Are Dividend Kings a good investment?

In general, Dividend Kings as a group are solid investments. However, each company presents its own individual risks and opportunities and should not be bought just because it's a Dividend King. That said, as part of a broad, diversified portfolio, Dividend King stocks can be a great way to build and maintain wealth and generate income.

What is considered a Dividend King?

A Dividend King is a publicly traded company that has both paid and increased its regular dividend every year for at least 50 consecutive years.

What is the highest-yielding Dividend King in ##YEAR##?

As of March 13, 2026, Universal Corp had the highest yield -- about 6.2% at recent prices.

Is ABBV a Dividend King?

Yes, AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) is a Dividend King, with 54 consecutive years of dividend growth.

Which is the highest dividend-paying company?

Altria had a dividend yield of 6.6%, and Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) had a 6.4% yield in mid-April 2026.

How often do Dividend Kings increase their dividends?

To be a Dividend King, the payout must be increased every year. Some may increase their payout more often, but that is not typical.

Dividend Kings of 2026

Get a list of current -- and potential future -- Dividend Kings and learn how to leverage these strong companies to build wealth.

By Jason Hall – Updated Apr 15, 2026 at 4:25 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Dividend Kings have raised dividends for 50+ years, signaling strong financial health.
Investing in these stocks might offer stable, growing income, ideal for conservative portfolios.
Target, Altria, and J&J, noted as robust Dividend Kings in 2026, show considerable promise.

A Dividend King is a company that's grown its dividend payment for at least 50 consecutive years. Many Dividend Kings have delivered market-crushing wealth gains over the very long term, but not all continue to deliver above-average total returns to shareholders.

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Dividend Aristocrats versus Dividend Kings comes down to 25 years versus 50 years of increased dividend payments to investors. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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Data sources: Company press releases, presentations, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. *Spinoff of Johnson & Johnson, retains dividend streak. **Pays a base $0.09 cash quarterly dividend plus a 3% stock dividend, so "growth" is open to interpretation. ***Dividends are paid in Canadian dollars and can vary for U.S. investors due to exchange rates. ****Spinoff of Abbott, retains dividend streak.
Dividend King	Sector	Dividend Increase Streak
American States Water (NYSE:AWR)	Utilities	71
Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV)	Industrials	70
Northwest Natural Holdings (NYSE:NWN)	Utilities	70
Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC)	Consumer Goods	70
Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)	Consumer Goods	70
Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH)	Industrials	69
Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR)	Industrials	69
Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF)	Financials	66
Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO)	Consumer Goods	64
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)	Healthcare	64
Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE)	Consumer Goods	63*
Marzetti (NASDAQ:MZTI)	Consumer Goods	63
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)	Consumer Goods	63
Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN)	Industrials	62
Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW)	Industrials	62
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (OTC:FMCB)	Financials	60
Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL)	Consumer Goods	60
California Water Service Group (NYSE:CWT)	Utilities	60
Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT)	Real Estate	58
Tootsie Roll Industries (NYSE:TR)	Consumer Goods	58**
Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK)	Industrials	58
ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM)	Industrials	58
Stepan (NYSE:SCL)	Industrials	58
Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ:CBSH)	Financials	58
H2O America (NASDAQ:HTO)	Utilities	58
H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL)	Materials	56
Altria Group (NYSE:MO)	Consumer Goods	56
Black Hills Corp. (NYSE:BKH)	Utilities	56
National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)	Energy	55
Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)	Consumer Goods	55
MSA Safety (NYSE:MSA)	Industrials	55
Sysco (NYSE:SYY)	Consumer Goods	55
Lowe's (NYSE:LOW)	Consumer Goods	54
Target (NYSE:TGT)	Consumer Goods	54
W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW)	Industrials	54
Abbott (NYSE:ABT)	Healthcare	54
BD (NYSE:BDX)	Healthcare	54
Tennant (NYSE:TNC)	Industrials	54
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV)	Healthcare	54****
Canadian Utilities (OTC:CDUAF)	Utilities	54***
Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ:KMB)	Consumer Goods	54
PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG)	Industrials	54
ADM (NYSE:ADM)	Industrials	53
PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP)	Consumer Goods	53
Middlesex Water (NASDAQ:MSEX)	Utilities	53
The Gorman-Rupp Company (NYSE:GRC)	Industrials	53
Nucor (NYSE:NUE)	Industrials	53
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)	Consumer Goods	53
S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI)	Financials	53
Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED)	Utilities	52
RPM International (NYSE:RPM)	Industrials	52
United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI)	Financials	52
Fortis (NYSE:FTS)	Utilities	51
Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP)	Technology	51
RLI Corp. (NYSE:RLI)	Financials	50
MGE Energy (NASDAQ:MGEE)	Utilities	50
Pentair (NYSE:PNR)	Industrials	50

