What is a Dividend Aristocrat?

A Dividend Aristocrat is typically defined as a company in the S&P 500 that has increased its dividend for at least 25 consecutive years. The label signals exceptional policy discipline through multiple recessions and is an explicit factor in our growth ranking.

Is high dividend growth always better?

Not by itself. A 30% one-year increase from a low base doesn't mean much if it isn't repeatable. We anchor on 5-year CAGR specifically because it smooths out one-off increases and special dividends, and we cross-check growth against the Safety Score so you can see whether the underlying company is healthy enough to keep delivering.

Why are some Aristocrats missing from the top 50?

A long streak alone isn't enough to reach the top — we also weight recent growth pace. Aristocrats whose dividend has only crept up by token amounts in recent years can fall behind faster-compounding non-Aristocrats on the composite rank.

Does this list include international stocks?

Yes, where we have at least 5 years of dividend history. Many European companies pay a single annual dividend that varies year to year more than a typical U.S. quarterly payer, so they sometimes appear with lower 5-year CAGR figures even when total payouts have grown.

How does this differ from your Dividend Aristocrats page?

The Dividend Aristocrats page is a static filter — every company with a 25+ year streak qualifies regardless of recent growth. This page is a leaderboard ranked by recent growth pace, so it surfaces both Aristocrats and faster-growing newer names side by side.

Dividend Growth Stocks

The top 50 stocks ranked by dividend growth — long streaks of increases combined with strong 5-year compound growth.

50
Dividend Stocks: 7.09%
Best 5Y CAGR: 2.30%
Average Yield: 50 / 50
Dividend Aristocrats: 75
Safety Score

Last updated: August 12, 2026

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50 stocks

			52 Weeks		Frequency
GWWIndustrials W.W. Grainger, Inc.	93Very Safe	$1301.94	907 1420	0.71%	Quarterly	24.31%	+8.25%
FDSFinancial Services FactSet Research Systems Inc.	93Very Safe	$282.95	185 388	1.62%	Quarterly	29.38%	+7.45%
WSTHealthcare West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.	93Very Safe	$351.37	224 386	0.25%	Quarterly	11.14%	+5.51%
BROFinancial Services Brown & Brown Inc.	92Very Safe	$71.44	54 98	0.91%	Quarterly	20.61%	+12.09%
NDSNIndustrials Nordson Corporation	91Very Safe	$311.36	210 316	1.06%	Quarterly	34.62%	+20.91%
AFLFinancial Services Aflac Inc.	91Very Safe	$121.07	103 130	1.90%	Quarterly	26.86%	+15.68%
CTASIndustrials Cintas Corporation	91Very Safe	$205.28	161 227	0.92%	Quarterly	36.66%	+13.87%
EXPDIndustrials Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.	90Very Safe	$177.21	113 188	0.87%	Semi-Annual	24.88%	+8.17%
SPGIFinancial Services S&P Global Inc.	90Very Safe	$408.69	361 548	0.89%	Quarterly	23.49%	+7.46%
CINFFinancial Services Cincinnati Financial Corporation	89Very Safe	$173.21	149 195	2.02%	Quarterly	17.09%	+7.71%
ATOUtilities Atmos Energy Corporation	86Very Safe	$169.21	160 193	2.24%	Quarterly	46.06%	+8.97%
GDIndustrials General Dynamics Corporation	84Very Safe	$391.89	307 400	1.60%	Quarterly	37.68%	+6.50%
CHDConsumer Defensive Church & Dwight Co., Inc.	83Very Safe	$102.78	81 106	1.17%	Quarterly	38.62%	+4.21%
SHWBasic Materials The Sherwin-Williams Company	82Very Safe	$364.42	290 380	0.88%	Quarterly	29.34%	+12.08%
CATIndustrials Caterpillar Inc.	82Very Safe	$843.37	405 1073	0.70%	Quarterly	29.58%	+7.23%
ROPTechnology Roper Technologies Inc.	81Very Safe	$399.50	306 545	0.91%	Quarterly	14.46%	+9.99%
NUEBasic Materials Nucor Corporation	81Very Safe	$271.95	131 280	0.81%	Quarterly	17.80%	+6.51%
PPGBasic Materials PPG Industries Inc.	81Very Safe	$116.16	93 133	2.41%	Quarterly	40.75%	+5.77%
MKCConsumer Defensive McCormick & Company, Incorporated	80Very Safe	$52.89	45 73	3.63%	Quarterly	30.95%	+7.58%
WMTConsumer Defensive Walmart Inc.	80Very Safe	$113.26	95 135	0.89%	Quarterly	33.54%	+5.48%
JNJHealthcare Johnson & Johnson	80Very Safe	$259.80	172 275	2.06%	Quarterly	60.79%	+5.25%
ABTHealthcare Abbott Laboratories	79Safe	$109.72	82 137	2.35%	Quarterly	78.96%	+10.38%
PGConsumer Defensive Procter & Gamble Co	78Safe	$145.21	138 167	2.90%	Quarterly	64.33%	+6.02%
CHRWIndustrials C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.	78Safe	$145.10	116 210	1.62%	Quarterly	47.90%	+4.07%
MDTHealthcare Medtronic plc	77Safe	$90.68	73 106	3.31%	Quarterly	76.14%	+4.42%
ECLBasic Materials Ecolab Inc.	76Safe	$284.63	243 309	1.00%	Quarterly	38.12%	+7.23%
TROWFinancial Services T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.	75Safe	$113.75	85 122	4.44%	Quarterly	51.61%	+7.13%
TGTConsumer Defensive Target Corporation	74Safe	$152.29	83 155	3.08%	Quarterly	59.97%	+11.02%
ITWIndustrials Illinois Tool Works Inc.	74Safe	$293.15	239 303	2.18%	Quarterly	58.33%	+7.07%
KOConsumer Defensive The Coca-Cola Company	73Safe	$86.48	65 91	2.40%	Quarterly	62.46%	+4.46%
OReal Estate Realty Income Corporation	72Safe	$61.89	56 68	5.16%	Monthly	265.00%	+5.15%
EDUtilities Consolidated Edison, Inc.	72Safe	$107.50	95 116	3.21%	Quarterly	57.97%	+2.13%
LOWConsumer Cyclical Lowe's Companies Inc.	70Safe	$221.25	199 293	2.22%	Quarterly	40.57%	+15.87%
NEEUtilities NextEra Energy, Inc.	70Safe	$85.74	69 99	2.73%	Quarterly	53.47%	+10.12%
XOMEnergy Exxon Mobil Corporation	70Safe	$159.80	106 176	2.65%	Quarterly	68.01%	+2.82%
IBMTechnology International Business Machines Corp	70Safe	$238.42	199 332	2.86%	Quarterly	59.77%	+1.52%
BDXHealthcare Becton, Dickinson and Company	69Safe	$181.41	128 187	2.20%	Quarterly	72.95%	+5.96%
CVXEnergy Chevron Corporation	69Safe	$196.66	146 215	3.67%	Quarterly	67.18%	+5.80%
CLConsumer Defensive Colgate-Palmolive Co	69Safe	$92.31	75 99	2.27%	Quarterly	82.28%	+3.32%
ESSReal Estate Essex Property Trust, Inc.	68Safe	$282.46	238 303	3.59%	Quarterly	160.75%	+4.10%
MCDConsumer Cyclical McDonald's Corporation	66Safe	$274.15	261 342	2.74%	Quarterly	59.85%	+7.30%
ADMConsumer Defensive Archer-Daniels-Midland Co	64Safe	$80.46	56 88	2.58%	Quarterly	91.52%	+7.21%
SYYConsumer Defensive Sysco Corporation	61Safe	$84.26	68 92	2.62%	Quarterly	60.00%	+3.13%
KMBConsumer Defensive Kimberly-Clark Corporation	60Safe	$108.57	92 136	4.55%	Quarterly	97.87%	+3.32%
ABBVHealthcare AbbVie Inc.	56Caution	$250.09	191 267	2.80%	Quarterly	189.86%	+6.81%
SWKIndustrials Stanley Black & Decker Inc.	56Caution	$104.00	62 105	3.24%	Quarterly	81.17%	+3.49%
APDBasic Materials Air Products and Chemicals Inc.	52Caution	$309.31	229 315	2.44%	Quarterly	75.66%	+5.90%
GPCConsumer Cyclical Genuine Parts Company	51Caution	$135.09	91 152	3.16%	Quarterly	1674.00%	+5.45%
SJMConsumer Defensive The J. M. Smucker Company	51Caution	$117.34	88 128	3.69%	Quarterly	86.06%	+4.14%
CLXConsumer Defensive The Clorox Company	49Caution	$108.25	85 129	4.74%	Quarterly	80.33%	+2.54%

Stocks that grow their dividend year after year do something that's hard to fake: they signal management confidence in future cash flow and they let your income compound while you hold. This leaderboard ranks the top 50 dividend growth stocks across our coverage of 1,100+ companies by a composite of 5-year dividend CAGR and the length of the consecutive-increase streak. The top of the list is filled with Dividend Aristocrats — companies that have raised their dividend for 25+ consecutive years — but you'll also find faster-growing newer names whose recent compounding is hard to ignore.

How we rank the best dividend growth stocks

Our growth ranking blends two dimensions that matter independently. Streak length captures the discipline and durability of the policy: an Aristocrat (25+ years), Champion (20+), Contender (10+), or Challenger (5+) all earn a bonus weighted toward the higher tiers. Dividend CAGR over the trailing 5 years captures how aggressively the dividend is actually compounding right now, capped at 25% so a single year of unusual catch-up growth doesn't dominate the score. Stocks must show positive 5-year CAGR and a real dividend yield to qualify. Once a candidate passes the filter, we sort by the composite, breaking ties first on streak length and then on overall Safety Score, so you don't end up with a fast-growing dividend that might be cut. Each row also shows the Safety Score so you can see growth and safety side by side. Re-ranked daily.

Read our full dividend safety methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about dividend growth stocks and how we rank them.