25 Top-Paying Dividend Stocks That Will Make You Rich
Retirees and other investors looking for predictable passive income streams have long turned to dividend stocks — which look even better now that it’s a struggle to get a 1% yield on a one-year CD. The very best dividend stocks not only deliver reliable payouts over the years but also appreciate, thereby delivering increasingly larger payments over time.
The top performers are usually associated with large, established companies that command massive shares of their respective markets. Also, the best dividend stocks don’t slash or eliminate their dividends — in fact, they increase them.
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The most trusted of all are the famous Dividend Aristocrats, which are a few dozen high-profile stocks on the S&P 500 that have increased their dividends every year for at least a quarter-century. GOBankingRates analyzed each of them — there are currently 65 — and used data from NASDAQ and Google Finance to find the 25 with the highest yields. They're ranked in ascending order of yield.
Last updated: July 26, 2021
1. Emerson Electric Company
Annual dividend: $2.00
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $69.95
Dividend yield: 2.86%
Headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri, Emerson Electric is a Fortune 500 company that provides engineering and automation services to a broad range of consumer, commercial and industrial markets. It was founded more than a century ago.
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2. Aflac Inc.
Annual dividend: $1.12
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $38.10
Dividend yield: 2.94%
Although Aflac is known as much for its mascot duck as its insurance, investors appreciate the company's status as the biggest supplier of supplemental workplace insurance in the U.S. It covers 50 million people worldwide.
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3. Archer Daniels Midland
Annual dividend: $1.44
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $48.97
Dividend yield: 2.94%
Food processing and commodities trading giant ADM does business on every continent except Antarctica — and business is good. The company posted $65 billion in net sales in 2019 alone.
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4. Pepsico Inc.
Annual dividend: $4.09
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $138.44
Dividend yield: 2.95%
Pepsico is best known for its iconic namesake soft drink, but the company's success comes from much more than just Pepsi-Cola. Among its brands and divisions are Frito-Lay, Quaker Foods, Lipton, Doritos, Gatorade, Lay’s, Ruffles, Tostitos and Tropicana.
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5. Cincinnati Financial
Annual dividend: $2.40
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $79.69
Dividend yield: 3.01%
Casualty and property insurance are the core of Cincinnati Financial’s business, but the company manages a number of subsidiaries that deal with products and services such as life insurance, specialty underwriter’s insurance, underwriting, and leasing and financing services.
6. General Dynamics Corp.
Annual dividend: $4.40
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $143.66
Dividend yield: 3.06%
General Dynamics is one of the biggest defense and aerospace companies in the world and one of the biggest companies period in terms of revenue. Its sprawling portfolio of products and services includes shipbuilding and ship repairs, IT and C4ISR solutions, weapons systems and munitions, combat vehicles and business aviation.
7. Genuine Parts Company
Annual dividend: $3.16
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $100.39
Dividend yield: 3.15%
Genuine Parts Company, which employs around 50,000 workers, does most of its business in the automotive replacements parts market. Industrial replacement parts and materials represent a smaller but still significant portion of its business as well.
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8. Raytheon Technologies Corp.
Annual dividend: $1.90
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $59.91
Dividend yield: 3.17%
Raytheon Technologies is one of the biggest aerospace research, development and manufacturing companies in the world. It’s also one of the biggest U.S. government private contractors, bringing in billions from advanced systems and technologies like aerostructures, avionics, drones and air defense systems.
9. Coca-Cola Company
Annual dividend: $1.64
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $50.81
Dividend yield: 3.23%
Like its chief competitor Pepsico, the Coca-Cola Company is most famous for its universally known flagship soft drink. But also like Pepsi, that’s just the start. Coca-Cola also owns popular brands like Fanta, Dasani, Minute Maid, Schweppes, Honest Tea and Vitamin Water.
10. Nucor Corp.
Annual dividend: $1.61
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $48.86
Dividend yield: 3.30%
Headquartered in Charlotte, Nucor is the largest steel producer in the U.S. It serves most major industries that use steel and steel products, including the construction, automotive, agricultural, oil and gas, transportation and infrastructure industries.
11. 3M Company
Annual dividend: $5.88
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $169.30
Dividend yield: 3.47%
A sprawling multinational conglomerate, 3M produces more than 60,000 products under several different brands. The company’s offerings include everything from adhesives and filters to aircraft maintenance supplies and dental equipment.
