Best Dividend Stocks

Q: What are dividend stocks?

Dividend stocks are shares of companies that regularly distribute a portion of their profits to shareholders, typically on a quarterly basis. These cash payments provide investors with income in addition to any stock price appreciation. Dividend-paying companies tend to be mature, profitable businesses with stable cash flows — think utilities, banks, consumer staples, and healthcare companies.

Q: What is a good dividend yield?

A good dividend yield typically falls between 2% and 6% for most investors. Yields below 2% may not provide meaningful income relative to safer alternatives like Treasury bonds. Yields above 6% often signal elevated risk — the stock price may have fallen sharply, pushing the yield up artificially. The average S&P 500 dividend yield is historically around 1.5–2%. Always evaluate yield alongside the payout ratio and earnings growth.

Q: How are dividends taxed?

In the U.S., qualified dividends are taxed at long-term capital gains rates: 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your taxable income. Ordinary dividends are taxed at your regular income tax rate, which can be as high as 37%. To qualify for the lower rate, you must hold the stock for more than 60 days around the ex-dividend date. Dividends in IRAs or 401(k)s grow tax-deferred or tax-free.

Q: What is the ex-dividend date?

The ex-dividend date is the cutoff date for receiving a declared dividend. If you buy a stock on or after this date, you will not receive the upcoming payment — the previous owner gets it. To be eligible, you must purchase at least one business day before. Stock prices typically drop by approximately the dividend amount on the ex-dividend date.

Q: What are Dividend Aristocrats?

Dividend Aristocrats are S&P 500 companies that have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. This elite group includes around 65 companies spanning sectors like consumer staples, healthcare, industrials, and financials. Dividend Aristocrats have historically outperformed the broader S&P 500 with lower volatility.

Q: Is a high dividend yield always better?

No — an unusually high yield is often a warning sign known as a dividend trap. A yield above 7–8% frequently indicates the stock price has fallen sharply because the market expects a dividend cut. The best approach is to evaluate yield in context: check the payout ratio (under 60% is healthy), review earnings trends, and compare the yield to the company's own historical range. A moderate yield that grows consistently beats an unsustainably high one.

Quality meets income: dividend stocks yielding 2%+ with sustainable payout ratios under 100%. Large caps that pay you to hold.

200 stocks Updated Mar 31, 2026

4.73% Avg Dividend Yield

56.2% Avg Payout Ratio

14.3 Avg P/E Ratio

$21.51T Total Market Cap

The best dividend stocks combine attractive yields with sustainable payout ratios, consistent payment histories, and strong underlying business fundamentals. This list screens for large-cap companies yielding at least 2% with payout ratios below 100%, filtering out the high-yield traps where an elevated dividend signals financial distress rather than shareholder generosity.

Dividend investing is a core strategy for income-oriented portfolios and retirees seeking regular cash flow. Beyond the income stream, dividend-paying companies tend to be more financially disciplined and less volatile than non-payers. The power of dividend reinvestment (DRIP) can significantly compound returns over long holding periods.

When evaluating dividend stocks, yield alone can be misleading — a stock with a 10% yield that cuts its dividend next quarter is worse than one yielding 3% that grows its payout annually. This list sorts by yield but includes payout ratios and P/E ratios so you can assess sustainability at a glance.

