We recently published a list of 25 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires. In this article, we are going to take a look at where NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) stands against other best dividend stocks to buy according to billionaires.
Dividend stocks have been overshadowed in the market as tech and AI-related equities have surged to record levels. However, Ned Davis Research suggests that a more challenging macroeconomic environment this year could create favorable conditions for dividend stocks to gain traction.
With concerns over economic growth and uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s tariff policies, investors have been looking for defensive strategies. In this context, dividend stocks have performed well, providing a safe haven while offering attractive passive income opportunities. The Dividend Aristocrat index, which tracks the performance of companies with at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth, has surged by nearly 5% in 2025, as compared to a 0.32% decline in the broader market, as of the close of March 3.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Affordable Dividend Stocks To Buy According to Hedge Funds
Companies that consistently pay dividends are often viewed as stable investments due to their reliable cash flows and financial strength. These firms typically operate in non-cyclical sectors like consumer staples, utilities, and healthcare, making them less susceptible to economic downturns and helping investors mitigate portfolio risks. At the start of 2025, heightened concerns about resurgent inflation and stagnating economic growth prompted investors to bolster their portfolios with defensive stocks. This strategic shift aimed to safeguard investments against potential market volatility associated with these economic challenges.
Ned Davis’s Clissold and his team made the following comment on the situation:
“One would expect that companies that pay dividends are more stable and have lower growth rates. As a result, they should rally less in up markets and decline less in down markets. In other words, they have lower betas than non-dividend-payers. … As a group, dividend-payers have a beta of 0.99 versus 1.11 for nonpayers.”
Analysts are optimistic about the growth of dividend stocks, largely due to anticipated increases in free cash flow (FCF). FCF represents the cash a company has remaining after covering its operating expenses and capital expenditures. This surplus is crucial for corporate boards when deciding on capital allocation strategies, such as enhancing dividend payouts or initiating stock buyback programs. Ameriprise Financial projects a continuous rise in FCF growth through 2027, suggesting that companies with substantial FCF are likely to expand their dividend distributions and share repurchase initiatives in 2025.
The report further mentioned that typically, mature companies—those beyond their initial growth phases—and businesses benefiting from significant economies of scale or operating in less capital-intensive industries generate higher levels of FCF. Sectors such as communication services, consumer staples, and information technology often exhibit elevated FCF, positioning them well for potential increases in shareholder returns.
In dividend investing, investors often favor companies that have consistently increased their payouts. BMO suggested that dividend growth stocks can help strengthen portfolios during periods of market volatility while enhancing overall returns. The firm emphasizes that a dividend growth strategy targets stocks that offer both yield and growth potential, as these companies generally demonstrate a track record of stable earnings and cash flow. Over the long term, such attributes tend to be valued by investors.
Our Methodology
For this article, we scanned Insider Monkey’s Q4 2024 proprietary database of billionaires’ stock holdings and identified dividend stocks from the list. From that group, we picked the top 25 stocks with at least 2% dividend yields, as of March 3. All of these billionaires are founders or managers of some of the top hedge funds in the world.
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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A team of trainers and athletes displaying a wide range of athletic and casual footwear.
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)
Number of Billionaire Investors: 14
Dividend Yield as of March 3: 2.03%
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is an Oregon-based apparel and footwear company. It encountered difficulties in the second quarter, especially in China, where revenue fell 8% year-over-year. However, the decline was less pronounced than analysts had anticipated, as forecasts had predicted a 10% drop. At the same time, gross margins saw a slight decline, slipping to 43.6% from 44.6% in the same quarter last year. Despite these setbacks, the company reduced operating expenses by 5%, potentially creating room for reinvestment in marketing initiatives.
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) pays a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.03%, as of March 3. The company remains committed to delivering strong shareholder returns, supported by its solid financial standing. In its latest quarter, it reported $7.9 billion in cash and cash equivalents, reflecting a 1% increase from the prior year. It also distributed $1.6 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. With 23 consecutive years of dividend increases, Nike stands out as one of the best dividend stocks according to billionaires.
At the end of Q4 2024, 14 billionaires, with a collective value of over $3 billion, held stakes in NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE). Ken Fisher and Ken Griffin were some of the most prominent billionaires holding positions in the company.
Overall, NKE ranks 21st on our list of best dividend stocks to buy according to billionaires. While we acknowledge the potential for NKE as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NKE but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.