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15 Best Safe Dividend Stocks For 2024

In this article, we discuss 15 best safe dividend stocks for 2024. You can skip our detailed analysis of dividend stocks and their previous performance, and go directly to read 5 Best Safe Dividend Stocks For 2024

As 2023 comes to a close, analysts and investors are excited about what’s next for the market. The current year has showcased significant strength, and it looks like the trend might continue into the next year. Even though things seem positive now, investor sentiment can change suddenly because of things like global tensions, economic news, or unexpected events. Ned Davis Research pointed out that in 2024, the focus will be on the Federal Reserve and its Chair, Jerome Powell. Powell’s goal is to guide the economy smoothly, aiming for a soft landing. According to NDR, they estimate a 70% likelihood of Powell achieving this objective. Here is what the investment management services said in its 2024 outlook note:

“Lower inflation should allow the Fed to cut rates and the 10-year Treasury to fall toward 3.5%. A soft landing should permit the cyclical bull market to continue. Our year-end S&P 500 target is 4900, about 7% above current levels.”

Regardless of how optimistic or pessimistic the market appears, investors consistently lean towards safe stocks that provide stability, especially during tough market situations. Among these safe investment options, dividend stocks stand out as a preferred choice. These stocks belong to companies with a proven track record of consistent dividend payments, often from established sectors like utilities, consumer goods, or healthcare. In addition to this, historical analysis consistently highlights the outperformance of dividend stocks compared to various other asset classes across different market cycles. According to a report by T. Rowe Price, growing dividends have the potential to enhance investment gains and counteract the effects of inflation by offering a continuously growing source of income. The report further mentioned that between the late 1980s and the end of 2022, companies within the Russell 1000 Index that consistently increased their dividends performed better than the overall index. Not only did they deliver higher returns, but they also showed less fluctuation or instability in their performance.

Despite experiencing lower performance in 2023 compared to some other investments, analysts maintain a positive outlook on dividend stocks, particularly those companies that consistently raise their dividend payouts. When a company consistently pays dividends over the long haul, it typically indicates that the company is making strides in the right direction and prioritizing the creation of value for its shareholders. According to Wolfe Research, stocks from these companies have typically shown better performance both before and after economic downturns like recessions. Chris Senyek, Wolfe Research’s chief investment strategist, mentioned to Barron’s that he favors dividend aristocrats as his top dividend strategy. This group offers the highest yield among dividend strategies, currently at 2.6%. They’re also cheaper than the overall market and have a history of performing strongly after interest rate hikes.

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL), and PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) are some of the best dividend stocks in this regard as these companies have been growing their dividends for decades and have stable payout ratios. In this regard, we will take a look at safe dividend stocks for 2024.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Our Methodology:

For this list, we scanned Insider Monkey’s database of 900+ hedge funds and selected top dividend stocks that have consistently increased their payouts for 15 years in a row. From this group, we refined our choices by focusing on companies with payout ratios below 50% and picked the top 15 stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors at the end of Q3. The lower payout ratio indicates that the company is distributing less than half of its earnings as dividends to shareholders. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in them, according to our database of Q3 2023.

15. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 63

Payout Ratio: 31.7%

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. It operates a chain of retail stores offering a wide range of products for home improvement, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. On November 10, the company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, which was in line with its previous dividend. Overall, the company has been growing its dividends for 59 consecutive years, which makes LOW one of the best dividend stocks on our list. The stock has a dividend yield of 2.14%, as of December 5.

At the end of Q3 2023, 63 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database reported having stakes in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW), compared with 64 in the previous quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is over $3.15 billion. With over 7 million shares, Pershing Square was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q3.

14. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 64

Payout Ratio: 37.4%

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a multinational technology conglomerate that specializes in networking and communications technology, providing a wide array of related products and solutions. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.26%, as of December 5. It is one of the best dividend stocks on our list as the company has been raising its dividends for 16 consecutive years.

The number of hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owning stakes in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) jumped to 64 in Q3 2023, from 55 in the preceding quarter. The collective value of these stakes is over $1.6 billion.

13. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 65

Payout Ratio: 29.8%

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) is a New York-based pharmaceutical industry company that focuses on discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines and treatments for various health conditions. The company raised its dividends for 17 years in a row and it offers a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share. As of December 5, the stock has a dividend yield of 4.57%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) was a part of 65 hedge fund portfolios at the end of Q3 2023, compared with 66 in the preceding quarter. These stakes are collectively valued at over $1.8 billion. Two Sigma Advisors owned the largest stake in the company, worth more than $384.2 million.

12. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 65

Payout Ratio: 27.9%

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates a chain of membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a wide range of merchandise at discounted prices. On October 18, the company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share, which fell in line with its previous dividend. In 2023, the company raised its payout for the 19th consecutive year, which makes COST one of the best dividend stocks on our list. The stock has a dividend yield of 0.67%, as of December 5.

At the end of September 2023, 65 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey reported having stakes in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST), compared with 67 a quarter earlier. These stakes have a total value of over $3.5 billion.

11. QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67

Payout Ratio: 37.4%

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is an American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company known for its innovations in wireless technology. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share, having raised it by 7% in March this year. This marked the company’s 19th consecutive year of dividend growth. With a dividend yield of 2.45%, QCOM is one of the best dividend stocks on our list.

Insider Monkey’s database of Q3 2023 indicated that 67 hedge funds owned stakes in QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM), compared with 73 in the previous quarter. The total value of these stakes is over $2.33 billion. With over 3.2 million shares, Two Sigma Advisors was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q3.

10. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 68

Payout Ratio: 28.7%

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is a global media and technology company primarily focused on telecommunications, entertainment, and broadcasting. The company has been raising its dividends for 15 consecutive years and it currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.29 per share. The stock has a dividend yield of 2.79%, as of December 5.

At the end of September 2023, 68 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database reported having stakes in Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), up from 66 in the previous quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is more than $3.6 billion.

9. NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 69

Payout Ratio: 42.9%

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is a global sportswear and athletic footwear company known for designing, manufacturing, and marketing a wide range of athletic products. The company offers a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, having raised it by 8.8% in November this year. This marked the company’s 22nd consecutive year of dividend growth, which makes NKE one of the best dividend stocks on our list.

As of the close of Q3 2023, 69 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey’s database held stakes in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE), down from 70 in the previous quarter. The overall value of these stakes is over $3.47 billion. Fisher Asset Management was the largest stakeholder of the company, owning nearly 10 million NKE shares.

8. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71

Payout Ratio: 36.9%

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is an Ireland-based multinational industrial gases and engineering company. It operates in various segments of the industrial gas and engineering industry, providing gas and engineering solutions to a wide range of industries. The company offers a quarterly dividend of $1.275 per share and has been raising its dividends consistently for 28 years. The stock’s dividend yield on December 5 came in at 1.26%.

The number of hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database owning stakes in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) stood at 71 in Q3 2023, up from 70 in the previous quarter. These stakes are collectively worth nearly $4 billion.

7. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 72

Payout Ratio: 43.8%

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) is a multinational energy corporation primarily involved in various aspects of the oil, natural gas, and energy industry. The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.51 per share on October 27, which was consistent with its previous dividend. It has been rewarding shareholders with growing dividends for the past 36 years, which makes CVX one of the best dividend stocks on our list. The stock has a dividend yield of 4.23%, as of December 5.

As of the end of the third quarter of 2023, 72 hedge funds owned stakes in Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), compared with 73 in the preceding quarter, according to Insider Monkey’s database. These stakes are worth over $21.4 billion in total.

6. AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 73

Payout Ratio: 49.9%

An American multinational pharmaceutical company, AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) is next on our list of the best dividend stocks for 2024. The company holds a 51-year track record of consistent dividend growth and it offers a quarterly dividend of $1.55 per share. As of December 5, the stock has a dividend yield of 4.29%.

Of the 910 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database, 73 funds owned stakes in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV), compared with 74 in the previous quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is over $3.2 billion.

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Disclosure. None. 15 Best Safe Dividend Stocks For 2024 is originally published on Insider Monkey.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

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This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

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AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
  • It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
  • It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

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This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

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This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

They’re sharing it quietly, away from the cameras, to rooms full of ultra-wealthy clients.

Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

  • The AI infrastructure supercycle
  • The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
  • A surge in U.S. LNG exports
  • And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

It’s delivering real cash flows, owns critical infrastructure, and holds stakes in other major growth stories.

This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

From computer scientists to mathematicians, the next generation of innovators is pouring its energy into this field.

This influx of talent guarantees a constant stream of groundbreaking ideas and rapid advancements.

By investing in AI, you’re essentially backing the future.

The future is powered by artificial intelligence, and the time to invest is NOW.

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