#	Symbol	Name	Price	Yield %	Annual Div	Payout %	P/E	Market Cap
1	ZIM	Zim Integrated Shipping Serv	$25.88	19.19%	$4.81	26.97%	3.4	3.38B
2	BXSL	Blackstone Secured Lending F	$23.79	12.88%	$2.86	84.04%	9.2	5.53B
3	ARCC	Ares Capital Corp	$17.74	10.71%	$1.82	97.31%	9.8	12.77B
4	HTGC	Hercules Capital Inc	$14.20	10.59%	$1.85	95.95%	8.2	2.78B
5	GBDC	Golub Capital Bdc Inc	$12.65	10.53%	$1.56	97.76%	9.7	3.22B
6	FLO	Flowers Foods Inc	$8.40	10.02%	$0.96	81.83%	10.8	2.09B
7	WU	Western Union Co	$8.74	9.70%	$0.95	61.85%	6.1	3.04B
8	APAM	Artisan Partners Asset Ma -A	$35.60	9.09%	$3.19	88.56%	9.9	2.89B
9	MCHB	Mechanics Bancorp-A	$14.43	8.45%	$0.40	18.27%	19.6	3.35B
10	TFSL	Tfs Financial Corp	$13.73	8.12%	$0.21	65.45%	42.8	3.88B
11	FG	F&G Annuities & Life Inc	$24.83	8.10%	$0.96	18.94%	8.0	3.73B
12	HAFN	Hafnia Ltd	$7.47	7.74%	$1.39	90.42%	11.4	33.97B
13	HESM	Hess Midstream Lp - Class A	$39.50	7.70%	$1.65	99.23%	23.4	8.24B
14	OMF	Onemain Holdings Inc	$52.22	7.63%	$4.22	63.73%	8.2	6.45B
15	TRMD	Torm Plc-A	$27.38	7.60%	$2.01	70.00%	9.9	18.39B
16	CAG	Conagra Brands Inc	$15.73	7.49%	$1.40	58.07%	—	8.94B
17	CPB	The Campbell'S Company	$22.18	7.45%	$1.54	76.25%	11.9	6.57B
18	KHC	Kraft Heinz Co/The	$22.34	7.35%	$1.60	70.37%	—	25.76B
19	UMBF	Umb Financial Corp	$109.98	7.17%	$1.58	17.48%	13.6	9.52B
20	ONB	Old National Bancorp	$21.48	6.95%	$0.63	35.45%	14.5	9.70B
21	FULT	Fulton Financial Corp	$19.66	6.80%	$0.76	45.61%	10.0	3.93B
22	UPS	United Parcel Service-Cl B	$94.95	6.79%	$6.34	96.88%	14.7	82.07B
23	AFG	American Financial Group Inc	$127.14	6.67%	$7.24	71.97%	12.9	10.86B
24	FCNCA	First Citizens Bcshs -Cl A	$1,847.00	6.64%	$12.45	7.30%	10.0	21.98B
25	HPQ	Hp Inc	$19.05	6.54%	$1.17	43.02%	6.7	16.84B
26	FHN	First Horizon Corp	$22.05	6.53%	$0.67	34.59%	11.5	11.32B
27	BRSL	Brightstar Lottery Plc	$12.48	6.47%	$0.80	46.13%	8.5	2.58B
28	NOG	Northern Oil And Gas Inc	$29.91	6.46%	$1.62	31.13%	15.0	2.71B
29	CNO	Cno Financial Group Inc	$40.18	6.41%	$0.68	28.87%	17.6	3.90B
30	VZ	Verizon Communications	$50.30	6.36%	$2.72	66.85%	12.8	219.73B
31	FITB	Fifth Third Bancorp	$44.68	6.20%	$1.74	50.82%	19.1	48.06B
32	STKAF	ST Engineering Ltd	$2.92	6.15%	$0.22	63.56%	11.9	10.39B
33	CFR	Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc	$135.32	6.10%	$4.11	40.40%	14.1	9.14B
34	KEY	Keycorp	$19.40	6.09%	$0.95	57.63%	11.8	21.64B
35	BBY	Best Buy Co Inc	$63.91	6.07%	$3.81	74.93%	12.3	13.12B
36	FSUGY	Fortescue Ltd	$27.51	6.04%	$0.93	84.52%	11.3	61.08B
37	KEN	Kenon Holdings Ltd	$79.95	5.97%	$3.82	33.56%	8.9	4.22B
38	PRU	Prudential Financial Inc	$94.48	5.88%	$5.48	53.86%	9.1	32.41B
39	DHT	Dht Holdings Inc	$17.93	5.80%	$0.74	56.33%	12.6	2.67B
40	ING	ING Groep N.V.	$24.80	5.74%	$1.29	61.38%	6.5	62.17B
41	VAC	Marriott Vacations World	$66.08	5.69%	$3.19	49.08%	—	2.32B
42	BTI	British American Tobacco p.l.c.	$58.61	5.66%	$2.39	67.47%	12.2	94.53B
43	GIS	General Mills Inc	$37.11	5.60%	$2.43	58.33%	9.3	23.63B
44	TROW	T Rowe Price Group Inc	$89.03	5.51%	$5.08	54.07%	9.8	20.47B
45	MAIN	Main Street Capital Corp	$51.65	5.39%	$3.70	63.07%	9.7	5.18B
46	HRB	H&R Block Inc	$31.64	5.30%	$1.44	32.57%	6.7	4.13B
47	IMBBY	Imperial Brands PLC	$40.77	5.26%	$1.88	75.23%	11.5	23.73B
48	KMB	Kimberly-Clark Corp	$96.35	5.18%	$5.00	82.14%	16.2	32.75B
49	DBSDY	DBS Group Holdings Ltd	$176.65	5.09%	$2.87	74.55%	14.9	162.31B
