Income-seeking investors who value their time know the best dividend stocks don't need a lot of babysitting. Some go on decades-long payout-raising streaks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.02%) is one of the best places to find reliable dividend payers. Stocks aren't added to this exclusive list unless they have already demonstrated an ability to produce profits in good economic times and bad ones, too.
The average dividend payer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average offers a measly 1.6% yield at recent prices. UnitedHealth Group (UNH -1.53%), Coca-Cola (KO 1.40%), and Amgen (AMGN 0.92%) stand out with above-average yields. Here's why they could be great additions to a long-term dividend investor's portfolio.
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1. UnitedHealth Group
Shares of UnitedHealth Group collapsed in May, after the company simultaneously suspended its 2025 outlook and announced an abrupt CEO exit. To top it off, the company felt it was necessary to issue responses to several Wall Street Journal articles and a Department of Justice investigation regarding its Medicare business.
The stock is down, but its dividend payout is way up. The company raised it by 76.8% over the past five years. At its beaten-down price, the stock offers a 2.7% yield.
Health insurance businesses operate on thin margins. It turns out that UnitedHealth mispriced premiums going into 2025. Healthcare providers are charging more than the company anticipated, plus the amount of care new members have been using is also higher than expected.
Smart investors such as Warren Buffett know that UnitedHealth Group is mostly a middleman that can pass increased costs on to health plan sponsors. It may have mispriced premiums going into 2025, but this isn't a mistake its recently refreshed management team is likely to make again in the decade ahead.
2. Coca-Cola
Unlike UnitedHealth, Coca-Cola stock is up near its all-time high. The soda giant's dividend hasn't risen as sharply as the health insurer's, but it's still up by 24.4% over the past five years.
Being the only company that can sell many of the world's most popular beverage brands is a strong advantage that leads to consistent profits. In February, the company announced a dividend raise for the 63rd year in a row.
Shares of Coca-Cola offer a 2.9% yield at recent prices, and another decade of significant dividend raises isn't an unreasonable expectation. Second-quarter unit case volume fell by 1%, but the strength of its brands allowed organic revenue to rise by 5% year over year.
Sales of sugary sodas have been losing ground to sports drinks, but the company has this base covered. Its BodyArmor brand boasts a double-digit share of the U.S. market, and its older Powerade brand is even more popular. Adding some shares of this stock to a diverse portfolio is an almost certain way to boost your passive income stream over time.
3. Amgen
Shares of biotechnology pioneer Amgen have been trading about 12% below the all-time high they set last year.
Amgen began paying a dividend in 2011 and has been able to increase it every year since. The drugmaker raised its payout by 48.8% over the past five years. At recent prices, it offers a 3.2% yield.
Two of Amgen's top revenue streams, Enbrel and Prolia, are drying up thanks to biosimilar competition. Fortunately, the losses are easily offset by a slew of more recently launched products.
Amgen recently reported year-over-year sales increases at a double-digit percentage for 15 products in the second quarter. New competition for Enbrel and Prolia limited second-quarter sales growth to 9% year over year.
Enbrel and Prolia losses will most likely reach a bottom long before Amgen's new growth drivers run out of fuel. With a strong lineup of new products, this company could report strong sales growth in the decade ahead.
