Investors love dividend stocks, especially the ultra-yield variety because they provide a significant income stream and give investors a great opportunity for massive total returns. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time. In other words, the total return on an investment or a portfolio consists of income and stock appreciation.

For example, if you buy a stock at $20 that pays a 3% dividend, and it goes up to $22 in a year, your total return is 13%. That is, 10% for the increase in stock price and 3% for the dividends paid.

One crucial aspect of dividend stock investing is finding and buying stocks that offer a solid payout to shareholders and raise those dividends annually. Investors seeking dividend dependability may be drawn to the Dividend Kings. These 53 company members have raised their dividends for 50 consecutive years. 

We screened the Dividend Kings, looking for companies that have raised their dividends each year for a very long time, and found six members of the elite club that have raised their dividends every year for the last 60 years or more. All of the companies are Buy rated by top Wall Street firms.

3M

This top company could jump with a continued economic pick-up. It has raised the dividend to shareholders for 65 years. The shares have rallied over the last month and pay a solid 5.76% dividend. 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) is a diversified technology company worldwide.

It operates through four segments:

• Safety and Industrial
• Transportation and Electronics
• Health Care
• Consumer

The Safety and Industrial segment offers:

• Industrial abrasives and finishing for metalworking applications
• Auto body repair solutions
• Closure systems for personal hygiene products
• Masking and packaging materials
• Electrical products and materials for construction and maintenance
• Power distribution and electrical original equipment manufacturers
• Structural adhesives and tapes
• Respiratory, hearing, eye, and fall protection solutions
• Natural and color-coated mineral granules for shingles

The 3M Transportation and Electronics segment provides:

• Ceramic solutions
• Attachment tapes
• Films, sound, and temperature management for vehicles
• Premium large-format graphic films for advertising and fleet signage
• Light management films and electronics assembly solutions
• Packaging and interconnection solutions
• Reflective signage for highway and vehicle safety

Italy, the company’s Healthcare segment offers:

• Food safety indicator solutions
• Healthcare procedure coding and reimbursement software
• Skin, wound care, and infection prevention products and solutions
• Dentistry and orthodontic solutions
• Filtration and purification systems

The Consumer segment provides:

• Consumer bandages
• Braces, supports, and consumer respirators
• Cleaning products for the home
• Retail abrasives
• Paint accessories
• Car care DIY products
• Picture hanging
• Consumer air quality solutions
• Stationery products

Coca-Cola

This company remains a top Warren Buffet holding. Berkshire Hathaway owns a massive 400 million shares that pays a dependable 3.22% dividend, which it has raised for the last 61 years. Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, offering consumers more than 500 sparkling and still brands.

Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, the Company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, including:

• Diet Coke
• Fanta
• Sprite
• Coca-Cola Zero
• Vitaminwater
• Powerade
• Minute Maid
• Simply
• Georgia
• Del Valle

Globally, they are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks.

Through the world’s most extensive beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the company’s beverages at a rate of more than 1.9 billion servings a day. It’s also important to remember that the company owns 16.7% of Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST), which continues to deliver big numbers.

Colgate-Palmolive

This top dividend payer is a very safe play for investors. It has raised the 2.25% dividend for 61 consecutive years. Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL), together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally.

It operates through two segments:

• Oral, Personal, and Home Care
• Pet Nutrition.

The Oral, Personal, and Home Care segment offers:

• toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants
• skin health products,
• dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items

This segment markets and sells its products under various brands, which include:

• Colgate
• Darlie
• Elmex
• Hello
• Meridol
• Sorriso
• Tom’s of Maine
• Irish Spring
• Palmolive
• Protex
• Sanex
• Softsoap
• Lady Speed Stick
• Speed Stick
• EltaMD
• Filorga
• PCA SKIN
• Ajax
• Axion
• Fabuloso
• Murphy
• Suavitel
• Soupline

It also includes pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals.

Its Pet Nutrition segment offers pet nutrition products for everyday nutritional needs under Hill’s Science Diet brand and a range of therapeutic pet products to help nutritionally support dogs and cats in different stages of health under Hill’s Prescription Diet brand.

This segment markets and sells its products through pet supply retailers, veterinarians, and eCommerce retailers.

Emerson Electric

This stock has rallied nicely off the lows posted last summer but looks to be breaking out and pays a 1.85% dividend it has raised for 67 years. Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR) is a global technology and engineering company that provides innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets.

It operates in seven segments:

• Final Control
• Control Systems & Software
• Measurement & Analytical
• AspenTech
• Discrete Automation
• Safety & Productivity
• Test and Measurement

The Final Control segment provides control, isolation, shutoff, pressure relief, and pressure safety valves, actuators, and regulators for process and hybrid industries.

The Measurement & Analytical segment offers intelligent instrumentation measuring the physical properties of liquids or gases, such as pressure, temperature, level, flow, acoustics, corrosion, pH, conductivity, water quality, toxic gases, and flame.

The Discrete Automation segment offers solenoid and pneumatic valves, valve position indicators, pneumatic cylinders, air preparation equipment, pressure and temperature switches, electric linear motion solutions, programmable automation control systems, electrical distribution equipment, and materials joining solutions.

The Safety & Productivity segment offers tools for professionals and homeowners; pipe-working tools, including pipe wrenches, pipe cutters, pipe threading and roll grooving equipment, battery hydraulic tools; electrical tools; and other professional tools.

The Control Systems & Software segment provides distributed control systems, safety instrumented systems, SCADA systems, application software, digital twins, asset performance management, and cybersecurity.

The Test & Measurement segment provides software-connected automated test and measurement systems.

The AspenTech segment provides asset optimization software that enables industrial manufacturers to design, operate, and maintain operations that enhance performance through a combination of decades of modeling, simulation, and optimization capabilities.

Northwest Natural Holdings

This off-the-radar utility stock suit worried conservative investors and has a solid 5.43% dividend, which has increased for 68 years. Northwest Natural Holding Co. (NYSE: NWN), through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

The company also operates 5.7 billion cubic feet of the Mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities and third-party marketers. It:

• Offers natural gas asset management services
• Operates an appliance retail center
• Engages in gas storage, water, non-regulated renewable natural gas, and other investments and activities

The company provides natural gas service through approximately:

• 786,000 meters in Oregon and southwest Washington
• Water services to about 80,000 people through about 33,000 water and wastewater connections in the Pacific Northwest and Texas.

Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) is one of the largest consumer products companies. It offers substantial dividends and has very recognizable products. 

Proctor & Gamble operate under five segments:

• Beauty
• Grooming
• Health Care
• Fabric & Home Care
• Baby & Family Care

Brands include:

• Pampers
• Tide
• Bounty
• Charmin
• Gillette
• Oral B
• Crest
• Olay
• Pantene
• Head & Shoulders
• Ariel
• Gain
• Always
• Tampax
• Downy
• Dawn

P&G sells its products through mass merchandisers, e-commerce, grocery stores, membership club stores, drug stores, department stores, distributors, wholesalers, baby stores, specialty beauty stores, high-frequency stores, and pharmacies.

The company has been innovative in its product development process and uses that to help ensure future growth and cash flow. This should provide investors with years of steady growth and dividends.

Shareholders are paid a very dependable 2.35% dividend, raised for 67 straight years. 

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