At 24/7 Wall St., we have closely followed dividend-paying stocks for over 15 years. With a growing audience of savvy Baby Boomers and retirees seeking safe income ideas that deliver more than passbook savings rates, we have screened hundreds of stocks for recurring, dependable dividend payouts and a level of safety that allows for a good night’s sleep. One group of stocks that we have always recommended is the Dividend Aristocrats. For dividend safety and reliability, they are among the best ideas for growth and income investors.
Investors seeking defensive companies that pay substantial dividends are drawn to the Dividend Aristocrats, and with good reason. The 69 companies that made the cut for the 2026 S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats list have increased their dividends (not just maintained them) for 25 consecutive years. But the requirements go even further, with the following attributes also mandatory for membership on the aristocrats list:
- Companies must be worth at least $3 billion for each quarterly rebalancing.
- Their average daily volume must be at least $5 million transactions for every trailing three-month period at every quarterly rebalancing date.
- They must be a member of the S&P 500.
We screened the Dividend Aristocrats list for the highest-yielding companies, and five appear to be strong options for growth and income investors seeking dependable, growing dividends.
Why do we cover the Dividend Aristocrats?
S&P 500 companies that have paid and raised their dividends for 25 years or longer are the types that growth and income investors want to buy and hold in their stock portfolios for the long term. These stocks are mostly conservative, and in a dramatic market correction, they are likely to hold their ground better than volatile technology names.
Amcor
This company is an excellent investment, as its products remain in high demand and it pays a 5.18% dividend. and executed a reverse split last year. Amcor PLC (NYSE: AMCR) is engaged in packaging solutions for consumer and healthcare products. The company develops sustainable packaging in flexible and rigid formats across multiple materials. It operates through two segments.
The Flexibles segment comprises operations that manufacture flexible and film packaging for the food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, fresh produce, snack food, personal care, and other industries.
The Rigid Packaging segment consists of operations that manufacture rigid containers for a broad range of predominantly beverage and food products, including:
- Carbonated soft drinks
- Water, juices, and sports drinks
- Milk-based beverages
- Spirits and wine
- Sauces
- Dressings and spreads
- Personal care items
- Plastic caps for a wide variety of applications
Amcor’s subsidiaries include:
- Berry Global Group Inc.
- Amcor Flexibles North America Inc.
- Amcor UK Finance PLC
- Amcor Finance (USA)
Truist has a Buy rating with a $60 target price.
Eversource Energy
Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES) serves customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. This energy provider is a conservative stock idea off the radar that pays a rich, dependable 4.09% dividend. Eversource is a public utility holding company engaged in energy delivery that operates through four segments:
- Electric Distribution
- Electric Transmission
- Natural Gas Distribution
- Water Distribution
It is involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity, the operation of solar power facilities, and the distribution of natural gas.
The company operates regulated water utilities that serve approximately 241,000 customers. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, municipal, and fire protection customers, as well as other customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Janney Mongomery Scott has a Buy rating with a target price of $79.
Hormel Foods
This American food processing company was founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota. Hormel Foods Corp.(NYSE: HRL) offers dual pricing power through both branded products and private-label manufacturing, as well as a reliable 4.95% dividend. It develops, processes, and distributes various meat, nuts, and other food products to retail, food service, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally.
It operates through three segments:
- Retail
- Food Service
- International
The yield of this Dividend Aristocrat is historically high, and the Hormel Foundation’s oversight ensures dividend reliability. Reports indicate that it is restructuring its portfolio and cutting costs to improve performance.
The company provides various perishable products, including fresh meats, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, sausages, hams, guacamoles, and bacon, and shelf-stable products, including canned luncheon meats, nut butter, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwaveable meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsas, tortilla chips, nutritional food supplements, and others.
It sells its products under these brands:
- Hormel
- Always Tender
- Applegate
- Austin Blues
- Bacon 1
- Black Label
- Bread Ready
- Burke
- Café H
- Ceratti
- Chi-Chi’s
- Columbus
- Compleats
- Corn Nuts
- Cure 81
- Dan’s Prize
- Di Lusso
- Dinty Moore
- Don Miguel
- Doña Maria
- Embasa
- Fast N Easy
- Fire Braised
- Fontanini
- Happy Little Plants
- Herdez
- Hormel Gatherings
- Hormel Square Table
- Hormel Vital Cuisine
- House of Tsang
- Jennie-O
- Justin’s
- La Victoria
- Layout
- Lloyd’s
- Mary Kitchen
- Mr. Peanut
- Natural Choice
- Nut-Rition
- Old Smokehouse
- Oven Ready
- Pillow Pack
- Planters
- Rosa Grande
- Sadler’s Smokehouse
- Skippy
- Spam
- Special Recipe
- Thick & Easy
- Valley Fresh
- Wholly
Barclays has an Overweight rating with a $31 target price.
Kimberly-Clark
This American multinational personal care company primarily produces paper-based consumer products. Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) stock declined 23% in 2025, pushing it close to a 12-year low, and has raised its dividend for 53 consecutive years; the current yield is a rich 4.66%. The company manufactures and markets products worldwide through three segments.
The Personal Care segment offers a diverse range of products, including:
- Disposable diapers
- Swim pants, training and youth pants, baby wipes
- Feminine and incontinence care products, as well as related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Depends, Plenitud, Softex, Poise, and other brand names
The Consumer Tissue segment provides facial and bathroom tissues, paper towels, napkins, and related products under these brand names:
- Kleenex
- Scott
- Cottonelle
- Viva
- Andrex
- Scottex
- Neve
The K-C Professional segment offers wipers, tissues, towels, apparel, soaps, and sanitizers under the Kleenex, Scott, WypAll, Kimtech, and KleenGuard brands.
In 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced it would acquire Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE) in a $48.7 billion deal, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of 2026. The acquisition will create a combined consumer health and wellness company, with Kenvue shareholders receiving cash and stock. Kenvue shareholders will get $3.50 in cash plus 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark stock for each Kenvue share they own.
Argus has a Buy rating with a $120 target price.
Realty Income
This real estate investment trust invests in free-standing, single-tenant commercial properties and pays a reliable 4.89% dividend monthly. Realty Income Corp. (NYSE: O) is an ideal stock for growth and income investors looking for a safer contrarian idea for the rest of 2026. It is an S&P 500 company.
The company acquires and manages freestanding commercial properties that generate rental income under long-term net-lease agreements with its commercial clients.
It is engaged in a single business activity: leasing property to clients, generally on a net basis. This business activity spans various geographic boundaries and encompasses a range of property types and clients across multiple industries.
The company owns or holds interests in approximately 15,621 properties in all 50 states and:
- United Kingdom
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Portugal
- Spain
With clients operating in 89 industries, its property types include retail, industrial, gaming, and other categories such as agriculture and office.
Its primary industry concentrations include:
- Grocery stores
- Convenience stores
- Dollar stores
- Drug stores
- Home improvement stores
- Restaurants
- Quick service
Deutsche Bank has a Buy rating with a $69 target price.
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