Jim Cramer’s Top 10 Dividend Stocks for Safe, Consistent Returns

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4. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 104

Dividend Yield as of November 9: 0.55%

Cramer described Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) as a longstanding Charitable Trust holding in January. By September, he had identified a group of members the retailer was having trouble winning back. Renewals matter because membership fees give Costco recurring revenue alongside its merchandise sales. Fee revenue rose to approximately $5.91 billion in fiscal 2026 from $5.32 billion a year earlier.

Costco’s current regular dividend is $1.47 per quarter. Its annual filing shows how readily the business funded shareholder payments while continuing to invest in its warehouses. It generated approximately $15.82 billion from operations in fiscal 2026, spent about $6.44 billion on property and equipment, and paid $2.46 billion in cash dividends. The $15-per-share special dividend paid in January 2024 was a separate distribution. An investor budgeting for regular income can use the quarterly rate without counting on another special payment.

3. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 117

Dividend Yield as of November 9: 1.90%

Johnson & Johnson raised its quarterly dividend from $1.30 to $1.34 in April, extending its record to 64 consecutive years of increases. That same month, Cramer disclosed that the Charitable Trust had bought J&J during a selloff and explained what he intended to do if the shares kept falling.

The latest filing gives the dividend record some financial context. Over the first nine months of 2026, J&J generated $18.85 billion from operations, invested approximately $3.73 billion in property, plant and equipment, and paid about $9.59 billion in dividends. Its pharmaceutical and medical technology businesses produced enough cash to fund the higher payment along with capital investment. Coverage also improved slightly from the same period a year earlier.

2. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 152

Dividend Yield as of November 9: 0.49%

Cramer identified Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) as a Charitable Trust holding in March. In October, when a caller who owned both Lilly and Novo Nordisk asked which had better prospects over the next three to five years, Cramer explained what tipped the decision for him. Eli Lilly’s $1.73 quarterly dividend offered the lowest indicated yield of these ten stocks at the November 9 close.

Eli Lilly’s case for reliable income rests on what it did through two years of tight cash coverage. In both 2023 and 2024, the company maintained its quarterly payments even though operating cash flow after capital expenditures fell short of dividends paid. That changed in 2025, when the company generated approximately $8.97 billion after capital spending and paid about $5.38 billion in dividends. The improvement continued through September 2026. In those nine months, Eli Lilly reported $27.42 billion of operating cash flow, spent roughly $8.44 billion on property and equipment, and paid about $4.64 billion in dividends. The current payment has significantly more cash behind it than it did two years ago.

1. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 273

Dividend Yield as of November 9: 0.72%

Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) investment in computing infrastructure has made capital spending important to its dividend story. Cramer described Microsoft as a large Charitable Trust position in August. By late September, he saw evidence that made him rethink his stance regarding the company’s AI spending.

In fiscal 2026, Microsoft generated enough cash from operations to cover both its capital expenditures and its cash dividend payments. In the year ended June 30, the company generated approximately $182.9 billion in operating cash flow, spent $115.95 billion on property and equipment, and paid approximately $26.45 billion in aggregate cash dividends on its common stock. Cash generation covered both commitments during a year of heavy investment. Additionally, Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend from $0.91 to $0.98, with the first payment at the higher rate due in December.

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