13 Best High Dividend Stocks to Buy Under $100

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3. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Share Price as of the Close of September 17: $81.59

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) ranks among the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Drug discovery is a difficult and unpredictable process, and at present, investors are worried that the company’s existing patents may expire before it develops another blockbuster to replace its older products. The concern is understandable, given the company’s heavy dependence on revenue from a single drug, the cancer therapy Keytruda.

However, this type of situation is fairly common in the pharmaceutical industry. What sets Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) apart is its strong research and development capabilities and its scale, which allows it to acquire smaller companies to strengthen its pipeline when needed. These advantages have enabled the company to perform well over the long run and maintain a steady track record of raising its dividend for years.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has been rewarding shareholders with growing dividends for the past 16 years, which makes it one of the best dividend stocks under $100. The company currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.97%, as of September 18.

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