3 Top Dividend Kings To Beat The Market

The Dividend Kings are a group of just 56 stocks that have all increased their dividends for at least 50 consecutive years. 

Regular dividend increases each year, even during recessions, are critical for dividend growth investors. This makes the Dividend Kings a great source of stocks that can provide long-term passive income.

The Dividend Kings are also appealing because many have high dividend yields. This article will discuss 3 Dividend Kings that have high yields above the S&P 500 average, and should continue raising their dividends each year.

Altria Group (MO)

Altria is a tobacco stock that sells cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, e-cigarettes, and more under a variety of brands, including Marlboro, Skoal, and Copenhagen, among others.

The decline in the U.S. smoking rate continues, though it has recently recovered some. In response to the negative long-term trend, Altria has invested heavily in new products that appeal to changing consumer preferences.

On October 30, 2025, Altria Group, Inc. released its 2025 third-quarter results. For the quarter, the company reported net revenues of approximately $6.1 billion, a year-over-year decline of around 3%, driven mainly by lower net revenues in its smokeable and oral tobacco products segments.

Net revenues after excise taxes also dipped by roughly 1.7%. Despite this revenue pressure, Altria delivered stronger profitability with reported diluted earnings per share of about $1.41 and adjusted diluted EPS of $1.45, an increase of about 3.6% compared with the prior year, reflecting higher adjusted operating companies income, cost efficiencies and fewer shares outstanding.

MO yields 6.3%, making it one of the highest yielding S&P 500 stocks.

Becton Dickinson & Co. (BDX)

Becton, Dickinson & Co. is a global leader in the medical supply industry. The company was founded in 1897 and has 75,000 employees across 190 countries. The company generates about $20 billion in annual revenue, with approximately 43% of revenues coming from outside of the U.S.

BD reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 8.3% to $5.89 billion, but this was $20 million below estimates.

Adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.96 compared favorably to $3.81 in the prior year and was $0.05 more than expected. For the fiscal year, revenue grew 8.2% to $21.8 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $14.40 compared to $13.14 in FY 2024.

BD provided an outlook for fiscal year 2026 as well. Revenue is projected to grow at a low single-digit rate. Adjusted earnings-per-share are expected to be in a range of $14.75 to $15.05. At the midpoint, this would represent growth of 3.5% from FY 2025.

The company’s key competitive advantage is that its products are in high demand as medical devices and other healthcare products are still sought out during a recession. People will seek medical care regardless of how the economy is performing.

BDX has increased its dividend for 54 years in a row.

PepsiCo Inc. (PEP)

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage company that generates almost $94 billion in annual sales. The company’s products include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Frito-Lay chips, Gatorade, Tropicana orange juice and Quaker foods. The company has more than 20 $1 billion brands in its portfolio.

On February 3rd, 2026, PepsiCo announced that it would increase its annualized dividend by 4.0% to $5.92 starting with the payment that was made in June 2026, extending the company’s dividend growth streak to 54 consecutive years.

That same day, PepsiCo released fourth quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 5.6% to $29.3 billion, which beat estimates by $370 million. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.26 compared favorably to $1.96 the prior year, which was $0.02 more than expected.

For the year, revenue grew 2.3% to $93.9 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $8.14 was down from $8.16 in 2024. Organic sales grew 2.1% for the quarter and 1.7% for the year. For the quarter, food volume fell 2% while beverages grew 1%. PepsiCo Beverages North America’s organic revenue improved 2% for the period even as volume decreased by 4%.

Revenue for PepsiCo Foods North America as lower by 1%, largely due to divestitures. Food volume declined 1%. The International Beverages segment grew 2% due to 3% volume growth. Revenues in Europe/Middle East/Africa were up 5%. Food volume declined 5%, but this was offset by a 1% gain in beverages. Currency was a 7% headwind for this region. Latin America Foods increased 5% and Asia Pacific Foods grew 4%.

PepsiCo provided guidance for 2026 as well, with the company expecting organic sales in a range of 2% to 4%. The company expects earnings-per-share growth in a range of 4% to 6%.

PEP has increased its dividend for 54 consecutive years.