25 Top-Paying Dividend Stocks That Will Help You Build Wealth (2024)

Retirees and other investors looking for predictable passive income streams often invest in fixed-income securities — things like certificates of deposit, treasury bills, and corporate bonds.

For those that can tolerate a little more risk, however, dividend stocks can be a great option. This is because dividend stocks can appreciate in addition to providing income, potentially delivering a much greater total return than fixed-income investments.

The top dividend performers are usually large, established companies that command massive shares of their respective markets. Even better, the best dividend stocks don’t slash or eliminate their dividends. In fact, they increase them.

The most trusted of all are the famous Dividend Aristocrats, which are a select group of high-profile stocks on the S&P 500 that have increased their dividends every year for at least a quarter-century. GOBankingRates analyzed each of them — there are currently 67 — and used data from NASDAQ and Google Finance to find the 25 with the highest yields. They’re ranked in ascending order of yield.

Known for relative safety, security, predictability and growing yields, these stocks are a top choice of dividend investors everywhere.

1. Hormel Foods Corp.

• Annual dividend: $1.10
• June 9th, 2023 price: $40.87
• Dividend yield: 2.69%

Founded all the way back in 1891, this packaged food giant is perhaps most famous for its iconic canned meat product Spam, introduced in 1937.

2. Sysco Corp.

• Annual dividend: $1.96
• June 9th, 2023 price: $72.54
• Dividend yield: 2.70%

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sysco Corporation is a global leader in foodservice distribution and marketing. They are known for delivering high-quality food products, supplies, and equipment to businesses like restaurants, hotels, healthcare facilities, and more.

3. Pepsico Inc.

• Annual dividend: $5.06
• June 9th, 2023 price: $182.35
• Dividend yield: 2.77%

Pepsico is best known for its iconic namesake soft drink, but the company’s success comes from much more than just Pepsi-Cola. Among its brands and divisions are Frito-Lay, Quaker Foods, Lipton, Doritos, Gatorade, Lay’s, Ruffles, Tostitos and Tropicana.

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4. Cincinnati Financial

• Annual dividend: $3.00
• June 9th, 2023 price: $101.93
• Dividend yield: 2.94%

Casualty and property insurance are the core of Cincinnati Financial’s business, but the company manages a number of subsidiaries that deal with products and services such as life insurance, specialty underwriter’s insurance, underwriting, and leasing and financing services.

5. Johnson & Johnson

• Annual dividend: $4.76
• June 9th, 2023 price: $160.01
• Dividend yield: 2.97%

This multinational giant is one of the largest and most diversified health care companies in the world. It is engaged in the development and manufacturing of a wide range of products in sectors like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and personal care products.

6. The Clorox Co.

• Annual dividend: $4.72
• June 9th, 2023 price: $156.66
• Dividend yield: 3.01%

Literally a household name, Clorox is a manufacturer of a vast range of consumer and professional products. The many brands under its umbrella include Hidden Valley, Kingsford, Brita, Glad, and Burt’s Bees.

7. Coca-Cola Company

• Annual dividend: $1.84
• June 9th, 2023 price: $60.47
• Dividend yield: 3.04%

Like its chief competitor Pepsico, the Coca-Cola Company is most famous for its universally known flagship soft drink. But also like Pepsi, that’s just the start. Coca-Cola also owns popular brands like Fanta, Dasani, Minute Maid, Schweppes, Honest Tea and Vitamin Water.

8. Medtronic plc

• Annual dividend: $2.72
• June 9th, 2023 price: $83.73
• Dividend yield: 3.25%

As the name implies, Medtronic is a developer and manufacturer of medical devices and solutions for the treatment of a multitude of diseases and disorders. It markets its products to hospitals, clinics, government healthcare programs, and more.

9. Exxon Mobil Corp.

• Annual dividend: $3.64
• June 9th, 2023 price: $107.39
• Dividend yield: 3.39%

Exxon Mobil joins Chevron as one of the biggest players in the global energy industry. The company has been doing business for over 140 years and employs 62,000 people worldwide.

10. Target Corp.

• Annual dividend: $4.32
• June 9th, 2023 price: $126.99
• Dividend yield: 3.40%

With nearly 2,000 stores located in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia), this retailer tells its customers to “Expect More. Pay Less.”

11. Consolidated Edison, Inc.

• Annual dividend: $3.24
• June 9th, 2023 price: $93.49
• Dividend yield: 3.47%

ConEd operates a network of subsidiaries that together represent one of the biggest investor-owned energy providers in the country. It serves 3.6 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York.

