By strict definition, a stock is a “dividend aristocrat” if it is an S&P 500 company that has increased its dividend annually for at least 25 years.
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We can be sure that if a stock is a dividend aristocrat, it has been in business for a long time. Think of IBM, which was founded in 1911.
These companies tend to be large blue-chip companies that are financially stable, have strong cash flow, and are willing to share some of that cash flow with their shareholders via dividends.
By virtue of being a member of the S&P 500, they would likely have sufficient market cap and liquidity.
Therefore, in times of market volatility and uncertainty, many investors migrate their money to these so-called “safer” companies.
This is why many of these companies are known to be “defensive” stocks, which investors tend to flock to as “safe havens.”
Think McDonalds (fast food), Coca-Cola (low-cost beverages), Colgate-Palmolive (toothpaste), and Kimberly Clark (toilet paper) – all of which are dividend aristocrats.
A stock could lose its title on the dividend aristocrat list if it decreases its dividends from the previous year.
It also means that new stocks can enter this list when their track record of increasing dividends has reached the 25-year mark.
Where To Get A List Of Dividend Aristocrats?
The question that is begging to be asked is how can we get an updated list of these dividend aristocrats?
Sure, we can look through each of the 500 Standards and Poors stocks and check if each has growing dividends over the last 25 years.
But there are a couple of shortcuts.
Wikipedia has a list of dividend aristocrats.
And there is an ETF called the “S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats”. Of course, there is. There is an ETF for just about everything and anything.
This ETF is by ProShares and goes by the ticker symbol NOBL.
If we go to the ProShares NOBL ETF specification page, we can see their current top holdings, which they consider dividend aristocrats.
A comparison shows that the 69 companies on the two lists are the same.
These 69 companies (listed below) are the Dividend Aristocrats as of the first quarter 2025.
Dividend Aristocrats Stocks
We have sorted the list by ticker symbol and given a few words on what each company does.
Obviously, the description does not do the company justice because these large companies produce much more than we describe.
They are just there as a few-word reminder of the primary service of that company.
The dividend yield listed is data from Barchart.com.
| ABBV | AbbVie Inc. | Healthcare | 3.01% | Pharmaceuticals |
| ABT | Abbott Labs | Healthcare | 1.62% | Health Care Products |
| ADP | Automatic Data Processing | Industrials | 1.82% | Human Capital Management Solutions |
| ADM | Archer-Daniels-Midland | Consumer Staples | 4.26% | Food and Beverage Ingredients |
| AFL | Aflac | Financials | 1.90% | Life Insurance |
| ALB | Albemarle | Materials | 2.09% | Specialty Chemicals |
| AMCR | Amcor | Materials | 4.99% | Packaging For Food, Pharmaceutical, and Personal Care |
| AOS | A.O. Smith | Industrials | 1.99% | Water Heaters |
| APD | Air Products and Chemicals | Materials | 2.24% | Specialty Gases and Equipment |
| ATO | Atmos Energy | Utilities | 2.20% | Natural Gas Distribution |
| BDX | Becton Dickinson | Healthcare | 1.72% | Medical Technology |
| BEN | Franklin Resources | Financials | 6.17% | Investment Management Company |
| BF/B | Brown-Forman Class B | Consumer Staples | 2.66% | Alcoholic Beverages |
| BRO | Brown & Brown | Financials | 0.47% | Insurance Products |
| CAH | Cardinal Health | Healthcare | 1.56% | Products And Services For Hospitals |
| CAT | Caterpillar | Industrials | 1.61% | Construction And Mining Equipment |
| CB | Chubb Limited | Financials | 1.26% | Insurance Products |
| CHD | Church and Dwight | Consumer Staples | 1.03% | Household, Personal Care, and Specialty Products |
| CHRW | C.H. Robinson | Industrials | 2.42% | Freight Transportation |
| CINF | Cincinnati Financial | Financials | 2.19% | Property Casualty Insurance |
| CL | Colgate-Palmolive Company | Consumer Staples | 2.19% | Consumer Care Products |
| CLX | Clorox Company | Consumer Staples | 3.11% | Cleaning Products |
| CTAS | Cintas | Industrials | 0.73% | Corporate Uniforms |
| CVX | Chevron | Energy | 4.16% | Energy And Chemicals |
| DOV | Dover | Industrial | 1.03% | Aftermarket Parts And Equipment |
| ECL | Ecolab | Materials | 0.88% | Hygiene And Cleaning Solutions |
| ED | Consolidated Edison | Utilities | 3.29% | Electric, Gas, And Steam Delivery |
| EMR | Emerson Electric | Industrials | 1.73% | Pressure Safety Valves |
