For long-term investors, few approaches to wealth building work as reliably as owning dividend growth stocks. Earnings grow over time, and the businesses behind those growing payouts – if chosen carefully – have remarkable staying power.
But not every dividend growth stock looks the same.
Three names are key for the next decade: Rural Retailers tractor supply (TSCO 3.62%)drink giant Coca Cola (To 0.23%)and credit card specialist American Express (exp 1.00%). Everyone comes at the dividend story from a different angle. But all of them combine rising payouts with cash generation that should continue to rise for years.
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1. Tractor Supply
With its stock falling sharply over the past year, Tractor Supply may seem like a troubled name. Shares are trading around $34 at the time of writing – a long way from their 52-week high of around $64. But the dividend story in retail remains the most consistent.
In February, the company’s board increased the quarterly dividend 4.3% to $0.24 per share, bringing the annual payout to $0.96. This marks the 17th consecutive year of increase in the company’s dividend. As stocks decline, rural retailers decline dividend yield Now sits around 2.7%.
And behind its dividend is a business that is still growing despite the recent decline in the stock.
In the first quarter of 2026 (period ending March 28), Tractor Supply’s net sales increased 3.6% year over year to $3.59 billion, supported by a record 40 new store openings. Additionally, its earnings per share declined to $0.31 from $0.34 a year ago. But management reaffirmed full-year guidance of $2.13 to $2.23 — up from $2.06 in 2025.
with payout ratio In the mid-40% range, there is plenty of room for dividend growth.
The company is also returning a good amount of capital. In Q1 alone, Tractor Supply returned $244.4 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, based on approximately $848 million returned in 2025 – an impressive amount for a company market capitalization Only 18 billion dollars.
2. Coca-Cola
For investors who value sustainability, it’s hard to top Coca-Cola. The Atlanta-based beverage giant has now increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years, putting it in the company dividend kingA prestigious group of companies that have increased their dividends every year for at least 50 consecutive years.
In February, Coca-Cola’s board raised the quarterly payout from $0.51 to $0.53. At the new annualized rate of $2.12, the stock yields about 2.6% at the time of writing.
Additionally, the company is seeing strong underlying business momentum. Coca-Cola’s first-quarter net revenue increased 12% year over year, and is comparable Non-GAAP (Adjusted) Earnings per share rose 18%. Additionally, management raised full-year adjusted earnings-per-share growth guidance to a range of 8% to 9% — up from 7% to 8% previously.
And Coca-Cola’s dividend looks well covered. The company generated approximately $11.4 billion in adjusted free cash flow against dividends of approximately $8.8 billion in 2025, and management expects adjusted free cash flow to reach approximately $12.2 billion in 2026.
3. American Express
American Express may be the most overlooked name on this list – at least as a dividend stock. At the time of this writing the credit card specialist offers a yield of just 1.2%, leaving income-focused investors largely indifferent. But for those focused on dividend growth, this may be the most exciting of the three.
In March, the company increased its quarterly dividend by a massive 16%, increasing the payout from $0.82 to $0.95 per share. Additionally, over the past five years, the dividend has more than doubled, compounded at an annual rate of more than 17%.
The reason behind these big increases is rapid earnings growth. In Q1, American Express’ total revenue, net of interest expense, increased 11% year over year to $18.9 billion, and earnings per share increased 18% to $4.28. Billing business (effectively, how much cardholders are spending) grew 10% year over year – the strongest quarterly pace in three years.
CEO Stephen Squeri said on American Express’s Q1 earnings call it was the company’s “highest quarterly increase (in spending) in three years.”
Management targets 2026 earnings per share of $17.30 to $17.90 – an increase of about 14% at the midpoint – and a payout ratio of around 22%, on track to continue increasing the dividend.
The stock is also down about 14% year to date, making it a more attractive entry point for investors.
a pair for long term
Each of these stocks comes with risks. Tractor Supply is focusing on soft comparable-store sales and a weak discretionary backdrop. Coca-Cola pays out a large portion of its free cash flow, leaving less leeway for its dividend if business is slow. And American Express is exposed to any downturn in the consumer credit cycle and premium consumer spending.
But the strengths of these companies also complement each other. Coca-Cola leads the group with unmatched dividend longevity, while American Express offers rapid payout growth that is rare among financial stocks. As far as Tractor Supply is concerned, its dividend growth has been modest recently, but its poor stock price has pushed up the starting yield meaningfully — and the long-term growth runway remains intact.
Put together over the next decade, these three dividend stocks could provide a dependable foundation for income-focused investors — and growing payouts that should add up nicely over time.