Article updated on July 1st, 2025 by Bob Ciura
Spreadsheet data updated daily
The Dividend Aristocrats are a select group of 69 S&P 500 stocks with 25+ years of consecutive dividend increases.
They are the ‘best of the best’ dividend growth stocks. The Dividend Aristocrats have a long history of outperforming the market.
The requirements to be a Dividend Aristocrat are:
- Be in the S&P 500
- Have 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases
- Meet certain minimum size & liquidity requirements
There are currently 69 Dividend Aristocrats. You can download an Excel spreadsheet of all 69 (with metrics that matter such as dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios) by clicking the link below:
Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.
Note 1: On January 24th, 2025, Erie Indemnity (ERIE), Eversource Energy (ES), and FactSet Research System (FDS) were added to the list with no deletions, leaving 69 Dividend Aristocrats.
Source: S&P News Releases.
You can see detailed analysis on all 69 further below in this article, in our Dividend Aristocrats In Focus Series. Analysis includes valuation, growth, and competitive advantage(s).
Table of Contents
- How To Use The Dividend Aristocrats List To Find Dividend Investment Ideas
- Performance of the Dividend Aristocrats
- Sector Overview
- The 10 Best Dividend Aristocrats Now
- Dividend Aristocrats Analysis (The Dividend Aristocrats In Focus Series)
- Historical Dividend Aristocrats List (1989 – 2025)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
How to Use The Dividend Aristocrats List To Find Dividend Investment Ideas
The downloadable Dividend Aristocrats Excel Spreadsheet List above contains the following for each stock in the index:
- Price-to-earnings ratio
- Dividend yield
- Market capitalization
All Dividend Aristocrats are high-quality businesses based on their long dividend histories. A company cannot pay rising dividends for 25+ years without having a strong and durable competitive advantage.
But not all Dividend Aristocrats make equally good investments today. That’s where the spreadsheet in this article comes into play. You can use the Dividend Aristocrats spreadsheet to quickly find quality dividend investment ideas.
The list of all Dividend Aristocrats is valuable because it gives you a concise list of all S&P 500 stocks with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases (that also meet certain minimum size and liquidity requirements).
These are businesses that have both the desire and ability to pay shareholders rising dividends year-after-year. This is a rare combination.
Together, these two criteria are powerful – but they are not enough. Value must be considered as well.
The spreadsheet above allows you to sort by trailing price-to-earnings ratio so you can quickly find undervalued, high-quality dividend stocks.
Here’s how to use the Dividend Aristocrats list to quickly find high-quality dividend growth stocks potentially trading at a discount:
- Download the list
- Sort by ‘Trailing PE Ratio,’ smallest to largest
- Research the top stocks further
Here’s how to do this quickly in the spreadsheet:
Step 1: Download the list, and open it.
Step 2: Apply a filter function to each column in the spreadsheet.
Step 3: Click on the small gray down arrow next to ‘Trailing P/E Ratio’, and then sort smallest to largest.
Step 4: Review the highest ranked Dividend Aristocrats before investing. You can see detailed analysis on every Dividend Aristocrat found below in this article.
That’s it; you can follow the same procedure to sort by any other metric in the spreadsheet.
Performance Of The Dividend Aristocrats
In June 2025, the Dividend Aristocrats, as measured by the Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL), registered a total return of 0.89%. It under-performed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) for the month.
- NOBL generated returns of 0.89% in June 2025
- SPY generated returns of 5.14% in June 2025
Short-term performance is mostly noise. Performance should be measured over a minimum of 3 years, and preferably longer periods of time.
The Dividend Aristocrats Index has slightly under-performed the broader market index over the last decade, with a 10.15% total annual return for the Dividend Aristocrats and a 13.65% total annual return for the S&P 500 Index.
But the Dividend Aristocrats have exhibited lower risk than the benchmark, as measured by standard deviation.
Source: S&P Fact Sheet
Higher total returns with lower volatility is the ‘holy grail’ of investing. It is worth exploring the characteristics of the Dividend Aristocrats in detail to determine why they have performed so well.
Note that a good portion of the outperformance relative to the S&P 500 comes during recessions (2000 – 2002, 2008). Dividend Aristocrats have historically seen smaller drawdowns during recessions versus the S&P 500. This makes holding through recessions that much easier.
Case-in-point: In 2008 the Dividend Aristocrats Index declined 22%. That same year, the S&P 500 declined 38%.
