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• With Social Security COLA increases only 2.5%, dividend stocks are in demand.
• Wall Street only sees 50 basis points of rate cuts for the rest of 2024.
• Sit back and let dividends do the heavy lifting for a simple, steady path to serious wealth creation over time. Grab a free copy of “7 Things I Demand in a Dividend Stock,” plus get our two best dividend stocks to own today. Access two legendary, high-yield dividend stocks Wall Street loves.

Dividend stocks are a favorite among investors for good reason. They provide a steady income stream of passive income and offer a promising avenue for total return. Total return, a comprehensive measure of investment performance, encompasses interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time.

In simpler terms, it is the sum of income and stock appreciation. Dividend stocks can boost investment success by delivering regular income and capital appreciation.

As we approach the end of 2024, another stellar year for stock investors, we are looking for companies that can provide safe and dependable dividends, as rates are expected to fall to 3.25% by the end of 2025. Some of the best stocks for passive income investors are the Dividend Kings, which are 53 companies that have raised their dividends for 50 years, a testament to their dependability and reliability. Those are two “must-have” items for investors who rely on passive income to boost their overall revenue.

Two of the highest-yielding stocks in the group are our top November dividend income picks because they likely can continue to pay their quarterly dividends, given their Dividend King status. Both offer outstanding entry points to purchase shares and are rated Buy at top Wall Street firms.

Why do we cover the Dividend Kings?

Companies that have raised the dividends shareholders receive for 50 years or longer are the kind of investments that baby boomers who are passive income investors need to own. Dependability is necessary for those seeking to bolster their yearly income with dividend stock investments.

Altria

This tobacco company offers value investors a rich 8.2% dividend and is touted across Wall Street as one of the top passive income stocks for investors to own now. Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States through its subsidiaries.

The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand, as well as:

• Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild brand
• Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands
• on! Oral nicotine pouches

It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.

Altria used to own over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A. (NYSE: BUD), the world’s largest brewer. The company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. That represents 18% of its holdings but still leaves a hefty 8% of the outstanding shares in its back pocket. The company also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.

Canadian Utilities Limited

With a strong 5.05% dividend and a highly safe sector, this company is a steal at current trading levels. Canadian Utilities Ltd. (OTC: CDUAF) engages in the electricity, natural gas, renewables, pipelines, liquids, and retail energy businesses in Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.

It operates through three segments:

• ATCO Energy Systems
• ATCO EnPower
• Corporate & Other segments

The ATCO Energy Systems segment provides regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in:

• Northern and Central East Alberta
• The Yukon
• The Northwest Territories
• The Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan

This segment also provides integrated natural gas transmission and distribution services in Alberta, the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan, and Western Australia.

It owns and operates approximately 9,100 kilometers of natural gas pipelines, 11 compressor sites, approximately 3,600 receipt and delivery points, and a salt cavern natural gas storage peaking facility near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta in Canada.

The ATCO EnPower segment provides:

• Hydro
• Solar
• Wind
• Natural gas electricity generation
• Natural gas storage
• Industrial water solutions
• Clean fuels, including hydrogen, carbon capture, and underground storage projects; and related infrastructure development in Alberta, the Yukon; the Northwest Territories, Australia, Ontario, Mexico, and Chile

The Corporate & Other segment retails electricity and natural gas and provides whole-home solutions.

Why the Worst-Performing S&P 500 Dividend Stocks Could Explode Higher in 2025

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