50	SNY	Sanofi	$46.78	5.08%	$3.79	85.29%	7.7	96.39B
51	FIBK	First Interstate Bancsys-A	$32.82	5.06%	$1.88	86.68%	12.7	3.82B
52	FRO	Frontline Plc	$33.39	5.04%	$1.95	87.60%	20.3	7.69B
53	LNC	Lincoln National Corp	$34.08	5.02%	$2.31	35.34%	5.5	6.50B
54	AVA	Avista Corp	$40.46	4.97%	$1.96	82.38%	17.0	3.28B
55	BCE	Bce Inc	$25.23	4.96%	$2.36	33.70%	5.1	32.87B
56	AES	Aes Corp	$14.02	4.95%	$0.70	55.05%	11.1	10.13B
57	CHRD	Chord Energy Corp	$146.24	4.95%	$10.46	62.44%	35.0	5.97B
58	OKE	Oneok Inc	$92.96	4.93%	$3.97	76.21%	16.3	54.52B
59	EIX	Edison International	$71.84	4.93%	$3.58	29.31%	5.9	27.61B
60	CPA	Copa Holdings Sa-Class A	$107.81	4.91%	$6.47	44.26%	8.7	5.81B
61	NVO	Novo Nordisk A/S	$38.58	4.91%	$11.66	50.53%	10.2	1.05T
62	CLX	Clorox Company	$102.42	4.85%	$4.88	74.32%	16.5	12.45B
63	LAZ	Lazard Inc	$40.33	4.85%	$2.03	78.78%	16.0	3.79B
64	SWKS	Skyworks Solutions Inc	$52.50	4.80%	$2.80	90.67%	22.6	8.93B
65	COLB	Columbia Banking System Inc	$26.79	4.75%	$1.44	56.26%	14.5	9.25B
66	PFS	Provident Financial Services	$20.80	4.74%	$0.96	43.24%	9.1	2.64B
67	HSBC	HSBC Holdings plc	$79.19	4.71%	$0.77	60.50%	10.1	208.06B
68	SIRI	Sirius Xm Holdings Inc	$22.76	4.70%	$1.13	45.34%	9.3	7.45B
69	RIO	Rio Tinto Group	$88.83	4.70%	$3.78	61.66%	14.9	111.35B
70	BNS	Bank Of Nova Scotia	$67.39	4.63%	$4.74	75.43%	13.1	117.12B
71	EMN	Eastman Chemical Co	$72.55	4.63%	$3.33	80.38%	17.1	8.12B
72	PAYX	Paychex Inc	$93.12	4.62%	$4.02	87.40%	20.1	32.97B
73	CMCSA	Comcast Corp-Class A	$28.90	4.60%	$1.32	24.47%	5.1	101.93B
74	FNF	Fidelity National Financial	$45.70	4.53%	$2.00	90.70%	20.7	12.48B
75	WSBC	Wesbanco Inc	$33.73	4.49%	$1.72	62.87%	14.5	3.24B
76	DEO	Diageo plc	$74.30	4.48%	$1.03	97.62%	16.9	30.62B
77	SFNC	Simmons First Natl Corp-Cl A	$18.96	4.43%	$0.85	69.05%	—	2.79B
78	REYN	Reynolds Consumer Products I	$21.00	4.40%	$0.91	63.79%	14.7	4.40B
79	OTEX	Open Text Corp	$21.63	4.39%	$1.04	62.29%	12.8	7.72B
80	F	Ford Motor Co	$11.21	4.35%	$0.73	53.04%	—	55.24B
81	CNS	Cohen & Steers Inc	$61.38	4.33%	$2.50	82.84%	20.6	3.15B
82	WHR	Whirlpool Corp	$50.87	4.31%	$5.41	94.64%	12.1	3.84B
83	TTE	Totalenergies Se	$91.55	4.30%	$3.70	61.86%	8.1	164.42B
84	TFC	Truist Financial Corp	$44.64	4.29%	$2.32	56.45%	11.4	60.56B
85	ES	Eversource Energy	$68.41	4.26%	$2.97	65.03%	16.4	27.74B
86	BMY	Bristol-Myers Squibb Co	$59.73	4.24%	$2.51	71.52%	16.9	119.16B
87	FHB	First Hawaiian Inc	$24.13	4.23%	$1.05	47.40%	10.9	3.02B
88	TIGO	Millicom Intl Cellular S.A.	$73.13	4.22%	$4.42	57.29%	9.0	11.87B
89	CNA	Cna Financial Corp	$45.62	4.19%	$3.87	81.92%	9.5	12.13B
90	BBT	Beacon Financial Corp	$29.26	4.18%	$0.69	50.72%	43.5	2.58B
91	CVBF	Cvb Financial Corp	$19.09	4.16%	$0.80	55.72%	12.5	2.57B
92	BACHY	Bank of China Limited	$15.34	4.15%	$0.40	49.79%	6.9	1.65T
93	IDCBY	Industrial & Commercial Bank of China	$16.88	4.14%	$0.31	29.85%	6.8	2.51T
94	SLF	Sun Life Financial Inc	$61.92	4.11%	$3.66	55.11%	13.4	50.31B
95	CRBG	Corebridge Financial Inc	$22.73	4.10%	$0.97	24.39%	—	11.76B
96	UGI	Ugi Corp	$36.69	4.10%	$1.50	47.49%	11.8	8.00B
97	NSRGY	Nestlé S.A.	$95.41	4.07%	$3.05	86.89%	21.5	194.19B
98	BBVA	Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria	$20.46	4.07%	$0.74	39.92%	5.6	104.18B
99	LKQ	Lkq Corp	$28.89	4.05%	$1.21	51.07%	12.4	7.52B
100	POR	Portland General Electric Co	$52.62	4.03%	$1.90	63.90%	19.8	6.00B

Frequently Asked Questions

What are dividend stocks?

Dividend stocks are shares of companies that regularly distribute a portion of their profits to shareholders, typically on a quarterly basis. These cash payments provide investors with income in addition to any stock price appreciation. Dividend-paying companies tend to be mature, profitable businesses with stable cash flows — think utilities, banks, consumer staples, and healthcare companies.

What is a good dividend yield?

A good dividend yield typically falls between 2% and 6% for most investors. Yields below 2% may not provide meaningful income relative to safer alternatives like Treasury bonds. Yields above 6% often signal elevated risk — the stock price may have fallen sharply, pushing the yield up artificially. The average S&P 500 dividend yield is historically around 1.5–2%. Always evaluate yield alongside the payout ratio and earnings growth.

What is the dividend payout ratio?

The dividend payout ratio is the percentage of a company's earnings paid out as dividends. Ratios under 60% are generally considered sustainable and leave room for dividend increases. Ratios above 80% may indicate the dividend is at risk if earnings decline. REITs are an exception — they are required to distribute at least 90% of taxable income and typically have higher payout ratios.

How are dividends taxed?

In the U.S., qualified dividends are taxed at long-term capital gains rates: 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your taxable income. Ordinary dividends are taxed at your regular income tax rate, which can be as high as 37%. To qualify for the lower rate, you must hold the stock for more than 60 days around the ex-dividend date. Dividends in IRAs or 401(k)s grow tax-deferred or tax-free.

What is the ex-dividend date?

The ex-dividend date is the cutoff date for receiving a declared dividend. If you buy a stock on or after this date, you will not receive the upcoming payment — the previous owner gets it. To be eligible, you must purchase at least one business day before. Stock prices typically drop by approximately the dividend amount on the ex-dividend date.

What are Dividend Aristocrats?

Dividend Aristocrats are S&P 500 companies that have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. This elite group includes around 65 companies spanning sectors like consumer staples, healthcare, industrials, and financials. Dividend Aristocrats have historically outperformed the broader S&P 500 with lower volatility.

Can you live off dividend income?

Living off dividends is possible but requires a substantial portfolio. At a 4% average yield, you would need approximately $750,000 to generate $30,000 annually, or $1.25 million for $50,000. Key considerations include building a diversified portfolio, focusing on dividend growth stocks rather than just the highest yields, accounting for taxes, and maintaining a cash buffer for periods when companies may cut payouts.

Is a high dividend yield always better?

No — an unusually high yield is often a warning sign known as a dividend trap. A yield above 7–8% frequently indicates the stock price has fallen sharply because the market expects a dividend cut. The best approach is to evaluate yield in context: check the payout ratio (under 60% is healthy), review earnings trends, and compare the yield to the company's own historical range. A moderate yield that grows consistently beats an unsustainably high one.