Great businesses with strong competitive advantages tend to be able to generate stronger cash flows during recessions. This allows them to gain market share while weaker businesses fight to stay alive.
The Dividend Aristocrats Index has beaten the market over the last 28 years…
We believe dividend paying stocks outperform non-dividend paying stocks for three reasons:
- A company that pays dividends is likely to be generating earnings or cash flows so that it can pay dividends to shareholders. This excludes ‘pre-earnings’ start-ups and failing businesses. In short, it excludes the riskiest stocks.
- A business that pays consistent dividends must be more selective with the growth projects it takes on because a portion of its cash flows are being paid out as dividends. Scrutinizing over capital allocation decisions likely adds to shareholder value.
- Stocks that pay dividends are willing to reward shareholders with cash payments. This is a sign that management is shareholder friendly.
In our view, Dividend Aristocrats have historically outperformed the market and other dividend paying stocks because they are, on average, higher-quality businesses.
A high-quality business should outperform a mediocre business over a long period of time, all other things being equal.
For a business to increase its dividends for 25+ consecutive years, it must have or at least had in the very recent past a strong competitive advantage.
Sector Overview
A sector breakdown of the Dividend Aristocrats Index is shown below:
The Dividend Aristocrats Index is tilted toward Consumer Staples and Industrials relative to the S&P 500. These 2 sectors make up over 40% of the Dividend Aristocrats Index, but less than 20% of the S&P 500.
The Dividend Aristocrats Index is also significantly underweight the Information Technology sector, with a ~3% allocation compared with over 20% allocation within the S&P 500.
The Dividend Aristocrat Index is filled with stable ‘old economy’ blue chip consumer products businesses and manufacturers; the Coca-Cola’s (KO), and Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) of the investing world.
These ‘boring’ businesses aren’t likely to generate 20%+ earnings-per-share growth, but they also are very unlikely to see large earnings drawdowns as well.
The 10 Best Dividend Aristocrats Now
This research report examines the 10 best Dividend Aristocrats from our Sure Analysis Research Database with the highest 5-year forward expected total returns.
Dividend Aristocrat #10: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 12.2%
Johnson & Johnson is a diversified health care company and a leader in the area of innovative medicines and medical devices Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886.
On April 15th, 2025, Johnson & Johnson announced that it was increasing its quarterly dividend 4.8% to $1.30, extending the company’s dividend growth streak to 63 consecutive years.
Source: Investor Presentation
That same day, Johnson & Johnson reported first quarter results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 2.3% to $21.9 billion, which beat estimates by $330 million.
Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.77 compared to $2.71 in the prior year and was $0.19 more than expected. Results included adjustments related to the costs of acquisitions.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on JNJ (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #9: Clorox Co. (CLX)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 12.9%
Clorox is a manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products, spanning a wide array of categories from charcoal to cleaning supplies to salad dressing.
More than 80% of its revenue comes from products that are #1 or #2 in their categories across the globe, helping Clorox produce more than $7 billion in annual revenue.
Source: Investor Presentation
The company also boasts an outstanding dividend increase streak of 47 consecutive years.
Clorox posted third quarter earnings on May 5th, 2025, and results were meaningfully worse than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $1.45, which was 11 cents worse than expected. Revenue was off 7.7% year-over-year to $1.67 billion, and missed lowered expectations by $50 million.
Net sales fell primarily from divestitures of the VMS and Argentina businesses. Organic sales were off 2%, primarily from unfavorable price mix. Organic volume was flat, which was due to lower consumption across most of its businesses.
Gross margin was up 240 basis points to 44.6% of revenue, year-over-year. The gain was due to cost savings and divestitures of low-margin product lines, primarily.
Adjusted earnings declined 15% year-over-year from $1.71 a year earlier. Earnings fell primarily from lower sales, partially offset by better margins. Year-to-date net cash from operations was $687 million, up sharply from $355 million a year a ago.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CLX (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #8: Lowe’s Companies (LOW)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 12.9%
Lowe’s Companies is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the US (after Home Depot). The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Mooresville, NC.
Lowe’s operates or services more than 1,700 home improvement and hardware stores in the U.S.
On April 14, 2025, Lowe’s announced it will acquire Artisan Design Group (ADG) for $1.325 billion. ADG designs, distributes, and installs interior surface finishes for flooring, cabinets, and countertops.
In FY 2024, ADG generated $1.8 billion of revenue. The acquisition expands Lowe’s Pro offering into a new distribution channel in a $50 billion market. Lowe’s will pay cash for the business, and the transaction is anticipated to close in Q2 2025.
