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 Jul 18, 2026

4.41% Avg Dividend Yield

57.6% Avg Payout Ratio

17.7 Avg P/E Ratio

$21.66T 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	MCHB	Mechanics Bancorp-A	$16.28	16.83%	$0.40	18.27%	17.2	3.77B
2	OTF	Blue Owl Technology Finance	$10.10	13.61%	$0.85	54.66%	11.3	4.76B
3	WU	Western Union Co	$8.35	10.26%	$0.95	61.85%	5.8	2.57B
4	ARCC	Ares Capital Corp	$19.17	9.99%	$1.82	97.31%	12.0	13.79B
5	GBDC	Golub Capital Bdc Inc	$13.06	9.90%	$1.56	97.76%	17.0	3.48B
6	HAFN	Hafnia Ltd	$7.25	9.79%	$0.40	58.48%	8.1	35.63B
7	HTGC	Hercules Capital Inc	$16.24	9.77%	$1.85	95.95%	9.1	3.03B
8	APAM	Artisan Partners Asset Ma -A	$38.51	8.65%	$3.19	88.56%	11.1	3.18B
9	FRO	Frontline Plc	$36.49	8.42%	$0.93	54.62%	9.0	8.12B
10	BWLP	Bw Lpg Ltd	$20.37	8.39%	$1.32	82.48%	8.7	30.27B
11	DHT	Dht Holdings Inc	$17.44	8.24%	$0.74	56.33%	8.4	2.78B
12	TRMD	Torm Plc-A	$28.45	8.10%	$2.01	70.00%	8.8	19.90B
13	HESM	Hess Midstream Lp - Class A	$40.34	7.77%	$1.65	99.23%	22.5	8.28B
14	MAIN	Main Street Capital Corp	$55.37	7.24%	$3.81	68.76%	12.2	5.21B
15	STLA	Stellantis Nv	$5.79	7.15%	$0.68	84.98%	—	19.76B
16	CPB	The Campbell'S Company	$22.08	6.89%	$1.54	76.25%	11.4	6.92B
17	OMF	Onemain Holdings Inc	$60.30	6.86%	$4.22	63.73%	8.8	7.00B
18	WHR	Whirlpool Corp	$38.24	6.78%	$5.41	94.64%	16.3	2.65B
19	VZ	Verizon Communications	$43.59	6.45%	$2.72	66.85%	10.8	187.69B
20	GIS	General Mills Inc	$37.97	6.30%	$2.44	58.33%	—	20.53B
21	TFSL	Tfs Financial Corp	$18.28	6.13%	$0.21	65.45%	55.5	5.16B
22	KHC	Kraft Heinz Co/The	$25.88	6.10%	$1.60	70.37%	—	30.61B
23	JHG	Janus Henderson Group Plc	$51.95	6.07%	$1.60	30.54%	10.2	8.00B
24	STKAF	ST Engineering Ltd	$2.78	6.06%	$0.22	63.56%	11.9	10.39B
25	BTI	British American Tobacco p.l.c.	$63.02	5.90%	$2.39	67.47%	11.6	89.90B
26	FSUGY	Fortescue Ltd	$26.07	5.75%	$0.93	84.52%	12.4	64.56B
27	IMBBY	Imperial Brands PLC	$38.79	5.74%	$1.88	75.23%	10.5	21.70B
28	BCE	Bce Inc	$21.84	5.62%	$2.36	33.70%	4.5	29.03B
29	UPS	United Parcel Service-Cl B	$117.72	5.60%	$6.34	96.88%	19.0	99.57B
30	CMCSA	Comcast Corp-Class A	$23.79	5.48%	$1.32	24.47%	4.6	85.68B
31	CALM	Cal-Maine Foods Inc	$88.55	5.45%	$6.77	27.07%	6.0	4.18B
