In this article, we will take a look at the 14 Stocks on the Verge of Becoming Dividend Aristocrats.
A February 26 report from CNBC said investors looking for stability have increasingly turned to companies with consistent dividend payments. Wolfe Research pointed to a group of emerging dividend aristocrats that could provide that stability. Concerns about artificial intelligence and its potential to disrupt business models across many industries have weighed on the stock market in 2026. Against that backdrop, steady dividend payers have started to draw more attention. Chris Senyek said this group of stocks “can be a good place to ‘hide’ in the event of an economic slowdown or recessionary environment.” He also noted in a report that “This cohort of stocks has generally outperformed heading into and out of recession.”
Dividend-paying companies have been performing better than the broader market so far this year. As of the close on March 9, the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats had gained more than 5%. Over the same period, the broader S&P 500 had fallen by nearly 1%. Senyek said the stronger performance reflects “investor preference for non-Tech companies, as well as dividends’ defensive nature.” He added that software stocks, in particular, have faced pressure as investors worry that artificial intelligence could disrupt their businesses.
A recent report from S&P Global Market Intelligence suggests dividend growth in the United States may continue. Total dividend payouts across the US market are projected to rise by 5.4% in 2026, reaching about $820 billion. Companies in the S&P 500 are expected to drive much of that increase, with their dividends forecast to grow 6.4% to roughly $725 billion. Across the broader market, nearly half of the expected dividend growth is projected to come from four sectors: energy, banks, financial services, and capital goods. Each of those sectors is expected to increase dividends at a pace of about 6% to 7% year over year.
Given this, we will take a look at some of the best future dividend aristocrat stocks.
Our Methodology:
For this list, we selected companies from the S&P 500 that have raised their dividends for 13 consecutive years or more and are on the steady path to becoming dividend aristocrats. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their consecutive years of dividend growth. We limited our final selection to companies that have recently reported noteworthy developments likely to impact investor sentiment.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
14. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE)
Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth: 13 Years
On March 6, Brian Bedell of Deutsche Bank upgraded Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) to Buy from Hold. The firm set a $188 price target on the stock.
A day earlier, on March 5, Intercontinental Exchange announced a strategic partnership and investment in OKX. The platform serves more than 120 million users worldwide. The investment values OKX at about $25 billion. The companies did not disclose the financial terms. As part of the agreement, ICE will take a seat on OKX’s Board of Directors. The two sides also plan to build a broader collaboration. The goal is to combine OKX’s blockchain infrastructure and global user base with ICE’s market technology, regulatory experience, and institutional network.
Both companies plan to explore joint work in several areas. These include market structure, clearing and risk management, data services, and institutional access to digital assets.ICE also intends to license OKX’s spot crypto prices. The company plans to use that data to launch U.S.-regulated crypto futures, giving institutions a compliant way to gain exposure to digital assets. If regulators approve, OKX may also give its users access to ICE’s U.S. futures markets and tokenized equities listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The partnership will also focus on building a stronger institutional infrastructure. That includes improved clearing and risk systems, multi-chain custody solutions, and better connectivity for institutions entering digital asset markets.
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) provides financial technology and data services across major asset classes. Its platforms and tools help customers improve transparency and efficiency in their trading and workflow systems.
13. CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)
Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth: 14 Years
On March 5, Hans Engel of Erste Group upgraded CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) to Buy from Hold. A day earlier, on March 4, Argus Research downgraded CME Group to Hold from Buy. The firm expects “muted growth” in several parts of the company’s business. These include equity index, metals, crypto, and micro contracts traded by retail investors. At the same time, the analyst believes stronger activity in agriculture and prediction markets could help offset some of that slowdown, according to the research note.
On March 9, CME Group reported a new milestone in its energy trading business. The company said its energy complex reached a single-day volume record of 8.3 million contracts on March 6. That figure surpassed the previous daily record of 7.9 million contracts set just days earlier, on March 3, 2026. Trading activity across the complex produced several additional records that day. Energy options volume reached 1.43 million contracts, crude oil complex volume climbed to 5.73 million contracts, and Micro Crude Oil futures also hit a record, with 748,729 contracts traded.
Activity in refined products was also strong. CME Group Refined Products, driven by RBOB Gasoline futures and New York Harbor Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel futures, reached a new single-day record of 1.25 million contracts on March 3, 2026. All five of the top-performing volume days for the refined products complex occurred during the past week. That surge pushed the five-day average volume to 1.09 million contracts.
CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) operates a global derivatives marketplace. Its platforms allow clients to trade futures, options, cash products, and over-the-counter markets. The company’s exchanges list benchmark products across major asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products, and metals.