| ERIE | Erie Indemnity | Financials | 1.21% | Issuance And Renewal Services |
| ES | Eversource Energy | Utilities | 4.54% | Energy Delivery |
| ESS | Essex Property Trust | Real Estate | 3.15% | Management Of Residential Properties |
| EXPD | Expeditors | Industrials | 1.24% | Logistics Transportation Management |
| FAST | Fastenal | Industrials | 2.11% | Distributor Of Industrial And Construction Supplies |
| FDS | Factset Research Systems | Financials | 0.90% | Financial Information, Analytical Applications |
| FRT | Federal Realty Investment Trust | Real Estate | 4.15% | Real Estate Investment Trust |
| GD | General Dynamic | Industrials | 2.25% | Aerospace And Defense |
| GPC | Genuine Parts Company | Consumer Discretionary | 3.20% | Auto Parts |
| GWW | W.W. Grainger | Industrials | 0.80% | Distributor Of Maintenance, Repair, And Operating Products |
| HRL | Hormel Foods | Consumer Staples | 3.97% | Meats And Food Products |
| IBM | International Business Machines | Technology | 2.65% | Software, Cloud, And AI |
| ITW | Illinois Tool Works | Industrials | 2.20% | Manufacturer Of Industrial Products And Equipment. |
| JNJ | Johnson & Johnson | Healthcare | 3.01% | Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, And Consumer Products |
| KMB | Kimberly-Clark | Consumer Staples | 3.44% | Personal Care Products |
| KO | Coca-Cola | Consumer Staples | 2.75% | Beverages |
| KVUE | Kenvue | Consumer Staples | 3.45% | Cough, Allergy, Consumer Health Products |
| LIN | Linde | Materials | 1.19% | Industrial Gases |
| LOW | Lowe’s | Consumer Discretionary | 1.83% | Home Improvement |
| MCD | McDonald’s | Consumer Discretionary | 2.20% | Franchise Restaurants |
| MDT | Medtronic | Healthcare | 3.03% | Cardiovascular, Surgical, And Medical |
| MKC | Mccormick & Company | Consumer Staples | 2.07% | Spices, Seasonings, Specialty Foods |
| NDSN | Nordson | Industrial | 1.07% | Adhesives, Coatings, Polymers, Sealants |
| NEE | Nextera Energy | Energy | 3.01% | Generation, Transmission, Distribution, And Sale Of Electric Energy. |
| NUE | Nucor | Materials | 1.58% | Structural Steel, Steel Bars, Steel Joists, Steel Deck, A |
| O | Realty Income | Real Estate | 5.51% | Reit |
| PEP | Pepsico | Consumer Staples | 3.47% | Grain-Based Snack Foods, Beverages, And Other Products. |
| PG | Procter & Gamble | Consumer Staples | 2.32% | Hair Care, Antiperspirants and Deodorants |
| PNR | Pentair | Industrials | 1.00% | Water Solutions |
| PPG | PPG Industries | Materials | 2.38% | Paints And Coatings |
| ROP | Roper Industries | Technology | 0.53% | Legal, Healthcare, Government, Food, Transportation, Oil & Gas, Medical |
| SHW | Sherwin-Williams | Materials | 0.59% | Paints And Coatings |
| SJM | J.M. Smucker | Consumer Staples | 3.89% | Consumer Food and Pet Food |
| SPGI | S&P Global | Financials | 0.69% | Ratings, Benchmarks, Analytics |
| SWK | Stanley Black & Decker | Industrials | 3.77% | Tools, Engineered Fastening Systems |
| SYY | Sysco Corp | Consumer Staples | 2.69% | Food Products to The Food Service Industry |
| TGT | Target | Consumer Staples | 3.59% | Home Products, Groceries, And Essentials |
| TROW | T Rowe Price | Financials | 4.69% | Investment Management |
| WMT | Walmart | Consumer Staples | 0.84% | Home Products and Essentials |
| WST | West Pharmaceutical | Healthcare | 0.35% | Injectable Drugs |
| XOM | Exxon Mobil | Energy | 3.49% | Crude Oil and Natural Gas |
We have included the S&P 500 sector that the company is in.
If we are aware of sector rotation in the market (i.e., where money is flowing out of and where money is flowing into), then we can target the sectors that are outperforming.
Conclusion
This dividend aristocrat list updated for 2025 is a good place to start for those looking for large, financially stable companies with good dividends.
The highest dividend yield on this list at the moment is Franklin Resources, which has a yield of 6.17%.
However, you can not simply look at the yield; you must also consider the potential stock asset appreciation or depreciation.
For stocks returning less than the risk-free treasury rate (currently at 4.3%), you still need the stock to appreciate to match the risk-free rate of return.
We hope you enjoyed this article on the dividend aristocrat stocks.
If you have any questions, please send an email or leave a comment below.
Trade safe!
Disclaimer: The information above is for educational purposes only and should not be treated as investment advice. The strategy presented would not be suitable for investors who are not familiar with exchange traded options. Any readers interested in this strategy should do their own research and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser.
