In this article, we will take a look at some of the best dividend aristocrat stocks with yields above 3%.
Dividend Aristocrats are the companies that have raised their payouts for 25 consecutive years or more. Dividends have been an important part of the overall market return for a very long time. According to a report by S&P Global, dividends have represented approximately 31% of the total return of the broader market from 1926 to February 2025, while capital appreciation has accounted for 69%.
Growing dividends consistently highlight the companies’ confidence in their firms’ prospects as market participants see this as a sign of corporate maturity and strong balance sheets. Dividend aristocrats reveal characteristics of both capital growth and dividend income, as opposed to alternative income strategies that mainly pay attention to pure yield or pure capital appreciation.
Investors are more inclined toward dividend growth stocks, and the performance of these equities has also remained stable over the years. According to a report by S&P Global, dividend aristocrats have reported higher returns with lower volatility over the long run as compared to the broader market, which eventually resulted in higher risk-adjusted returns.
In addition to dividend growth, dividend yield is also an important component of total return. The ability to increase dividends does not come at the expense of lower yields; in fact, the dividend aristocrats index has consistently delivered higher yields than its benchmark. The index had dividend yields within the range of 2.0% to 2.8% over the 28-year period, as reported by S&P Global. Moreover, the average dividend yield of the index was 2.5%, compared with a 1.8% dividend yield of the broader market.
As highlighted above, dividend aristocrats have shown lower volatility as compared to the broader market index. Their ability to provide downside protection can be seen in the upside and downside capture ratios. The S&P report highlighted that the dividend aristocrats index has outperformed the market index 66.67% of the time in down months and 43.88% of the time in up months. Notably, the index also has a lower drawdown level compared with the benchmark index. In addition, the dividend aristocrats index provided an average excess return of 0.87% in down months over the broader market. To further emphasize their low volatility, the report mentioned that the dividend aristocrats had a market beta of 0.8 between December 29, 1989, and February 28, 2025.
With the AI boom and tech stocks taking center stage, dividend stocks are somehow overlooked by the market. However, the recent market sell-off has restored their importance, as the Dividend Aristocrats Index has surged by over 2% since the start of 2025, compared with a nearly 5% decline in the broader market. The significance of these equities is much more apparent over long periods of time. According to the S&P Global report, the dividend aristocrats index outperformed its benchmark by an average of 1.59% per year between January 2000 and February 2025. This outperformance was because of the fundamental characteristics of the constituents of the index. Given this, we will take a look at some of the best dividend aristocrat stocks to consider.
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Our Methodology
For this article, we scanned a list of the Dividend Aristocrat index, which tracks the performance of companies that have raised their payouts for 25 consecutive years or more. From that list, we picked 15 stocks with dividend yields above 3%, as of March 29. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their dividend yields.
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15. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Dividend Yield as of March 29: 3.03%
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is an American healthcare company, headquartered in New Jersey. The company specializes in manufacturing, developing, and selling a wide range of healthcare products and also offers related services. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the company posted a revenue of $22.5 billion, which showed a 5.2% growth from the same period last year. The revenue showed an operational growth of 6.7% and also beat analysts’ estimates by $84.4 million.
As a leading healthcare company, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) prioritizes addressing critical medical needs, including lung cancer, multiple myeloma, inflammatory bowel disease, and heart failure. The company spun off its consumer health business, Kenvue, in 2023, which now accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total revenue.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s MedTech segment showed a 6.2% growth in global operational sales, with acquisitions and divestitures accounting for 1.5% in the increase. The company holds one of the longest dividend growth streaks in the market, spanning 62 years. Currently, it offers a quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share. With a dividend yield of 3.03%, as of March 29, JNJ is one of the best dividend aristocrat stocks on our list.
14. Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED)
Dividend Yield as of March 29: 3.13%
Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) is a New York-based investor-owned energy company that offers services related to regulated gas, steam, and electricity distribution. The stock is generating solid returns this year, surging by over 22% since the start of 2025. It is among the best dividend aristocrat stocks on our list.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) generated $3.67 billion in revenue, which saw a 6.5% growth from the same period last year. The revenue surpassed analysts’ estimates by $35.6 million. Its net income attributable to common stockholders came in at $310 million, or $0.90 per share, down from $335 million, or $0.97 per share in the prior-year period. In its earnings call, the company announced that it expects steady growth in electrification demand this year due to increased new construction in downstate areas and regulatory mandates that require clean heat solutions in new residential and commercial buildings.
Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) has had a challenging past, but the company has maintained steady earnings growth and a strong dividend history, bolstered by its rate-regulated natural gas and electric distribution operations in New York and New Jersey. The company’s quarterly dividend comes in at $0.85 per share, which was hiked in January by 2.4%. This was its 51st consecutive year of dividend growth. Moreover, the company has never missed a dividend since 1885. The stock supports a dividend yield of 3.15%, as of March 29.
The number of hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owning stakes in Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) grew to 44 in Q3 2024, from 29 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of over $995 million.
13. Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT)
Dividend Yield as of March 29: 3.19%
Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) is an American-Irish medical device company that operates across various segments, including medical-surgical, neuroscience, cardiovascular, and diabetes. Through these segments, the company offers a wide range of healthcare solutions. In fiscal Q3 2025, it reported a revenue of $8.3 billion, up 2.5% from the same period last year. However, the company missed analysts’ estimates of $8.33 billion. Its GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) came in at $1.01, while adjusted EPS grew 7% from the prior year period to $1.39, exceeding analysts’ consensus of $1.35.
In addition to strong earnings, Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) also reported a solid cash position, which is crucial to the company’s dividend policy. In the first nine months of the fiscal year, the company generated an operating cash flow of $4.5 billion, and its free cash flow for the period came in at $3.1 billion. With this balance sheet and cash position, it holds a 47-year streak of consistent dividend growth. The company is just three years away from becoming a Dividend King. Currently, it offers a quarterly dividend of $$0.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.19%, as of March 29.
At the end of Q4 2024, 67 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held stakes in Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), growing from 60 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of over $3.55 billion. With over 9.7 million shares, First Eagle Investment Management was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q4.
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