Dividend Champions List
A dividend champion is a company that has raised its dividend payout for at least 25 consecutive years. These companies have a proven track record of making shareholders money. While there are many different types of dividend stocks, dividend champions offer investors a high degree of safety and stability.
There are several reasons why dividend champions are an attractive investment. First and foremost, these companies have shown a commitment to shareholder returns. Dividend champions have consistent Earnings Per Share (EPS) growth and strong balance sheets. This combination provides the stability needed to weather economic downturns and continue paying out dividends. Secondly, dividend champions tend to be industry leaders with strong competitive advantages. This allows them to maintain or grow their market share during tough times. Lastly, these companies often have high insider ownership. This aligns the interests of management with those of shareholders.
There are currently 144 companies on the U.S. Dividend Champions list. The list is maintained by Dave Van Knapp and is updated monthly. Notable companies on the list include Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Coca-Cola (KO), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Procter & Gamble (PG), and 3M (MMM). These companies have an average market capitalization of $166 billion and an average dividend yield of 2.7%. While dividend champions can be found in a variety of industries, the majority are in the consumer staples, healthcare, and industrials sectors.
Amer. States Water (AWR) – 67
Dover (DOV) – 66
Northwest Natrl (NWN) – 66
Genuine Parts (GPC) – 66
Procter & Gamble (PG) – 66
Parker-Hannifin (PH) – 66
Emerson Electric (EMR) – 65
3M (MMM) – 64
Cincinnati Fin. (CINF) – 62
Coca-Cola (KO) – 60
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – 60
Lowe’s Companies (LOW) – 60
Lancaster Colony (LANC) – 59
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (FMCB) – 59
Colgate-Palmolive (CL) – 59
Nordson (NDSN) – 58
ABM Industries (ABM) – 55
Hormel Foods (HRL) – 54
California Water Service (CWT) – 55
Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT) – 54
SJW (SJW) – 55
Target (TGT) – 55
Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) – 54
Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT) – 54
Stepan Company (SCL) – 54
Commerce Bancshares (CBSH) – 54
Tootsie Roll (TR) – 52
H.B. Fuller (FUL) – 52
Altria Group Inc. (MO) – 52
Natural Fuel Gas (NFG) – 52
Sysco (SYY) – 52
Universal Corp. (UVV) – 52
Black Hills Corp. (BKH) – 51
W.W. Grainger (GWW) – 51
MSA Safety (MSA) – 51
W.W. Grainger (GWW) – 50
Leggett & Platt (LEG) – 51
PPG Industries (PPG) – 50
Computer Services (CSVI) – 50
Becton Dickinson (BDX) – 50
Tennant (TNC) – 50
Kimberly-Clark (KMB) – 50
PepsiCo (PEP) – 50
Middlesex Water Company (MSEX) – 49
Gorman-Rupp Company (GRC) – 49
V.F. Corporation (VFC) – 49
Nucor (NUE) – 49
S&P Global Inc. (SPGI) – 49
Wal-Mart (WMT) – 49
RPM International (RPM) – 48
Consolidated Edison (ED) – 48
Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) – 48
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) – 47
Archer-Daniels Midland (ADM) – 47
RLI Corp. (RLI) – 47
United Bankshares Inc. (USBI) – 47
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) – 46
MGE Energy (MGEE) – 46
McDonald’s (MCD) – 46
Automatic Data Processing (ADP) – 46
Pentair PLC (PNR) – 46
Carlisle Companies (CSL) – 45
Medtronic (MDT) – 45
Clorox (CLX) – 44
Sherwin-Williams (SHW) – 44
Franklin Resources (BEN) – 42
Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) – 41
Old Republic International (ORI) – 41
Aflac (AFL) – 40
Sonoco Products (SON) – 40
Air Prod. & Chem. (APD) – 40
Cintas (CTAS) – 39
Exxon Mobil (XOM) – 39
Atmos Energy (ATO) – 38
Brown-Forman Class B (BF-B) – 37
Nacco Industries (NC) – 37
Brady (BRC) – 36
Univ. Health Realty Trust (UHT) – 37
T. Rowe Price (TROW) – 36
Donaldson Company (DCI) – 36
Eagle Financial Services (EFSI) – 35
Tompkins Financial Corp. (TMP) – 35
Mercury General (MCY) – 35
McCormick & Company (MKC) – 35
Chevron (CVX) – 35
UGI (UGI) – 35
1st Source (SRCE) – 34
First Financial Corp. (THFF) – 33
National Retail Properties (NNN) – 32
Calvin B. Taylor Bankshares, Inc. (TYCB) – 33
Erie Indemnity Company (ERIE) – 32
Jack Henry & Assoc. (JKHY) – 32
First Farmers Financial Corporation (FFMR) – 32
SEI Investments (SEIC) – 31
Chesapeake Financial Services (CPKF) – 30
General Dynamics (GD) – 31
Community Bank System (CBU) – 30
Artesian Resources Corporation (ARTNA) – 30
Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC) – 30
MDU Resources Group, Inc. (MDU) – 30
Ecolab inc. (ECL) – 30
Franklin Electric Co. (FELE) – 30
McGrath Rentcorp (MGRC) – 30
Enterprise Bancorp, Inc. (EBTC) – 30
People’s United Financial (PBCT) – 29
Essential Utilities, Inc. (WTRG) – 29
Badger Meter (BMI) – 29
UMB Financial Corp. (UNBF) – 29
West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) – 29
Artesian Resources Corporation (ARTNA) – 29
Arrow Financial Corp. (AROW) – 29
Roper Technologies, Inc. (ROP) – 29
Stryker Corporation (SYK) – 29
Realty Income Corporation (O) – 29
Thomson Reuters Corporation (TRI) – 29
Linde PLC (LIN) – 29
AptarGroup, Inc. (ATR) – 28
Chubb Limited (CB) – 29
John Wiley & Sons , Inc. (JW.A) – 29
PSB Holdings (PSBQ) – 29
Caterpillar (CAT) – 29
Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (CFR) – 28
BankFirst Corporation (BANF) – 28
A.O. Smith Corp. (AOS) – 28
Brown & Brown Inc. (BRO) – 28
Albemarie Corporation (ALB) – 28
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) – 28
Essex Property Trust (ESS) – 28
Southside Bancshares (SBSI) – 28
Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD) – 28
Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO) – 27
Northeast Indiana Bancorp, Inc. (NIDB) – 27
Matthews International Corporation (MATW) – 27
Polaris Inc. (PII) – 27
Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) – 27
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RNR) – 27
International Business Machines (IBM) – 27
New Jersey Resources Corporation (NJR) – 26
The First of Long Island Corporation (FLIC) – 26
Church & Dwight Co. (CHD) – 26
Enbridge, Inc. (ENB) – 26
Cardinal Health (CAH) – 26
Bank OZK (OZK) – 26
Graco Inc. (GGG) – 25
W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC) – 25
CCFNB Bancorp Inc. (CCFN) – 25
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) – 25
(updated July 2022)
Dividend champions offer investors a high degree of safety and stability. These companies have consistent EPS growth and strong balance sheets, allowing them to weather economic downturns and continue paying out dividends. If you’re looking for an investment with a proven track record, consider adding some dividend champions to your portfolio.
Xander is a writer for whatisdividend.com. He has been writing about personal finance and investing for over 10 years. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Money Magazine. He is a Certified Financial Planner and holds a degree in financial planning from Boston University. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children.