2 Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold for Years

Did you know that a stock which increases its dividend by 7% will double its payout in a decade? That's the power of investing in dividend growth stocks. Over time, their yields will rise and investors can earn much more on their initial investment. That can make a low-yielding stock look deceptively low.

Two stocks that have been aggressively increasing their dividends in recent years are AbbVie (ABBV 0.13%) and Visa (V 0.63%). With solid fundamentals and bright futures ahead, these are two investments you can safely buy and hold for the long haul.

1. AbbVie

Drugmaker AbbVie generated more than $56 billion in revenue last year and had over $11 billion in profit. It has several blockbusters in its portfolio, with Humira, Skyrizi, Rinvoq, Imbruvica, Venclexta, and Vraylar all bringing in more than $1 billion in revenue in 2021. 

Last week, the company released its most recent results for the third quarter (ended Sept. 30). The company's net revenue rose 3.3% year over year to $14.8 billion for the quarter. Fast-growing immunology products Skyrizi and Rinvoq generated growth of 75% and 54%, respectively.

Although investors are worried about the loss of exclusivity in Humira, the healthcare company has previously stated that it believes Skyrizi and Rinvoq combined can reach higher peak annual sales. AbbVie's broad portfolio of assets that cover immunology, oncology, aesthetics, neuroscience, and eye care makes this a safe stock to own for the long term.

AbbVie also makes for an excellent income stock. It provides a high yield of 4%, which is more than double the S&P 500 average of 1.8%. It's also a Dividend King, having increased its payout for 50-plus years if you include the time it was part of Abbott Laboratories.

Last month, AbbVie raised its dividend by another 5%. Investors are now collecting $1.48 per share every quarter. That's more than double the $0.71 dividend that the company announced five years ago. AbbVie has been increasing its payouts at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8% during that time frame. Although the recent 5% hike suggests the rate of increases is slowing down, the company's track record is impressive.

One reason it's likely the payouts will continue: AbbVie's diluted per-share profit in its most recent quarter was $2.21. If it were to maintain that level of profitability, that would put the dividend at a payout ratio of 67%, which suggests that the healthcare company isn't running out of room to increase its dividend.

With strong fundamentals, a diverse business, and a great dividend, AbbVie makes for a solid stock to buy and hold. And at 21 times earnings, it's no more expensive than the average healthcare stock. 

2. Visa

Another top dividend stock to own is Visa. The credit card company is known around the world, and investing in it is a great way to bet on the success of the global economy. Although there are concerns of a possible recession, in the long haul, the business can be a great investment.

It's coming off a strong fourth quarter where sales for the period ended Sept. 30 rose by an impressive 19% year over year to $7.9 billion. For the full fiscal year, revenue totaled $29.3 billion and was up 22%.

Visa is not just a safe buy. It's also become a promising dividend growth stock, recently raising its payouts by 20%. At $0.45, investors will now be collecting more than double the $0.195 that the company was paying five years ago. It has averaged a CAGR of 18.2% during that time. However, even with the significant increase, the yield remains modest at less than 0.9%. 

Visa doesn't have as impressive a streak going as AbbVie. Its streak of paying dividends only goes back to 2008, when the stock went public. But given the company's continued growth and ultra-low payout ratio of just over 20%, odds are that Visa will continue raising its dividends for the foreseeable future, and it certainly has the potential to become a Dividend Aristocrat.

While Visa's dividend yield may be underwhelming, investors can collect a lot of recurring income simply from buying and holding the stock. Although it trades at 30 times its earnings, which may not seem all that cheap, that's lower than where it has been in the past, and it's below that of rival Mastercard.