9 Top Dividend Stocks for October 2025

By Rachel Warren – Updated Oct 16, 2025 at 6:33 PM | Fact-checked by Robin Hartill, CFP

Key Points

Consider buying dividend stocks with a history of consistent dividend payouts and growth.
Research the financial stability and sector performance of companies offering dividends.
Allocate appropriate portions of your portfolio to selected dividend stocks for income.

Dividend stocks are shares of companies that make regular distributions to their shareholders, usually in the form of cash payments. Dividend stocks can be a useful source of income, but the best dividend stocks can also be an excellent way to build wealth over the long term.

However, not all dividend stocks are great investments, and many investors are unsure how to start their search. With that in mind, here's a list of dividend-paying stocks you might want to consider and some of the most important things to look for in top dividend stocks.

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Definition of dividends and key points about how they work, including the fact that most dividend payments are paid quarterly. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market cap	Dividend yield	Industry
Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW)	$136.6 billion	2.40%	Specialty Retail
Realty Income (NYSE:O)	$55.1 billion	5.32%	Retail REITs
Chevron (NYSE:CVX)	$318.5 billion	4.35%	Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels
Target (NYSE:TGT)	$42.7 billion	4.79%	Food and Staples Retailing
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)	$97.2 billion	2.85%	Hotels, Restaurants and Leisure
Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE:BIPC)	$5.8 billion	3.87%	Gas Utilities
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)	$3.9 trillion	0.64%	Software
American Express (NYSE:AXP)	$242.5 billion	0.90%	Consumer Finance
Clearway Energy (NYSE:CWEN)	$3.7 billion	5.61%	Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers

Data as of Oct 23, 2025.

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NYSE: LOW

Lowe's Companies

Today's Change

(0.14%) $0.34

Current Price

$243.87

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$137B

Day's Range

$239.99 - $244.78

52wk Range

$206.38 - $280.64

Volume

2.1M

Avg Vol

2.8M

Gross Margin

31.33%

Dividend Yield

0.02%

Investors worried about the housing downturn shouldn't fret. When the housing supply is tight, homes are harder to buy, and people tend to spend more to upgrade their existing homes. So, any cyclical weakness in its results will likely return to growth over the long term, even if short-term shifts in consumer spending cause an overall slowdown in renovations.

2. Realty Income

If you're looking for a simple way to invest in high-quality real estate for income and growth, Realty Income might be the perfect stock. The company owns an array of largely e-commerce-resistant properties, earning strong cash flow from tenants on long-term leases.

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NYSE: O

Realty Income

Today's Change

(-0.03%) $-0.02

Current Price

$60.25

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$55B

Day's Range

$59.88 - $60.57

52wk Range

$50.71 - $64.68

Volume

122K

Avg Vol

5.2M

Gross Margin

47.68%

Dividend Yield

0.05%

Realty Income has also recorded more than three decades of consecutive annual dividend increases every year since going public in 1994 -- and more than 55 straight years of paying a dividend every month. Since its founding, Realty has declared 663 consecutive monthly dividends and just raised its monthly dividend for the 132nd time since the real estate investment trust (REIT) was publicly listed.

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3. Chevron

For years, Chevron has been a solid stock to own and a big winner for investors, especially for dividend investors. It has maintained a steady track record of generating strong cash flows and growing payouts modestly every year for 38 years and counting.

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NYSE: CVX

Chevron

Today's Change

(0.64%) $0.99

Current Price

$156.56

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$319B

Day's Range

$156.12 - $158.59

52wk Range

$132.04 - $168.96

Volume

9.8M

Avg Vol

7.7M

Gross Margin

13.57%

Dividend Yield

0.04%

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NYSE: TGT

Target

Today's Change

(0.24%) $0.23

Current Price

$94.25

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$43B

Day's Range

$92.96 - $95.03

52wk Range

$85.36 - $158.42

Volume

4.8M

Avg Vol

7.9M

Gross Margin

25.43%

Dividend Yield

0.05%

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While it's facing some near-term struggles, Target's balance sheet remains well-shored up to support its commitment to paying dividends to shareholders.

5. Starbucks

Over the past four decades, Starbucks has established itself as the dominant global brand in coffee beverages.

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NASDAQ: SBUX

Starbucks

Today's Change

(-0.09%) $-0.08

Current Price

$85.42

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$97B

Day's Range

$84.98 - $85.90

52wk Range

$75.50 - $117.46

Volume

144K

Avg Vol

9.9M

Gross Margin

17.35%

Dividend Yield

0.03%

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With more than 40,000 global stores, as well as Starbucks-branded ready-to-drink beverages and packaged coffee in hundreds of thousands more locations, nobody sells -- or buys -- more coffee than this company.

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A graphic showing the benefits of dividend stocks for both the investors and the company. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

6. Brookfield Infrastructure

Sometimes, the best stocks are the ones hidden in plain sight. That's the case with Brookfield Infrastructure, which owns water, energy, utility, transportation, and communications infrastructure projects worldwide.

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NYSE: BIPC

Brookfield Infrastructure

Today's Change

(1.83%) $0.80

Current Price

$44.60

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$6B

Day's Range

$43.55 - $44.68

52wk Range

$32.08 - $47.71

Volume

15K

Avg Vol

599K

Gross Margin

62.53%

Dividend Yield

0.04%

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NASDAQ: MSFT

Microsoft

Today's Change

(-0.02%) $-0.09

Current Price

$520.45

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$3869B

Day's Range

$518.60 - $523.95

52wk Range

$344.79 - $555.45

Volume

631K

Avg Vol

20M

Gross Margin

68.82%

Dividend Yield

0.01%

Its yield of less than 1% at recent prices hasn't put it on many dividend investors' radars. But what it hasn't paid in yield, Microsoft has absolutely delivered, with total returns of more than 3,000% since 2009 and dividends accounting for a portion of those total returns.

8. American Express

Financial services, such as consumer and business lending, are another place to find a handful of top dividend stocks, and American Express is one of the best.

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NYSE: AXP

American Express

Today's Change

(0.76%) $2.68

Current Price

$354.68

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$242B

Day's Range

$350.54 - $356.19

52wk Range

$220.43 - $357.73

Volume

61K

Avg Vol

2.6M

Gross Margin

61.04%

Dividend Yield

0.01%

Although it's not on the list of companies that raise their dividends every year, Amex has a decades-long track record of either raising or maintaining its dividends through every economic environment.

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9. Clearway Energy

Renewable energy is mostly considered a place for growth investors, but it's also a wonderful opportunity for dividends. Clearway Energy is a perfect example.

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NYSE: CWEN

Clearway Energy

Today's Change

(1.71%) $0.53

Current Price

$31.52

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$4B

Day's Range

$31.08 - $31.64

52wk Range

$24.40 - $33.22

Volume

1.3M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

18.33%

Dividend Yield

0.06%

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Did you know...?

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A graphic answering questions about dividends, including: how they're paid, how often they're paid, and how much they pay. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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About the Author

Rachel Warren is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, information technology, and consumer goods. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rachel was a paralegal and legal administrator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies from Liberty University School of Law.

TMFRachelW

American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Rachel Warren has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chevron, Microsoft, Realty Income, Starbucks, and Target. The Motley Fool recommends Lowe's Companies and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.