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Not every dividend stock needs to be exciting to be useful.
For dividend-growth investors, sometimes the goal is not to chase the fastest-growing name. It is to find companies that can keep paying, keep growing their dividends, and hold up better when the broader market gets shaky.
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That is where Dividend Aristocrats can be worth a closer look – these are S&P 500 companies that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years, a record that shows they can continue rewarding shareholders across different market cycles.
So for this list, I screened for Dividend Aristocrats with a low 60-month beta, strong analyst ratings, and broad analyst coverage. The result was four companies that may appeal to investors seeking income, consistency, and lower volatility.
How I came up with these stocks
Using Barchart’s Stock Screener, I selected the following filters to get my list:
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60-Month Beta: 0.00-1.00. This metric measures how much a stock has moved relative to the market over the past five years. A beta below 1 filters for stocks that have been less volatile than the broader market.
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Current Analyst Rating: 4.5-5. This filter targets “Strong Buy” stocks and narrows the list to some of the highest-rated names.
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Number of Analysts: 12 or more. More coverage means a stronger rating consensus.
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Dividend Investing Ideas: Dividend Aristocrats.
I ran the screen and got four companies, then arranged the list from lowest to highest beta. I’ll cover the top three, and we can call the fourth a weekend bonus.
Let’s start with the first Dividend Aristocrat:
Coca-Cola Company (KO)
Coca-cola is one of the largest beverage companies worldwide, with a global footprint in over 200 countries. Aside from Coke, it offers a wide range of drinks, including Fanta, Minute Maid, and Sprite. Sprite recently returned as the NBA’s Official Global Soft Drink Partner under a new multiyear global partnership.
And for investors? It’s all about the income, and lots of it.
Coca-Cola has raised its dividend for 64 consecutive years, which also makes it a Dividend King. At the time of publication, it pays a forward annual dividend of $2.12, translating to a yield of around 2.75%
Investors will sleep well at night knowing that Coca-Cola’s 60-month beta of just 0.35 will shield them from volatility – actually, KO stock has the lowest beta on the list. Wall Street is also bullish, with the stock receiving a “Strong Buy” rating from a consensus of 23 analysts. Meanwhile, its mean-to-high target prices suggest there’s between 14% and 20% potential upside in the stock over the next year.
