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Top 10 Safest Dividend Stocks in the UK

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In this article, we will take a look at some of the best FTSE dividend stocks.

UK stocks have delivered a strong performance recently, with the FTSE 100 crossing the 9,000 mark for the first time and hitting record highs several times this year. The index posted a 7.2% return in the first half of the year, which was its best start since 2021 when it gained 8.9%.

So far this year, an FTSE 100 tracker fund delivered a total return of 14.2%, including dividends but before fees. This is quite appealing given that the year is only halfway through.

The FTSE 100 tends to attract investors during times of global uncertainty because it has many defensive stocks. Sectors such as tobacco, utilities, and telecoms are known for their reliable earnings as they provide essential services that people and businesses continue to need regardless of economic conditions.

Banks and insurers have also remained popular choices because of their attractive dividends. While share prices in these areas may fluctuate, income-focused investors value the stability dividends provide, especially during periods of economic weakness or employment concerns, since dividends can offer a consistent source of cash. Given this, we will take a look at some of the best FTSE dividend stocks to invest in.

Our Methodology

For this article, we scanned Insider Monkey’s database of 1,000 hedge funds as of Q1 2025 to find FTSE stocks that are also traded on US exchanges. Our focus was on companies that have strong dividend policies and consistently distribute dividends to their shareholders. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of hedge funds’ sentiment toward them.

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).

10. Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 10

Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN), a global medical technology company based in the UK, provides a broad selection of products and services in the medical equipment sector to meet the needs of its customers.

In its Q1 2025 earnings, Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) reported a strong start to the year, attributing growth across its portfolio to progress made under its 12-Point Plan for operational improvements. Core platforms, including CORI, EVOS, REGENETEN, and the company’s Negative Pressure Wound Therapy offerings, saw robust double-digit growth during the quarter. The company also continued its rapid pace of innovation, with additional product launches planned for the year. While challenges from the Chinese market persisted, management believes the worst of their impact has likely passed.

Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) has a progressive dividend policy and has paid regular dividends to shareholders since 1937. The company currently offers a semi-annual dividend of $0.288 per share for a dividend yield of 2.37%, as of July 25. It is one of the best FTSE dividend stocks to invest in.

9. NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17

NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG) is an Edinburgh-based company that offers mortgages, loans, credit cards, and related services. The company recently announced its results for the first half of the year, highlighting a £4.2 billion increase in net loans to customers, bringing the total to £336.2 billion. This figure includes £2.2 billion in personal loans and credit card balances acquired from Sainsbury’s Bank as of June 30, 2025.

Within Retail Banking, NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG)’s mortgage balances grew by £4.1 billion, while Commercial & Institutional balances rose by £2.0 billion, mainly due to increased lending activity in the Commercial Mid-market segment, particularly to housebuilders and housing associations, as well as within the Corporate & Institutions division.

NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG) reported an operating cash flow of £2.5 billion. The company also returned £1.4 billion to shareholders through dividends during this period. Its semi-annual dividend comes in at $0.1543 per share for a dividend yield of 3.92%, as of July 25.

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

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

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.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

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

The best part? You can discover everything about this company and its groundbreaking technology right now.

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Wall Street calls this $3 stock a “Melting Ice Cube.” They said the same thing about BTI before it returned 90%.

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

My name is Inan Dogan. I’m the co-founder and Research Director of Insider Monkey. I have an important message for you today.

Since March 2017, my stock picks have returned 16.5% annually. Today, I’ve found an opportunity even bigger than my British American Tobacco call.

Two years ago, Wall Street wrote off British American Tobacco (BTI) as a “melting ice cube.” The stock had crashed 40% from its peak, and consensus said the business was dying.

We looked under the cover and realized they were wrong.

We alerted our subscribers, and BTI returned 90% in just 16 months.

Now if you had invested just $10,000 in BTI in June 2024, you’d be sitting on $19,000 in October 2025.

Today, we have identified a nearly identical pattern in a digital-first giant trading at $3.

While the market panics over a surface-level revenue decline, our PhD-led research shows management has actually surgically cut $100 million in waste to focus on high-margin growth.

This pattern is a hallmark of our 16.5% annual return track record. The current opportunity offers a 400% upside potential—dwarfing even our 90% BTI return.

Get the ticker for our new “Underdog” pick and the full BTI case study for just 99 cents.

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1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $0.99.

2. Enjoy a month of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the Trump tariff and nuclear energy company as well as the revolutionary AI-robotics company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter.

3. Sit back, relax, and know that you’re backed by our ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Subscribe now and take control of your AI investment future!

Regular price $9.99/mo. Cancel anytime.