2023 Dividend Aristocrat List

These S&P 500 Stocks Are Dividend Aristocrats

The year 2022 was miserable for stock investors, with the S&P 500 having one of its worst years and the Nasdaq falling deep into bear-market territory. Even the stable, boring Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 2022 flirting with a correction.

The outlook for 2023 isn’t exactly bullish. Stocks need a reason to bottom and rebound, and that hasn’t happened yet. Interest rates are still rising and inflation is at decades-high levels. Moreover, the odds of a recession happening in 2023 are pretty high, which means a slowing economy, weaker corporate earnings, and more volatility in the stock market.

Investors who are looking for financial growth in 2023 will need to look beyond share prices.

That’s where dividend stocks come in. They’re the shares of companies that make a lot of money and return cash to investors in the form of monthly or quarterly payments.

Who wouldn’t love that?

It can come at a cost, though. Some companies tout their frothy dividends, but their underlying business could be weak, which means they could end up cutting or suspending their payouts. That kind of action can kill off investor sentiment and send a share price plunging. This means investors who are attracted to high yields could see their initial investments evaporate.

In a year when a recession is all but guaranteed, not just any dividend stock will do. Investors who want stable dividends need to find companies that raise their payouts on an annual basis. The longer the company’s history of doing that, the better.

Why? Safe, growing dividends are a testament to a company’s underlying strength. It means the company can generate money at every point of the economic cycle and isn’t fazed by things like pandemics, wars, or other Black Swan events. No matter what’s going on in the world, the company continues to reward buy-and-hold shareholders with annual raises.

Investors who want to juice their portfolios with reliable dividend stocks should consider dividend aristocrats. They are, without question, some of the safest dividend stocks on Wall Street.

What Is a Dividend Aristocrat?

A dividend aristocrat is an S&P 500-listed stock that has raised its dividend annually for at least 25 consecutive years. Not only do dividend aristocrat companies raise their dividends every year, but they have a history of outperforming the broader market in terms of share price. As such, dividend aristocrats are a great way to fight inflation and stock market volatility.

The dividend aristocrat list isn’t static; companies get added each year for crossing the 25-year threshold for raising dividends annually. As of this writing, 65 stocks qualify as dividend aristocrats. Since these companies are the cream of the crop, chances are good you’ll be familiar with many of them.

List of Dividend Aristocrats in Alphabetical Order