32	ING	ING Groep N.V.	$32.15	5.20%	$1.29	61.38%	7.2	68.56B
33	NWBI	Northwest Bancshares Inc	$15.53	5.11%	$0.80	87.22%	17.2	2.29B
34	SNY	Sanofi	$44.38	5.10%	$3.79	85.29%	7.8	97.65B
35	DBSDY	DBS Group Holdings Ltd	$218.67	5.08%	$2.87	74.55%	14.9	162.83B
36	T	AT&T Inc.	$21.81	5.05%	$1.15	37.26%	7.4	157.87B
37	CLX	Clorox Company	$96.32	5.02%	$4.88	74.32%	16.0	12.10B
38	HPQ	Hp Inc	$24.84	4.97%	$1.17	43.02%	9.0	22.91B
39	SWKS	Skyworks Solutions Inc	$59.35	4.93%	$2.80	90.67%	24.1	8.69B
40	TTE	Totalenergies Se	$81.39	4.89%	$3.70	61.86%	11.8	155.34B
41	SFD	Smithfield Foods Inc	$25.77	4.88%	$1.02	40.08%	10.1	10.14B
42	EMN	Eastman Chemical Co	$68.60	4.86%	$3.33	80.38%	19.7	7.86B
43	CAG	Conagra Brands Inc	$14.28	4.84%	$1.40	58.07%	—	6.83B
44	AES	Aes Corp	$14.77	4.76%	$0.70	55.05%	7.8	10.55B
45	PRU	Prudential Financial Inc	$119.07	4.74%	$5.48	53.86%	12.0	41.58B
46	CPA	Copa Holdings Sa-Class A	$139.07	4.74%	$6.46	39.58%	8.2	5.80B
47	KMB	Kimberly-Clark Corp	$108.35	4.70%	$5.00	82.14%	17.2	36.34B
48	FIBK	First Interstate Bancsys-A	$39.18	4.67%	$1.89	64.32%	12.4	3.87B
49	AU	Anglogold Ashanti Plc	$76.76	4.67%	$3.71	70.98%	11.1	38.56B
50	AVA	Avista Corp	$41.80	4.66%	$1.96	82.38%	17.0	3.50B
51	CRGY	Crescent Energy Inc-A	$10.75	4.62%	$0.40	86.62%	—	3.55B
52	LKQ	Lkq Corp	$25.38	4.61%	$1.21	51.07%	13.1	6.74B
53	OKE	Oneok Inc	$93.52	4.60%	$4.26	76.13%	16.6	58.72B
54	TAP	Molson Coors Beverage Co - B	$40.93	4.60%	$1.91	32.89%	—	7.68B
55	LAZ	Lazard Inc	$43.16	4.60%	$2.03	78.78%	15.2	4.20B
56	BLX	Banco Latinoamericano Come-E	$59.37	4.59%	$2.48	40.47%	9.1	2.11B
57	NVO	Novo Nordisk A/S	$48.87	4.55%	$11.66	50.53%	11.2	1.14T
58	ACN	Accenture Plc-Cl A	$143.57	4.51%	$5.93	48.19%	11.5	89.66B
59	EIX	Edison International	$77.63	4.50%	$3.58	29.31%	8.1	30.66B
60	BBY	Best Buy Co Inc	$85.41	4.50%	$3.81	74.93%	15.7	17.94B
61	BIPC	Brookfield Infrastructure-A	$40.58	4.49%	$1.44	14.55%	—	4.98B
62	COLB	Columbia Banking System Inc	$33.24	4.40%	$1.33	60.91%	13.0	9.68B
63	TROW	T Rowe Price Group Inc	$117.35	4.37%	$5.18	54.76%	12.0	25.08B
64	PAGS	Pagseguro Digital Ltd-Cl A	$9.04	4.37%	$1.99	29.13%	6.1	2.54B
65	LNC	Lincoln National Corp	$42.24	4.30%	$2.31	35.34%	4.7	8.06B
66	DOX	Amdocs Ltd	$52.63	4.30%	$2.03	39.74%	10.4	5.66B