12. Leggett & Platt Inc.
Annual dividend: $1.60
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $44.94
Dividend yield: 3.56%
Leggett & Platt designs and manufactures a wide range of products and components that are common to homes and vehicles, including bedding, flooring, textile and furniture products.
13. Consolidated Edison Company of New York
Annual dividend: $3.06
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $82.55
Dividend yield: 3.71%
ConEd operates a network of subsidiaries that together represent one of the biggest investor-owned energy providers in the country. It serves 10 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York.
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14. Essex Property Trust
Annual dividend: $8.31
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $215.45
Dividend yield: 3.86%
Essex is a real estate investment trust that buys, develops and manages a huge portfolio of multifamily apartment complexes on the West Coast.
15. Amcor Plc
Annual dividend: $0.46
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $11.42
Dividend yield: 4.03%
Based in the U.K., Amcor Plc is a global producer of packaging and related materials, including plastic jars and bottles, flexible packaging, capsules and specialty cartons. It serves businesses in the pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, health care and other industries.
16. Cardinal Health
Annual dividend: $1.944
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $48.03
Dividend yield: 4.05%
In terms of revenue, Cardinal Health is one of the biggest companies in the U.S. This multinational conglomerate delivers health care products, services and logistical support to hospitals, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, doctor’s offices and clinical labs around the world.
17. Realty Income Corp.
Annual dividend: $2.808
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $63.19
Dividend yield: 4.44%
Known as "O Stock" for its ticker symbol, Realty Income has delivered more than 600 consecutive monthly dividends. The REIT has also delivered 92 quarterly increases in a row, along with a 15.3% compound average annual return since its 1994 NYSE listing.
18. Franklin Resources
Annual dividend: $1.08
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $22.59
Dividend yield: 4.78%
Known together with its subsidiaries as Franklin Templeton, Franklin Resources is one of the world’s biggest investment firms. It has more than $1.4 trillion in assets under management.
19. Walgreens Boots Alliance
Annual dividend: $1.87
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $36.34
Dividend yield: 5.15%
Retail and wholesale pharmacy giant Walgreens-Boots Alliance operates more than 21,000 stores in 11 countries and has more than 450,000 employees.
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20. AbbVie Inc.
Annual dividend: $4.72
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $87.70
Dividend yield: 5.38%
Biopharmaceutical giant AbbVie was created in 2013 when it was spun off from Abbott Laboratories. Its biggest drug is Humira, used to treat autoimmune diseases.
21. Federal Realty Investment Trust
Annual dividend: $4.24
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $78.38
Dividend yield: 5.41%
Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Rockville, Md., Federal Realty Investment Trust is one of the oldest REITs in America. Known for its stability, it concentrates on investing in retail properties in affluent areas.
22. People's United Financial
Annual dividend: $0.72
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $10.83
Dividend yield: 6.65%
People’s United Financial is the parent company of People’s United Bank, which operates more than 400 branches across the Northeast. It has more than $60 billion in assets.
23. Chevron Corp.
Annual dividend: $5.16
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $74.00
Dividend yield: 6.97%
Multinational energy giant Chevron is one of the largest companies in the world and a driving force in the energy industry. Its operations span more than 180 countries.
24. AT&T Inc.
Annual dividend: $2.08
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $28.32
Dividend yield: 7.34%
One of the oldest, largest and most influential companies in U.S. history, AT&T focuses on three core areas of business: high-speed fiber optic and wireless broadband connectivity, entertainment and media. It is the parent company of WarnerMedia.
25. Exxon Mobil Corp.
Annual dividend: $3.48
Oct. 9, 2020 price: $34.74
Dividend yield: 10.02%
Exxon Mobil joins Chevron as one of the biggest players in the global energy industry. Its dividend rose all the way past 10% in 2020, even as its stock value plummeted by more than 50% as the COVID-19 pandemic hurt oil and gas stocks.
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Methodology: In order to find top-paying dividend stocks, GOBankingRates analyzed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index constituents, a collection of all 65 S&P 500 stocks that have increased dividends every year for at least the last 25 years. For each constituent, GOBankingRates found (1) the most recent annual dividend according to NASDAQ data and (2) the 10/9 closing price according to Google Finance data. GOBankingRates then used these factors to calculate (3) the dividend yield for each constituent. All 65 Dividend Aristocrats were then ranked on factor (3) and the top 25 with the highest dividend yield are featured in the final ranking. All data were collected on and up to date as of Oct. 12, 2020.
Please note photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the specific company listed in this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 25 Top-Paying Dividend Stocks That Will Make You Rich
