Dividend stocks are the anchor for any great portfolio. Whether you generally prefer safe stocks, or your portfolio is concentrated in growth stocks, dividend stocks provide diversification, stability, and passive income for every investor.
The market could continue its ascent for now, but at some point, there's going to be some sort of correction. If you're looking for some excellent dividend stocks to protect your portfolio and help it grow under any circumstances, here are five top candidates.
Image source: Home Depot.
1. Realty Income
Realty Income (O 0.60%) is the classic top dividend stock. It has everything you'd want in a dividend stock, including high yield, rock-solid reliability, and growth. On top of that, it pays monthly.
It's a real estate investment trust (REIT), a class that pays out 90% of earnings as dividends. Realty Income is a retail REIT, which means that it leases properties primarily to retailers, although it has been expanding into other areas, too.
Today, it's one of the biggest REITs in the world, with 15,500 properties. It leases to names you know and shop from, like Walmart, Home Depot (HD 0.90%), and Walgreens, and it has a large pipeline of properties to buy and keep on growing.
Realty Income's dividend yields 5.6% at its recent price, and it has paid that dividend for the past 665 consecutive months.
NYSE: O
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2. Bank of America
Bank of America (BAC 2.29%) is the second-largest bank in the U.S., and it's a Warren Buffett favorite. It plays a large role in the U.S. economy, with a robust consumer unit, and a growing commercial one.
It generally follows the trajectory of the banking sector, but with its size and focus, it's more stable than small, regional banks. It's also reliable for growth, since so many people depend on it for their financial management. It has more than 38 million consumer accounts, including 212,000 new ones in the third quarter, and 92% of them are primary accounts.
Bank of America's dividend yields 2% at its recent price, and the dividend has increased 460% over the past 10 years.
3. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola (KO 0.61%) is a Dividend King, and its dividend is legendary. The company has raised it for the past 63 years straight, through thick and thin, making it as reliable as any. Plus, it yields 2.9% right now. That's slightly lower than its average of around 3% because the stock has been doing quite well, too.
It's Warren Buffett's longest-held stock, and he has said he'd never sell it. It's the classic Buffett stock, an excellent business that doesn't require a lot of money to make a lot of money, with a product that people love.
Lately, the market has been lauding its locally produced products, which avoid much of the tariff drama. It's just another reason Coke is so dependable.
NYSE: KO
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4. Home Depot
Home Depot is a great option for similar reasons. Its stores sell products people always need, and it's performing well despite several years of pressure in the home space. In the 2025 fiscal second quarter (ended Aug. 3), sales were up 4.9% over last year, and the company even squeaked out a 1% increase in comparable sales. Although it's the largest home improvement chain in the world, it still sees plenty of room to expand, and it's expecting to open 13 stores in fiscal 2025.
Home Depot's dividend yields 2.5% at the recent price, and it's increased 290% over the past 10 years.
NYSE: HD
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5. Prudential
Prudential Financial (PRU +0.06%) is a financial giant, with large insurance and wealth management segments. It has 50 million customers and $1.6 trillion in assets under management, and it offers stability and reliability for the passive income investor.
Like other large and slow-growing companies, its stock isn't meant for the growth part of a portfolio. But its dividend yields about 5%, a high yield that you can rely on it to pay, whatever the state of the market.
