Building a durable dividend portfolio starts with identifying companies that have proved, over decades, that they take shareholder distributions seriously. A class of publicly listed businesses has earned a formal designation for doing exactly that: dividend aristocrats.
The bar to qualify is high. A company must have raised its dividend payment in dollar terms for at least 25 consecutive years. That means no freezes, no cuts, and no excuses. Every name on today’s list clears that threshold with room to spare.
What follows are four financially sound businesses with uninterrupted dividend growth spanning a quarter-century or more. Each one offers income investors a combination of earnings stability and a demonstrated commitment to returning cash to shareholders year after year.
NextEra Energy (NEE)
Utilities are classic defensive holdings, and NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE | NEE Price Prediction) stands as one of the largest electric power and energy infrastructure companies in North America. It operates the regulated Florida Power and Light utility alongside NextEra Energy Resources, one of the world’s biggest generators of wind and solar power.
NextEra Energy has raised its dividend for 31 consecutive years, a streak built on steady regulated earnings and a growing renewables platform. The company’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6232 per share in February 2026, a 10% increase over the prior-year period, consistent with management’s stated plan of roughly 10% annual dividend per share growth through 2026. Looking beyond that, the company targets 6% per year growth from year-end 2026 through 2028.
Profitability underpins the dividend commitment. NextEra Energy grew its adjusted earnings from $7.063 billion in 2024 to $7.683 billion in 2025, and management projects 2026 adjusted earnings per share in the range of $3.92 to $4.02. With a payout ratio running near 59%, the dividend consumes well under two-thirds of earnings, leaving room for continued growth. NEE shares currently carry a dividend yield of approximately 2.7%.
Linde (LIN)
Industrial gases are not a flashy business, but Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) has built an exceptional financial track record supplying hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, and other gases to customers in chemicals, healthcare, electronics, and energy. Its long-term, take-or-pay contracts provide durable cash flow regardless of where the economic cycle sits.
The company raised its quarterly dividend 7% to $1.60 per share in early 2026, marking 33 consecutive years of dividend growth. That streak is well ahead of the 25-year aristocrat threshold, and Linde’s management backed it with a record $10 billion project backlog heading into the year. Annual sales reached $34 billion in 2025, up 3% from 2024, while adjusted earnings per share expanded 6% to $16.46.
Linde’s payout ratio sits around 40%, meaning the company distributes less than half its earnings as dividends and retains ample capital for reinvestment. The current forward dividend yield is approximately 1.26%, reflecting a premium valuation that the company’s consistent execution has historically justified.
FactSet Research Systems (FDS)
FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) provides a financial data and analytics platform used by portfolio managers, investment bankers, and equity researchers worldwide. Its subscription-based model generates highly predictable revenue and strong free cash flow, characteristics that make it well suited to long, unbroken dividend growth streaks.
In May 2026, FactSet raised its quarterly dividend from $1.10 to $1.16 per share, extending its consecutive annual increase streak to 27 years. The company has also kept earnings moving in the right direction: first-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted diluted earnings came in at $4.51 per share, up 3.2% year over year. More recently, FactSet delivered Q2 fiscal 2026 revenue and adjusted EPS that exceeded Wall Street estimates, reinforcing the case that its subscription model remains resilient.
Free cash flow last quarter ran to roughly $185 million against capital spending of about $26 million, leaving ample headroom for dividends and share repurchases. The current dividend yield is approximately 1.76%, down modestly from the 2.03% figure cited at publication, as the share price has recovered from a February 2026 pullback. Partnerships announced in 2026 with J.P. Morgan and private-market valuation firm Valutico highlight FactSet’s push deeper into institutional workflows.
United Bankshares (UBSI)
Of the four companies on this list, United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) carries the most impressive dividend streak by a wide margin. The West Virginia-based banking group, which operates over 240 offices across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast through its United Bank subsidiary, has raised its dividend for 52 consecutive years as of 2025. That figure is far ahead of the 37 years previously cited and places United among only a handful of major U.S. banking companies to reach that milestone.
The financial results that support such a streak are equally notable. United Bankshares posted record full-year 2025 net income of $464.6 million, up sharply from $373 million in 2024, with fourth-quarter earnings climbing to $128.8 million from $94.4 million in the year-ago period. The bank entered 2026 with approximately $34 billion in consolidated assets and a payout ratio around 48%, giving it considerable flexibility to continue raising the dividend at a steady pace. The current quarterly payment stands at $0.38 per share, equating to an annualized yield of approximately 3.86%.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the dividend growth streak for United Bankshares from 37 years to 52 consecutive years (as of 2025), update Linde’s streak from 34 to 33 years reflecting the most recent official press release, refresh NextEra Energy’s streak to 31 years and add its Q1 2026 earnings guidance range of $3.92 to $4.02 per share, and revise FactSet’s dividend yield to approximately 1.76% and add the May 2026 raise to $1.16 per share quarterly.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks