companies that Types of investments that increase dividends for shareholders for 50 years or more passive income Investors need ownership. Dependability is important for individuals looking to increase their annual income through dividend stock investing. dividend king Those are 57 companies that have increased their dividends for at least 50 years, a testament to their dependability and reliability. These are two “must have” items for investors who rely on passive income to increase their overall revenues. Unlike the Dividend Aristocrats, the Dividend Kings are not required to be members of the S&P 500. Now may be the best time to shift capital from risky tech/AI ideas to high-yielding consumer staples companies in the coveted Dividend Kings lineup in 2026.
consumer staples Stocks are one of the most resilient investments during market downturns for one simple reason: People never stop needing the basics. Whether the economy is booming or falling, consumers still buy food, toothpaste, toilet paper, and household cleaning products. Even when discretionary spending is reduced, their pricing power, that is, the ability to pass modest cost increases on to consumers without losing significant sales volume, protects their margins. Additionally, the generous and reliable dividends offered by these dividend kings provide a cushion of income returns even when share prices fall, making them attractive to investors moving away from riskier assets during selloffs. In short, consumer staples act as a natural defensive hedge: When fear drives capital out of growth stocks and cyclicals, these stable, cash-generating businesses become a safe harbor.
we screened The 2026 Dividend Kings looks for the five highest-yielding consumer staples stocks that not only pay big, obviously reliable dividends, but also have solid upside to price targets set by top Wall Street firms, with a buy rating on four out of five.
Why do we recommend Dividend Kings?
Companies that have paid And dividend stocks extended for 50 years or more are the type of growth and income investors want to buy and keep in a stock portfolio forever. These stocks are mostly conservative, and should we see a dramatic market correction, which we may well understand, they will hold their position better than volatile technology names.
Altria
Altria (NYSE:MO | MO price prediction) is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes and related products. This tobacco stock provides a great entry point for value investors. The company manufactures and sells smoking and oral tobacco products in the United States. Altria is the undisputed yield leader among consumer staples dividend kings. It has an annual dividend of $4.24 per share, giving a yield of 6.39%.
company Mainly sells cigarettes under the Marlboro brand. Too:
- Cigars and pipe tobacco, primarily under the Black & Mild and Middleton brands.
- Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal and Husky brands.
- But! oral nicotine pouch
- E-Vapor Products Under the NJOY ACE Brand
it sells its Tobacco products are sold primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations such as chain stores.
Altria used Ownership of more than 10% in Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD), the world’s largest brewer. Last year, the company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. This represents 18% of his holdings but still leaves 8% of outstanding shares in his back pocket. Altria also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.
UBS has Buy rating with a $74 price target.
Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL) is an American food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota. It offers dual pricing power and a reliable 5.09% dividend through both branded products and private-label manufacturing. Hormel develops, processes and distributes a variety of meat, nuts and other food products to retail, food service, deli and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. With shares already down 25% in 2025, Hormel offers dual pricing power through both branded products and private-label manufacturing, along with a very reliable dividend.
it operates Through three sections:
- retail
- food service
- international
Hormel is A dividend king with over 50 years of dividend growth and it is a consumer staples company focused on protein-based packaged foods. Its yield is historically high, and the Hormel Foundation’s oversight ensures the reliability of the dividend. Reports indicate that it is restructuring its portfolio and cutting costs to improve performance.
company Offers a variety of perishable products, including fresh meat, frozen items, refrigerated meal solutions, sausage, ham, guacamole and bacon, and shelf-stable products, including canned lunch meats, nut butters, snack nuts, chili, shelf-stable microwave meals, hash, stews, tortillas, salsa, tortilla chips, nutritional food supplements and others.
it sells its Products under these brands:
- Hormel
- always gentle
- applegate
- austin blues
- Bacon 1
- black Label
- roti ready
- Refuse
- Cafe H
- Cerati
- chi-chi’s
- COLUMBUS
- complains
- corn kernels
- cure 81
- dan’s award
- Di Lusso
- dinty moore
- don miguel
- Dona Maria
- Embasa
- fast and easy
- fire braised
- fontanini
- happy little plants
- Herdez
- Hormel House
- Hormel Square Table
- Hormel Vital Recipes
- Tsang’s house
- jenny-o
- Justin’s
- La Victoria
- layout
- lloyd’s
- Mary’s Kitchen
- mr peanut
- natural choice
- nutrition
- old smokehouse
- oven ready
- pillow pack
- gardens
- rosa grande
- Sadler’s Smokehouse
- Skippy
- unsolicited email
- special recipe
- thick and easy
- valley fresh
- full
Barclays has An Overweight rating with a $31 target price.
Kimberly-Clark
This American multinational personal care company primarily manufactures paper-based consumer products. Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) The stock is down 23% in 2025, putting it near a 12-year low, and has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years; The current yield is over 5.10%.
company Manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products worldwide. It operates through three segments.
personal The Care segment offers a diverse range of products, including:
- disposable diapers
- Swim Pants, Training and Youth Pants, Baby Wipes
- Feminine and incontinence care products, as well as related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, Goodnights, Drynights, Sweety, Kotex, You by Kotex, Intimus, Depend, Plenitude, Softex, Poise and other brand names.
consumer The tissue segment offers facial and bathroom tissues, paper towels, napkins and related products under brand names.
- kleenex
- Scott
- cottonelle
- Greetings!
- Andrex
- scotex
- Neve
KC Professional The segment offers wipers, tissues, towels, apparel, soaps and sanitizers under the Kleenex, Scott, WipeAll, Kimtek and KleanGuard brands.
In 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced that it will acquire Kenview (NYSE:KVUE) In a deal worth $48.7 billion, the transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026. The acquisition will create a combined consumer health and wellness company, with Kenview shareholders receiving cash and stock. Kenview shareholders will receive $3.50 in cash and 0.14625 shares of Kimberly-Clark.
piper sandler Has an Overweight rating with a target price of $114.
PepsiCo
This top consumer Staples stock reported solid fourth-quarter earnings and will continue to supply all the goods for summer picnics and parties. PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) is a global food and beverage company with a 3.68% dividend yield.
activist investor Elliott Investment Management recently took a $4 billion stake in PepsiCo, revealing the company’s strategy to unlock value within its iconic brands by focusing on core strengths such as innovation and brand marketing rather than its capital-intensive bottling operations. The move caused PepsiCo’s stock to surge, with Elliott believing the company could see gains of more than 50% if the proposed strategic changes were implemented. However, these changes will involve very long-term change.
This is Frito-Lay North America Segment Offers:
- Lace and Ruffles Potato Chips
- Doritos, Tostitos, and Santitas Tortilla Chips
- Cheetos Cheese-Flavored Snacks, Branded Dips
- Fritos Corn Chips
of the company Quaker Foods North America segment offers:
- Quaker Oatmeal
- Oat flour
- rice cakes
- Natural Granola and Oat Squares
- Pearl Milling Mixture and Syrup
- Quaker Chewy Granola Bar
- Cap’n Crunch Cereal
- life grain
- Rice-A-Roni Side Dish
PepsiCo The North America Beverages segment offers beverages, fountain syrups and finished goods under these brands:
- pepsi
- gatorade
- Mountain Dew
- diet pepsi
- aquafina
- diet Mountain Dew
- Tropicana Pure Premium
- sierra mist
- mug brand
piper sandler Has an Overweight rating with a $181 price objective.
universal
It is one of the world’s leading tobacco traders. Although its products may not be for everyone, Universal (NYSE:UVV) has strong demand, has been in business for nearly 150 years, and offers shareholders a hefty dividend yield of 6.12%.
universal processes and supplies leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients worldwide. It flies under the radar as a global leaf tobacco supplier rather than a branded consumer company, sidestepping the brand competition and consumer-facing regulatory pressure that puts pressure on names like Altria. Long-term supply contracts with major manufacturers provide stable earnings visibility, and its asset-light model generates strong free cash flow that comfortably supports its dividend.
company Operates through two segments:
- tobacco operations
- data governance
it buys, Manufacturers of consumer tobacco products finance, process, pack, store, and ship tobacco for sale.
Company:
- Contract, purchase, processing and sale of flue-cured, burley and oriental tobacco, used primarily in the manufacture of cigarettes
- Dark air-cured tobacco creates naturally wrapped cigars, cigarillos and smokeless and pipe tobacco products
also universal Provides value-added services, including:
- Blending, Chemical and Physical Tobacco Testing
- Service cuts for various manufacturers
- Manufacture of reconstituted leaf tobacco
- Just in time inventory management services
- electronic nicotine delivery system
- Customer Smoke Testing Services