12. Kimberly-Clark Corp.

• Annual dividend: $4.72
• June 9th, 2023 price: $134.50
• Dividend yield: 3.51%

You may not know it, but you probably have a Kimberly-Clark product in your house right now. This personal care product manufacturer’s brands include Kleenex, Huggies, Scott, and Kotex. They hold the number one or number two market share position in 80 countries.

13. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

• Annual dividend: $3.20
• June 9th, 2023 price: $84.60
• Dividend yield: 3.78%

The world leader in both tools and engineered fastening systems, Stanley Black & Decker has been around since 1843, making it one of the oldest publicly traded companies in the U.S. Their brands include Craftsman, DeWalt, Lenox, and of course Stanley and Black & Decker.

14. Chevron Corp.

• Annual dividend: $6.04
• June 9th, 2023 price: $158.86
• Dividend yield: 3.80%

Multinational energy giant Chevron is one of the largest companies in the world and a driving force in the energy industry. Its operations span more than 180 countries.

15. Essex Property Trust

• Annual dividend: $9.24
• June 9th, 2023 price: $234.30
• Dividend yield: 3.94%

Essex is a real estate investment trust that buys, develops and manages a huge portfolio of multifamily apartment complexes on the West Coast.

16. T. Rowe Price Group Inc.

• Annual dividend: $4.88
• June 9th, 2023 price: $114.47
• Dividend yield: 4.26%

With $1.34 trillion in assets under management, this independent investment management firm has been helping clients reach their financial goals since 1937.

17. AbbVie Inc.

• Annual dividend: $5.92
• June 9th, 2023 price: $138.18
• Dividend yield: 4.28%

Biopharmaceutical giant AbbVie was created in 2013 when it was spun off from Abbott Laboratories. Its biggest drug is Humira, used to treat autoimmune diseases.

18. Federal Realty Investment Trust

• Annual dividend: $4.32
• June 9th, 2023 price: $96.14
• Dividend yield: 4.55%

Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Rockville, Md., Federal Realty Investment Trust is one of the oldest REITs in America. Known for its stability, it concentrates on investing in retail properties in affluent areas.

19. Franklin Resources

• Annual dividend: $1.20
• June 9th, 2023 price: $26.37
• Dividend yield: 4.55%

Known together with its subsidiaries as Franklin Templeton, Franklin Resources is one of the world’s biggest investment firms. It has more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management.

20. Amcor plc

• Annual dividend: $0.49
• June 9th, 2023 price: $10.01
• Dividend yield: 4.90%

Based in the U.K., Amcor plc is a global producer of packaging and related materials, including plastic jars and bottles, flexible packaging, capsules and specialty cartons. It serves businesses in the pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, health care and other industries.

21. International Business Machines Corp.

• Annual dividend: $6.64
• June 9th, 2023 price: $135.30
• Dividend yield: 4.91%

More commonly known as IBM, International Business Machines is a provider of IT products and services. Their history goes back to before digital computing even existed, but these days they produce and sell both hardware and software as well as providing services like consulting, hosting, and infrastructure.

22. Realty Income Corp.

• Annual dividend: $3.06
• June 9th, 2023 price: $60.91
• Dividend yield: 5.02%

Known as “O Stock” for its ticker symbol, Realty Income has declared 635 consecutive monthly dividends. The REIT has also delivered 120 dividend increases throughout its 54-year operating history.

23. Leggett & Platt Inc.

• Annual dividend: $1.74
• June 9th, 2023 price: $31.73
• Dividend yield: 5.48%

Leggett & Platt designs and manufactures a wide range of products and components that are common to homes and vehicles, including bedding, flooring, textile and furniture products.

24. 3M Company

• Annual dividend: $6.00
• June 9th, 2023 price: $99.90
• Dividend yield: 6.01%

A sprawling multinational conglomerate, 3M produces more than 60,000 products under several different brands. The company’s offerings include everything from adhesives and filters to aircraft maintenance supplies and dental equipment.

25. Walgreens Boots Alliance

• Annual dividend: $1.92
• June 9th, 2023 price: $31.42
• Dividend yield: 6.11%

Retail and wholesale pharmacy giant Walgreens-Boots Alliance operates more than 13,000 across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, and has more than 325,000 employees.

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Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: In order to find top-paying dividend stocks, GOBankingRates analyzed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index constituents, a collection of all 65 S&P 500 stocks that have increased dividends every year for at least the last 25 years. For each constituent, GOBankingRates found [1] the most recent annual dividend according to NASDAQ data and [2] the June 12, 2023 closing price according to Microsoft Finance Data. GOBankingRates then used these factors to calculate[3] the dividend yield for each constituent. All 65 Dividend Aristocrats were then ranked using factor [3]. All data was collected on and is up-to-date as-of June 12, 2023.