBV, PG, EMR, ED in my Dividend Growth Portfolio and long ADM in my High Dividend Growth Portfolio. See a list of all my dividend growth holdings here.
Related Articles
- What's Your Retirement Vision?
- Stock Dividends - The Gift of Nothing
- What's More Powerful Than Compound Interest?
- Dividends vs. Stock Buybacks
- 8 Dividend Stocks With A Quick Payback
(Photo Credit)
Tags: MCD, TGT, KO, ADM, WMT, ABBV, PG, NUE, EMR, ED,
