Companies that have raised dividends for shareholders for 50 years or more are the kinds of investments 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.
We decided to screen the Dividend Kings for companies that have underperformed over the past year. We feel that buying Dividend Kings now that have fallen the most over the past year is a compelling contrarian strategy precisely because of what the “King” designation represents. These are companies that have raised their dividends for 50 or more consecutive years, surviving recessions, inflation spikes, and financial crises while continuing to reward shareholders. When their stock prices fall sharply, it is rarely because the underlying business has permanently collapsed.
It is far more often cyclical headwinds or sentiment-driven selling that have hit these top stocks. Price declines, unaccompanied by a dividend cut, create a higher entry yield, meaning you are paid more income to wait for the recovery. A battered Dividend King is more often than not a broken business; it is a proven compounder temporarily on sale, and investors who buy quality at a discount and reinvest the elevated dividends are historically well rewarded over a full market cycle.
Five companies that have underperformed over the past 52 weeks look like compelling ideas for investors seeking passive income and solid total returns as they rebound. All five stocks offer dependable dividends, and all are rated Buy by the top Wall Street firms we cover here at 24/7 Wall St.
Why we recommend the Dividend Kings
Companies that have paid and raised dividends for 50 years or more are the kinds of stocks growth and income investors want to buy and hold in stock portfolios forever. These stocks are mostly conservative, and should we see a dramatic market correction, they will likely hold their ground much better than volatile technology names.
Genuine Parts
Investors seeking a solid retail investment should consider purchasing this company, as its products remain in high demand and it has raised the dividend for 69 consecutive years. Trading at 16 times forward earnings and offering a 3.85% dividend, Genuine Parts (NYSE: GPC) is an outstanding conservative idea now. It is a global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, operating through two segments.
The Automotive segment distributes replacement parts (other than collision parts) for all makes and models of automobiles, trucks, and other vehicles in North America, Europe, and Australasia. Its main automotive customers are repair and maintenance shops, and its main industrial customers are businesses operating distribution, manufacturing, and production equipment.
The Industrial segment distributes a wide variety of industrial bearings, mechanical and fluid power transmission equipment, including:
- Hydraulic and pneumatic products
- Material handling components
- Related parts and supplies
The industrial business offers replacement parts and solutions to customers in the maintenance, repair, and operation (MRO) sector, as well as to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Truist Financial has a Buy rating on the shares with a $137 target price.
Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) is an American food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota. Hormel has dual pricing power through both branded products and private-label manufacturing, and it offers a reliable, sizable 5.12% dividend. The company 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
Hormel is a Dividend Aristocrat with over 50 years of dividend increases and is a consumer staples company focused on protein-based packaged foods. Its yield 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
Barclays has an Overweight rating with a $31 target price.
Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. This consumer staples leader is a safe bet for nervous investors, as it pays a hefty 4.82% dividend. Kimberly-Clark operates 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 the 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.
Kimberly-Clark recently announced it is acquiring Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE) in a $48.7 billion deal that is 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.
PPG Industries
Formerly known as Pittsburgh Paint and Glass, PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) completed a $2.5 billion share buyback last year, representing 8.1% of its shares, and has a 2.76% dividend yield. The company manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
It operates through two segments. The Performance Coatings segment offers:
- Coatings
- Solvents
- Adhesives
- Sealants
- Sundries
- Software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing
- Light industrial coatings and specialty coatings for signs
- Wood stains; paints, thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other advanced technologies for pavement marking for government, commercial infrastructure, painting, and maintenance contractors
- Coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft
The Industrial Coatings segment offers coatings, adhesives, and sealants, as well as metal pretreatments, services, and coatings applications for:
- Appliances
- Agricultural and construction equipment
- Consumer electronics, automotive parts, and accessories
- Building products
- Kitchenware
- Vehicles
- Other finished products and on-site coatings services
It also provides coatings for metal cans, closures, plastic and aluminum tubes for food, beverage and personal care, promotional, and specialty packaging; amorphous precipitated silica for tires, battery separators, and other end-users; TESLIN substrates for labels, e-passports, drivers’ licenses, breathable membranes, and loyalty and identification cards; and organic light emitting diode materials, displays and lighting lens materials, optical lenses, color-change products, and photochromic dyes.
Target
Target (NYSE: TGT) is an American retail corporation with a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets. It remains a solid and safe retail total return play, and after a rough second half of 2025 followed by a solid rally, it is a stellar buy with a 3.81% dividend yield. This company is a general merchandise retailer in the United States. It offers apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, infants, and newborns, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes. The company also offers a range of beauty and personal care products, baby gear, cleaning supplies, paper products, and pet care products.
Target also provides:
- Dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, and food service
- Electronics, which includes video game hardware and software
- Toys, entertainment, sporting goods, and luggage
- Furniture, lighting, storage, kitchenware, small appliances, home décor, bed, and bath
- Home Improvement
- School/office supplies
- Greeting cards, party supplies, and other seasonal merchandise
In addition, the company sells merchandise through periodic design and creative partnerships, shop-in-shop experiences, and in-store amenities. It also sells its products through its stores and digital channels, including Target.com.
Guggenheim has a Buy rating and a $115 price target.
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