Lowe’s reported first quarter 2025 results on May 21st, 2025. Total sales came in at $20.9 billion compared to $21.4 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Comparable sales decreased by 1.7%, while net earnings-per-share of $2.92 compared to $3.06 in first quarter 2024.
Lowe’s was negatively impacted from unfavorable weather, partly offset by mid-single-digit Pro and online comparable sales growth.
The company repurchased $112 million of common stock in the quarter. Additionally, it paid out $645 million in dividends.
Lowe’s reiterated its fiscal 2025 outlook and still expects to earn diluted EPS of $12.15 to $12.40 on total sales of $83.5 to $84.5 billion.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on LOW (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #7: Hormel Foods (HRL)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 13.1%
Hormel Foods was founded back in 1891 in Minnesota. Since that time, the company has grown into a juggernaut in the food products industry with nearly $10 billion in annual revenue.
Hormel has kept with its core competency as a processor of meat products for well over a hundred years, but has also grown into other business lines through acquisitions.
Hormel has a large portfolio of category-leading brands. Just a few of its top brands include include Skippy, SPAM, Applegate, Justin’s, and more than 30 others.
The company has increased its dividend for 59 consecutive years.
Source: Investor Presentation
Hormel posted second quarter earnings on May 29th, 2025, and results were largely in line with expectations. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to 35 cents, which was a penny ahead of estimates.
Revenue was up fractionally to $2.9 billion, meeting expectations. The company saw a 7% decline in volume and flat sales in both retail and foodservice. Pricing increases helped to offset that.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on HRL (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #6: Nordson Corporation (NDSN)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 16.4%
Nordson was founded in 1954 in Amherst, Ohio by brothers Eric and Evan Nord, but the company can trace its roots back to 1909 with the U.S. Automatic Company.
Today the company has operations in over 35 countries and engineers, manufactures, and markets products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials, plastics, and other materials, with applications ranging from diapers and straws to cell phones and aerospace.
Source: Investor Presentation
On May 28th, 2025, Nordson reported second quarter results for the period ending April 30, 2025. For the quarter, the company reported sales of $683 million, 5% higher compared to $651 million in Q2 2024, driven by an 8% positive acquisition impact, partly offset by 2% organic sales decrease.
The Medical and Fluid Solutions, and Advanced Technology Solutions segments saw sales increase by 20% and 18%, respectively, while Industrial Precision Solutions sales fell 8%. The company generated adjusted earnings per share of $2.42, a 3% increase compared to the same prior year period.
The company’s backlog rose 5% sequentially.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on NDSN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #5: Eversource Energy (ES)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 14.7%
Eversource Energy is a diversified holding company with subsidiaries that provide regulated electric, gas, and water distribution service in the Northeast U.S.
FactSet, Erie Indemnity, and Eversource Energy are the three new Dividend Aristocrats for 2025.
The company’s utilities serve more than 4 million customers. Eversource has delivered steady growth to shareholders for many years.
Source: Investor Presentation
On May 1st, ES shared its first-quarter earnings report for the period ending March 31st, 2025. The company’s total operating revenue surged 23.6% year-over-year to $4.12 billion during the quarter.
Continued system investments and base distribution rate increases led to this top-line growth in the quarter. ES generated $1.50 in non-GAAP EPS for the quarter, which was up 0.7% over the year-ago period.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ES (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #4: Fastenal Co. (FAST)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 14.8%
Fastenal provides fasteners, tools and supplies to its customers via 1,587 public branches, 2,502 active Onsite locations and 129,996 managed inventory devices.
On January 16th, 2025, Fastenal raised its quarterly dividend by 10%, from $0.39 to $0.43.
In mid-April, Fastenal reported (4/11/25) results for the first quarter of 2025. It grew its sales 3% over the prior year’s quarter thanks to growth in Onsite locations and improved customer contract signings. Earnings-per-share remained flat at $0.52, in line with the analysts’ consensus.
Fastenal has missed the analysts’ estimates only twice in the last 22 quarters. It posted record earnings-per-share in 2022 and 2023 and remained close to its record earnings last year, as an increase in Onsite locations almost offset the effect of a soft manufacturing environment.
Fastenal has a first mover competitive advantage in its industrial vending and Onsite locations, creating a very sticky and well-attuned customer relationship with high switching costs.
Moreover, its scale allows the company to continue its growth path, adjust to business preferences and reliably deliver needed goods.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on FAST (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #3: PPG Industries (PPG)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 14.8%
PPG Industries is the world’s largest paints and coatings company. Its only competitors of similar size are Sherwin-Williams and Dutch paint company Akzo Nobel.
PPG Industries was founded in 1883 as a manufacturer and distributor of glass (its name stands for Pittsburgh Plate Glass) and today has approximately 3,500 technical employees located in more than 70 countries at 100 locations.
On April 29th, 2025, PPG Industries reported first quarter results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue decreased 4.4% to $3.68 billion, but beat estimates by $20 million.
Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.72 compared unfavorably to adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.86 in the prior year.
Pricing was up slightly for the quarter while volume grew 1%. Currency exchange was a 3% headwind and divestitures reduced results by 2%.
Revenue for Global Architectural Coatings, which was formerly part of Performance Coatings, decreased 11% to $857 million.
Volume declined 3% while pricing was up 1%. Currency exchange and divestitures reduced results by 7% and 2%, respectively. Performance Coatings grew 7% to $1.27 billion as a 6% improvement in volume and 3% contribution from pricing was offset by a 1% decrease from both currency translation and divestitures.
For 2025, the company expects adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $7.75 to $8.05.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PPG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #2: PepsiCo Inc. (PEP)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 17.5%
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage company. Its products include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Frito-Lay chips, Gatorade, Tropicana orange juice and Quaker foods.
Its business is split roughly 60-40 in terms of food and beverage revenue. It is also balanced geographically between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Source: Investor Presentation
On April 24th, 2025, PepsiCo reported first quarter earnings results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue fell 1.8% to $17.9 billion, but this beat expectations by $190 million.
Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.48 compared unfavorably to $1.61 the prior year and was $0.01 below estimates. Currency exchange reduced revenue by 3% and earnings-per-share by 4%.
Organic sales grew 1% for the first quarter. For the period, volume for beverages was flat while food decreased 3%. PepsiCo Beverages North America’s revenue grew 1% for the period even as volume was down 3%.
Revenue for Frito Lay North America declined 2% and volume declined 1%.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PEP (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Dividend Aristocrat #1: Becton Dickinson & Co. (BDX)
- 5-year Expected Annual Returns: 19.6%
Becton, Dickinson & Co. is a global leader in the medical supply industry. The company was founded in 1897 and has 75,000 employees across 190 countries.
The company generates about $20 billion in annual revenue, with approximately 43% of revenues coming from outside of the U.S.
Becton, Dickinson & Co., or BD, is a global leader in the medical supply industry. The company generates almost $22 billion in annual revenue, with approximately 43% of revenues coming from outside of the U.S.
BD is composed of three segments. Products sold by the Medical Division include needles for drug delivery systems, and surgical blades. The Life Sciences division provides products for the collection and transportation of diagnostic specimens. The Intervention segment includes several of the products produced by what used to be Bard.
On May 1st, 2025, BD reported results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 4.5% to $5.3 billion, which was $50 million less than expected.
On a currency neutral basis, revenue increased 6%. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.36 compared favorably to $3.17 in the prior year and was $0.07 above estimates.
For the quarter, U.S. grew 7% while international was up 1.2% on a reported basis. Excluding currency exchange, international was higher by 4.8%. Organic growth was up 0.7% for the period.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on BDX (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
The Dividend Aristocrats In Focus Analysis Series
You can see analysis on every single Dividend Aristocrat below. Each is sorted by GICS sectors and listed in alphabetical order by name. The newest Sure Analysis Research Database report for each security is included as well.
