According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), passive income generally includes earnings from rental activity or any trade, business, or investment in which the individual does not materially participate. It can also include income from limited partnerships, stocks, bonds, and other similar enterprises in which the investor is not actively involved. The more passive income can help cover rising costs, such as mortgages, insurance, taxes, and other expenses, the easier it is for investors to set aside money for future needs as they prepare for retirement. Dependable, recurring dividends—especially those paid monthly—are a recipe for success.
Companies that have raised their dividends for shareholders for 50 years or longer are the kind of investments that passive income investors need to own. Dependability is crucial for individuals seeking to increase their annual income through dividend stock investments. The Dividend Kings are the 55 companies that have raised their dividends for at least 50 years, a testament to their dependability and reliability. Those are two “must-have” items for investors who rely on passive income to boost their overall revenue. Unlike the Dividend Aristocrats, the Dividend Kings do not have to be members of the S&P 500.
Why we recommend the Dividend Kings
Companies that have paid and raised their dividends for 50 years or more are the kind that growth and income investors want to buy and hold in their stock portfolios for the long term. These stocks are mostly conservative, and should we see a dramatic market correction, they will likely keep their ground much better than volatile technology names.
Altria
Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes, and related products. This tobacco company offers value investors a compelling entry point and a generous dividend yield. Altria manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States.
The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand, as well as:
- Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild and Middleton brands
- Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands
- on! Oral nicotine pouches
- e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand
It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.
Altria used to own over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A. (NYSE: BUD), the world’s largest brewer. Earlier this year, the company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. That represents 18% of its holdings but still leaves 8% of the outstanding shares in its back pocket. Altria also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.
Stifel has a Buy rating with a $63 target price.
Universal
This somewhat off-the-radar company is another one of the world’s leading tobacco merchants. Up almost 8% in 2025, Universal has reported strong demand and has been in business for almost 150 years. Universal Corp. (NYSE: UVV) processes and supplies leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients worldwide.
The company operates through two segments:
- Tobacco Operations
- Ingredients Operations
It procures, finances, processes, packs, stores, and ships leaf tobacco for sale to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products.
The company contracts, purchases, processes, and sells flue-cured, burley, and oriental tobaccos that are primarily used in the manufacture of cigarettes. Dark air-cured tobaccos manufacture naturally wrapped cigars, cigarillos, smokeless, and pipe tobacco products.
Universal also provides value-added services, including:
- Blending, chemical, and physical tobacco testing
- Service cutting for various manufacturers
- Manufacturing reconstituted leaf tobacco
- Just-in-time inventory management services
- Electronic nicotine delivery systems
- Customer smoke testing services
Northwest Natural Holding
This small-cap company provides natural gas service to approximately 2 million people in more than 140 communities. This off-the-radar utility stock suits worried conservative investors, pays a dependable dividend, and is up over 9% this year. Northwest Natural Holding Co. (NYSE: NWN), through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
The company also operates:
- 5.7 billion cubic feet of the Mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities and third-party marketers
- Offers natural gas asset management services
- Operates an appliance retail center
In addition, it engages in gas storage, water, non-regulated renewable natural gas, and other investments and activities.
The company provides natural gas service through approximately:
- 786,000 meters in Oregon and southwest Washington
- Water services to about 80,000 people through about 33,000 water and wastewater connections in the Pacific Northwest and Texas
Canadian Utilities
Canadian Utilities Ltd. (CDUAF) is a Canada-based multinational organization comprising companies with approximately $22 billion in assets and paying a 4.84% dividend. The stock is up almost 13% this year and resides in a highly stable sector; this company is a steal at its current trading levels. The company operates in the electricity, natural gas, renewable energy, pipelines, liquids, and retail energy sectors in Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.
It operates through three segments:
- ATCO Energy Systems
- ATCO EnPower
- Corporate & Other segments
The ATCO Energy Systems segment provides regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in:
- Northern and central east Alberta
- The Yukon
- The Northwest Territories
- The Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan
This segment also provides integrated natural gas transmission and distribution services in Alberta, the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan, and Western Australia. It owns and operates approximately 9,100 kilometers of natural gas pipelines, 11 compressor sites, approximately 3,600 receipt and delivery points, and a salt cavern natural gas storage peaking facility near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, in Canada.
The ATCO EnPower segment provides:
- Hydro
- Solar
- Wind
- Natural gas electricity generation
- Natural gas storage
- Industrial water solutions
- Clean fuels, including hydrogen, carbon capture, and underground storage projects; and related infrastructure development in Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Australia, Ontario, Mexico, and Chile
The Corporate & Other segment retails electricity and natural gas and provides whole-home solutions.
Federal Realty Investment Trust
Founded in 1962, Federal Realty Investment Trust’s (NYSE: FRT) mission is to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities. While real estate has slowly recovered, demand is still growing, and hard assets are generally considered a good investment in inflationary times. This company is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation, and redevelopment of high-quality, retail-based properties in major coastal markets, from the District of Columbia to Boston and San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Federal Realty’s mission is to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply.
Its expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like:
- Santana Row in San Jose, California,
- Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland, and
- Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts
Federal Realty’s portfolio comprises approximately 3,500 tenants across 27 million square feet of space and 3,100 residential units. Federal Realty has increased its quarterly dividend to its shareholders for 57 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry.
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