67	PEP	PepsiCo Inc.	$137.12	4.25%	$5.58	92.69%	17.8	186.17B
68	LCII	Lci Industries	$108.17	4.24%	$4.59	60.58%	13.1	2.64B
69	F	Ford Motor Co	$14.23	4.23%	$0.73	53.04%	—	56.72B
70	BTG	B2Gold Corp	$3.67	4.23%	$0.08	25.74%	9.0	6.85B
71	WSBC	Wesbanco Inc	$40.80	4.22%	$1.72	62.87%	12.4	3.96B
72	ES	Eversource Energy	$74.62	4.20%	$2.97	65.03%	16.1	28.07B
73	POR	Portland General Electric Co	$52.43	4.17%	$2.00	73.53%	24.9	6.24B
74	IDCBY	Industrial & Commercial Bank of China	$17.50	4.17%	$0.37	35.86%	6.9	2.54T
75	BMY	Bristol-Myers Squibb Co	$60.74	4.16%	$2.51	71.52%	21.1	126.17B
76	DEO	Diageo plc	$82.60	4.16%	$1.03	97.62%	18.4	32.74B
77	CNQ	Canadian Natural Resources	$43.89	4.15%	$2.33	45.02%	12.9	125.24B
78	PAYX	Paychex Inc	$114.39	4.15%	$4.44	90.31%	23.8	41.82B
79	PTEN	Patterson-Uti Energy Inc	$10.02	4.15%	$0.32	27.87%	—	3.75B
80	BBT	Beacon Financial Corp	$30.65	4.14%	$0.97	69.92%	20.5	2.58B
81	HSBC	HSBC Holdings plc	$99.84	4.14%	$0.77	60.50%	11.3	229.95B
82	OTEX	Open Text Corp	$23.27	4.12%	$1.04	62.29%	11.0	7.98B
83	EQNR	Equinor ASA	$35.73	4.10%	$1.83	95.00%	19.1	903.95B
84	UL	Unilever PLC	$61.25	4.10%	$2.03	47.03%	11.2	92.04B
85	RCI	Rogers Communications Inc-B	$34.66	4.09%	$1.70	13.24%	3.8	26.53B
86	RIO	Rio Tinto Group	$89.84	4.08%	$3.78	61.66%	17.2	126.43B
87	UGI	Ugi Corp	$36.62	4.07%	$1.50	47.49%	11.8	8.02B
88	SR	Spire Inc	$81.41	4.03%	$3.38	72.51%	13.5	4.84B
89	HRB	H&R Block Inc	$42.08	4.01%	$1.44	32.57%	7.3	5.41B
90	SGAPY	Singapore Airlines Limited	$34.06	4.01%	$0.17	69.05%	12.9	79.84B
91	SNGNF	Singtel	$3.24	4.01%	$0.17	69.05%	12.9	79.84B
92	FNF	Fidelity National Financial	$51.90	4.00%	$2.00	90.70%	18.6	14.20B
93	SBLK	Star Bulk Carriers Corp	$25.03	3.96%	$0.30	40.84%	20.2	2.87B
94	GPK	Graphic Packaging Holding Co	$10.82	3.95%	$0.43	28.83%	11.8	3.22B
95	NSRGY	Nestlé S.A.	$104.78	3.94%	$3.05	86.89%	22.0	198.47B
96	BACHY	Bank of China Limited	$16.20	3.92%	$0.46	58.94%	7.1	1.72T
97	TFC	Truist Financial Corp	$52.50	3.91%	$2.32	56.45%	11.9	65.64B
98	PFS	Provident Financial Services	$24.51	3.91%	$0.96	43.24%	10.3	3.17B
99	MOS	Mosaic Co/The	$22.13	3.91%	$0.88	51.86%	160.0	7.20B
100	VET	Vermilion Energy Inc	$9.83	3.90%	$0.64	3.49%	—	2.08B

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.