Consumer Staples
- Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Amcor (AMCR) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Brown-Forman (BF-B) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Colgate-Palmolive (CL) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Church & Dwight (CHD) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Clorox (CLX) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Coca-Cola (KO) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Hormel Foods (HRL) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- J.M. Smucker (SJM) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Kimberly-Clark (KMB) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- McCormick & Company (MKC) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- PepsiCo (PEP) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Procter & Gamble (PG) [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Sysco Corporation (SYY) [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Walmart (WMT) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Industrials
- Automatic Data Processing (ADP) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- A.O. Smith (AOS) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Cintas (CTAS) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Dover (DOV) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Emerson Electric (EMR) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Expeditors International (EXPD) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Fastenal Co. (FAST) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Illinois Tool Works (ITW) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Nordson Corporation (NDSN) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Pentair (PNR) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Roper Technologies (ROP) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- W.W. Grainger (GWW) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- General Dynamics (GD) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Caterpillar (CAT) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Health Care
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- AbbVie (ABBV) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Becton, Dickinson & Company (BDX) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Cardinal Health (CAH) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Kenvue Inc. (KVUE) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Medtronic (MDT) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Consumer Discretionary
- Genuine Parts Company (GPC) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Lowe’s Companies (LOW) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- McDonald’s (MCD) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Target (TGT) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Financials
- Aflac (AFL) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Brown & Brown (BRO) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Cincinnati Financial (CINF) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Erie Indemnity (ERIE) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- FactSet Research Systems (FDS) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Franklin Resources (BEN) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- S&P Global (SPGI) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- T. Rowe Price Group (TROW) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Chubb (CB) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Materials
- Air Products and Chemicals (APD) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Albemarle (ALB) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Ecolab (ECL) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- PPG Industries (PPG) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Sherwin-Williams (SHW) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Nucor (NUE) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Linde (LIN) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Energy
- Chevron (CVX) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Exxon Mobil (XOM) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Eversource Energy (ES) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Information Technology
Real Estate
- Essex Property Trust (ESS) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Realty Income (O) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Utilities
- Atmos Energy (ATO) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- Consolidated Edison (ED) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
- NextEra Energy (NEE) | [See newest Sure Analysis report]
Historical Dividend Aristocrats List
(1989 – 2025)
The image below shows the history of the Dividend Aristocrats Index from 1989 through 2025:
Note: CL, GPC, and NUE were all removed and re-added to the Dividend Aristocrats Index through the historical period analyzed above. We are unsure as to why. Companies created via a spin-off (like AbbVie) can be Dividend Aristocrats with less than 25 years of rising dividends if the parent company was a Dividend Aristocrat.
Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet and image below is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.
This information was compiled from the following sources:
- 1989 – 1991: Dividend Growth Investor
- 1992 – 2015: NOBL Index Historical Constituents
- 2016: Sure Dividend update
- 2017 – 2025: Data from S&P press releases and tracking dividends
Frequently Asked Questions
This section will address some of most common questions investors have regarding the Dividend Aristocrats.
1. What is the highest-paying Dividend Aristocrat?
Answer: Realty Income (O) currently yields 5.6%.
2. What is the difference between the Dividend Aristocrats and the Dividend Kings?
Answer: The Dividend Aristocrats must be constituents of the S&P 500 Index, have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years, and satisfy a number of liquidity requirements.
The Dividend Kings only need to have raised their dividends for at least 50 consecutive years.
3. Is there an ETF that tracks the Dividend Aristocrats?
Answer: Yes, the Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) is an exchange-traded fund that specifically holds the Dividend Aristocrats.
4. What is the difference between the Dividend Aristocrats and the Dividend Champions?
Answer: The Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Champions share one requirement, which is that a company must have raised its dividend for at least 25 consecutive years.
But like the Dividend Kings, the Dividend Champions do not need to be in the S&P 500 Index, nor satisfy the various liquidity requirements.
5. Which Dividend Aristocrat has the longest active streak of annual dividend increases?
Currently, there are 3 Dividend Aristocrats tied at 69 years: Procter & Gamble, Genuine Parts, and Dover Corporation.
6. What is the average dividend yield of the Dividend Aristocrats?
Right now, the average dividend yield of the Dividend Aristocrats is 2.1%.
7. Are the Dividend Aristocrats safe investments?
While there are never any guarantees when it comes to the stock market, we believe the Dividend Aristocrats are among the safest dividend stocks when it comes to the sustainability of their dividend payouts.
The Dividend Aristocrats have durable competitive advantages that allow them to raise their dividends each year, even during a recession.
Other Dividend Lists & Final Thoughts
The Dividend Aristocrats list is not the only way to quickly screen for stocks that regularly pay rising dividends.
- The Dividend Kings List is even more exclusive than the Dividend Aristocrats. It is comprised of 55 stocks with 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases.
- The Blue Chip Stocks List: stocks that qualify as Dividend Achievers, Dividend Aristocrats, and/or Dividend Kings
- The High Dividend Stocks List: stocks that appeal to investors interested in the highest yields of 5% or more.
- The Monthly Dividend Stocks List: stocks that pay dividends every month, for 12 dividend payments per year.
There is nothing magical about the Dividend Aristocrats. They are ‘just’ a collection of high-quality shareholder friendly stocks that have strong competitive advantages.
Purchasing these types of stocks at fair or better prices and holding for the long-run will likely result in favorable long-term performance.