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

A chief executive officer, or CEO, is in charge of running the day-to-day operations of an organization.

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market cap	Dividend yield	Industry
Target (NYSE:TGT)	$58.7 billion	3.50%	Food and Staples Retailing
Altria Group (NYSE:MO)	$110.3 billion	6.36%	Tobacco
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)	$542.4 billion	2.31%	Pharmaceuticals

Data as of Apr 28, 2026. Showing 3 of 3 tickers.

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1. Target

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NYSE: TGT

Target

Today's Change

(-1.54%) $-2.00

Current Price

$127.72

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$59B

Day's Range

$127.42 - $131.00

52wk Range

$83.44 - $133.10

Volume

1.9M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

25.44%

Dividend Yield

3.50%

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Target (TGT -1.41%) has been on a rough ride in recent years. The impact of inflation and supply chain challenges stemming from the pandemic has continued with the tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump. This has pushed its cash flows over the past few years to levels we haven't seen since before 2019.

And while revenues remain weak, its e-commerce business is holding up better, and the company's financial profile gives it the resources to continue investing in operations, repurchase shares, and pay (and grow) its dividend. Target is a major supplier of consumer staples, and even as consumers feel the pinch on their discretionary spending, Target is built to profit across economic environments. The stock was up 25% through mid-April 2026.

Trading for a cheap valuation and paying a safe dividend, Target looks like a great Dividend King to buy today and hold for the long term.

2. Altria

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NYSE: MO

Altria Group

Today's Change

(2.77%) $1.82

Current Price

$67.83

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$110B

Day's Range

$66.82 - $68.11

52wk Range

$54.70 - $70.51

Volume

5.8M

Avg Vol

9.7M

Gross Margin

75.86%

Dividend Yield

6.36%

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Some investors look at the tobacco giant with disdain; others simply won't buy a company whose products cause so much harm. If that's not a concern for you, consider putting Altria (MO +2.76%) on your list. The company has had a number of missteps around vaping products in recent years, and its ability to crack the cannabis market is uncertain (or the future of cannabis's legality in many of Altria's markets).

However, it continues to generate mountains of cash -- $9.1 billion in free cash flow over the past four quarters -- and returns much of that to shareholders in dividend income. It also sells a product that its customers buy in every economic environment, making its sizable dividend safe in all conditions.

3. Johnson & Johnson

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NYSE: JNJ

Johnson & Johnson

Today's Change

(0.95%) $2.15

Current Price

$227.49

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$542B

Day's Range

$226.40 - $231.00

52wk Range

$146.12 - $251.71

Volume

255K

Avg Vol

8.4M

Gross Margin

67.96%

Dividend Yield

2.31%

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Dividend Kings FAQ

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About the Author

Jason Hall is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst with more than a decade of experience writing about dividend stocks and long-term investing. He has been with the company since 2012 and previously spent over 10 years in technical sales in the printing and information services industry. Jason also founded and operated a small food manufacturing business.

TMFVelvetHammer

@thesmattering

Jason Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends 3M, AbbVie, Abbott Laboratories, Colgate-Palmolive, Emerson Electric, Kenvue, ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF, S&P Global, Sysco, Target, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Abm Industries, Fortis, Genuine Parts, Illinois Tool Works, Johnson & Johnson, Lowe's Companies, RPM International, and Tennant and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $13 calls on Kenvue. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Dividend Kings of 2026

Get a list of current -- and potential future -- Dividend Kings and learn how to leverage these strong companies to build wealth.

Key Points