The best dividend stocks to buy now are companies that provide significant paydays and stability. After all, a 5% dividend is cold comfort if the share price of your investment drops 50%.
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That means investors should place a priority on dividend investments that have staying power as well as income potential. While there’s no such thing as a sure thing, it is possible to sidestep risk and volatility by focusing on stocks with consistent profits, a strong track record of dividend growth as they share those profits with investors, and a sustainable payout ratio where these dividend stocks have the fundamentals to support payouts even if the economy gets choppy.
The following list of the 15 best dividend stocks spans stocks in a variety of sectors. However, each of these names stands good chance of hanging tough no matter what happens in 2025:
| Dividend Stock | Sector | Market Value | Forward Dividend Yield* |
| AbbVie Inc. (ticker: ABBV) | Health care | $364 billion | 3.2% |
| Altria Group Inc. (MO) | Consumer staples | $93 billion | 7.4% |
| Amcor PLC (AMCR) | Consumer cyclical | $15 billion | 5.1% |
| American Tower Corp. (AMT) | Real estate | $95 billion | 3.2% |
| AT&T Inc. (T) | Communication services | $193 billion | 4.2% |
| BHP Group Ltd. (BHP) | Materials | $127 billion | 4.9% |
| CME Group Inc. (CME) | Financial | $90 billion | 4.4% |
| Dominion Energy Inc. (D) | Utilities | $48 billion | 4.7% |
| Enterprise Product Partners LP (EPD) | Energy | $72 billion | 6.5% |
| Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) | Financials | $29 billion | 3.5% |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | Health care | $392 billion | 3.0% |
| Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB) | Consumer staples | $46.7 billion | 3.6% |
| Pfizer Inc. (PFE) | Health care | $115 billion | 6.5% |
| Prologis Inc. (PLD) | Real estate | $112 billion | 3.3% |
| United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) | Industrial | $101 billion | 5.6% |
*As of Feb. 26 close.
AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)
Sector: Health care Market value: $364 billion Dividend yield: 3.2%
AbbVie is currently among the top pharmaceutical companies in the world based on sales, with projections of almost $60 billion in revenue expected for fiscal 2025 — which will grow to almost $64 billion in fiscal year 2026 if projections hold. It continues to thrive thanks to an impressive product pipeline that includes blockbuster anti-inflammatory drugs like Skyrizi and Rinvoq, which treat things such as Crohn’s disease and arthritis. That strong mix of drugs and consistent revenue has led to great long-term dividend growth, with payouts currently at $1.64 annually, up more than three-fold from just 51 cents quarterly back in 2015.
Altria Group Inc. (MO)
Sector: Consumer staples Market value: $93 billion Dividend yield: 7.4%
Tobacco giant Altria is the obvious place to begin for almost any kind of dividend investor. MO has incredibly reliable revenue from an entrenched (and addictive) product portfolio that includes Marlboro cigarettes, Black & Mild pipe and cigar products, and smokeless tobacco like Copenhagen and Skoal. The steady profits and sales fuel steady dividend growth, with Altria boasting 55 consecutive annual dividend increases after its last boost to $1.02 per quarter as of August. What’s more, MO stock has done more than just deliver dividends, as shares have outperformed the S&P 500 index in the past 12 months, with 34% gains versus 17% for the broader market.
Amcor PLC (AMCR)
Sector: Consumer cyclical Market value: $15 billion Dividend yield: 5.1%
Based in Switzerland, Amcor is a leader in packaging that sees strong and reliable demand for its products. While technically in the discretionary sector, its purchasers are staples producers like beverages and processed foods companies and pharmaceutical firms. Making blister packs of pills and cardboard milk cartons isn’t particularly glamorous, but it’s a crucial part of the global economy and one that has proven to be quite durable regardless of short-term disruptions. And with dividends adding up to roughly two-thirds or so of earnings, income investors can be sure their quarterly checks from this cheap dividend stock should keep rolling in for the foreseeable future.
American Tower Corp. (AMT)
Sector: Real estate Market value: $95 billion Dividend yield: 3.2%
American Tower is a specialist in multi-tenant communications real estate, which includes telecom towers, fiber optic networks, data centers and other important infrastructure components that power our digital lives. With a portfolio of 148,000 communications sites and a highly interconnected footprint of U.S. data center facilities, AMT operates an incredibly reliable business thanks to both its reach and the ever-increasing demand for data. The company’s generous $1.62 quarterly dividend is up roughly three-fold from just 42 cents per quarter to start 2015, proving its long-term commitment to dividend growth. And since AMT is structured as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, and must deliver 90% of taxable income back to shareholders, it has a clear mandate to continue its practice of generous dividends in the years ahead.
AT&T Inc. (T)
Sector: Communication services Market value: $193 billion Dividend yield: 4.2%
AT&T has roots tracing back to 1885 and is among the dominant telecoms on the planet. It is certainly not resting on its laurels, however, after embarking on a restructuring plan in 2022 to streamline operations and reduce its long-term debt and maintain its customer base of 120 million accounts. The moves seem to be winning over Wall Street lately, however, with shares up more than 80% from their 2023 lows and up almost 20% since Jan. 1. The prospect of rate cuts coupled with lower debt and almost $40 billion operating cash flow has given many investors confidence that this company has what it takes to continue paying big-time dividends for quite some time.
BHP Group Ltd. (BHP)
Sector: Materials Market value: $127 billion Dividend yield: 4.9%
Materials stocks can be risky in part because they are tied to commodity prices and cyclical industrial demand more than any unique product or operational edge. That said, in an inflationary environment the materials that miners like BHP take out of the ground are worth more than ever — which makes now the perfect time to consider a dividend stock like this one. BHP is among the biggest natural resources companies on the planet, operating in Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America and produces materials including copper, iron ore, coal, silver, gold, uranium and nickel. Though BHP only pays dividends twice a year, it delivers a yield more than three times that of the S&P 500 at present.
CME Group Inc. (CME)
Sector: Financial Market value: $90 billion Dividend yield: 4.4%
Founded in 1898, CME is one of the world’s largest exchanges for futures and options contracts. These derivatives are generally in demand for risk management, but they become even more popular on Wall Street during times of change and uncertainty — two things that seem to be the order of the day in 2025. In particular, S&P 500 futures used to hedge against market volatility are booming, as are futures tied to Treasury markets and crude oil. As volumes remain strong, CME has seen shares rise about 20% in the past six months even as the S&P has only tacked on about 5% or so in the same period. And long-term, the dominant nature of this derivatives exchange means it will be able to support its generous dividend going forward.
Dominion Energy Inc. (D)
Sector: Utilities Market value: $48 billion Dividend yield: 4.7%
Utilities are among the best dividend stocks to buy thanks to consistent sales that fuel reliable dividends. Dominion is a leading utility in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., operating in Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina to serve about 2.8 million customers across its network of 80,000 miles of electricity lines and nearly 100,000 miles of gas pipelines. With a wide moat thanks to the high costs of entry and highly regulated nature of the business, Dominion is as stable a business as you will find on Wall Street.
Enterprise Product Partners LP (EPD)
Sector: Energy Market value: $72 billion Dividend yield: 6.5%
Energy stocks can be risky if they are overly dependent on favorable pricing in the oil and gas market. Enterprise Products Partners is one of the best dividend stocks to buy because it is largely independent from commodity prices thanks to a model as a transportation and storage specialist. As a “midstream” energy company, EPD simply charges other energy firms for use of its pipelines to transport crude oil, petrochemicals and natural gas — regardless of whether the market prices are good or bad for those fossil fuels. As a result, the stock just logged its 27th year of consecutive dividend increases in January, proving a long-term commitment to driving shareholder value through generous and regular paydays.
Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB)
Sector: Financials Market value: $29 billion Dividend yield: 3.5% It’s tempting to gravitate toward megabanks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) as icons of stability in the financial sector. And while that’s normally the case, it’s worth noting that talk of cross-border disruptions post serious risks to interconnected global institutions — while the U.S. regional banking sector, on the other hand, remains insulated from the fallout of a global trade war. Fifth Third is among the largest regional banks, making it the perfect “goldilocks” dividend stock in the financial sector because it is neither too small to be risky nor too large to be exposed to geopolitical fallout. Shares are up about 30% in the past 12 months to handily outperform the S&P 500 in the same period, with FITB delivering a juicy dividend on top of that.
[Read: 5 Rising Stocks in 2025]
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Sector: Health care Market value: $392 billion Dividend yield: 3.0%
J&J is one of just two companies with the tip-top “AAA” rating for its credit — tech giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is the other — and boasts an amazing 62 consecutive years of dividend growth to make it one of the most bulletproof dividend stocks out there. It is also one of the 25 largest U.S. stocks by market capitalization, regardless of sector. That’s thanks to a long history of innovation and drug research, which has given birth to its current blockbusters that include bone cancer treatment Darzalex and anti-inflammatory drug Stelara. The general low-risk nature of drug sales plus the specific scale and strength of this market leader make it among the best dividend stocks to buy.
Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB)
Sector: Consumer staples Market value: $46.7 billion Dividend yield: 3.6%
Kimberly-Clark is the paper products powerhouse behind Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kleenex, Cottonelle and other ubiquitous household brands. These products are mainstays of any budget in both good times and bad, meaning KMB is a blue-chip stock that has staying power regardless of the macroeconomic environment. From an income perspective, Kimberly-Clark is equally sturdy, with a 53-year history of consecutive annual dividend growth after the declaration of its March dividend of $1.26 per share. There may not be breakneck growth or innovation ahead for its products, but it remains one of the best dividend stocks to buy for investors who want a low-volatility and low-risk company.
Pfizer Inc. (PFE)
Sector: Health care Market value: $115 billion Dividend yield: 6.5%
A Wall Street darling and top performer just a few years ago, more recently Pfizer has struggled thanks to stumbles with both its vaccine business as well as its attempt to compete in the increasingly lucrative obesity drug market. Shares have been roughly cut in half from their late 2022 peak as a result. This Big Pharma mainstay may have fallen on hard times, but it’s also worth noting that this firm has deep roots tracing back to 1849 — and in the here and now, it remains comfortably profitable, with dividends only about 60% of total profits. As one of the most respected brands in health care, PFE likely isn’t going anywhere — so if you don’t mind the recent volatility, this could be a big-time dividend bargain to consider.
Prologis Inc. (PLD)
Sector: Real estate Market value: $112 billion Dividend yield: 3.3%
Prologis is the largest stock in the U.S. real estate sector, but isn’t a traditional housing or office space play. Instead, this firm specializes in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. PLD is a key part of the global supply chain with warehouses, with 1.2 billion square feet of space across 19 different countries and top clients including Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and FedEx Corp. (FDX). These top-tier clients make it highly likely PLD will thrive for years to come, and its structure as a REIT demands that Prologis delivers 90% of its taxable income back to shareholders. That creates a mandate for generous and consistent dividends that have grown from 40 cents quarterly in 2015 to $1.01 right now.
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS)
Sector: Industrial Market value: $101 billion Dividend yield: 5.6%
UPS is a logistics delivery powerhouse that has become a necessity in the age of e-commerce, and it’s almost twice the size of rival delivery firm FedEx. Thanks in part to its scale and a reliable flow of packages from its customers, it can support a generous dividend of $1.64 per quarter — more than double the 73 cents paid back in 2015. In fact, UPS has increased its dividend annually for 16 consecutive years and counting. Shares have been admittedly volatile as of late after the firm overbuilt its capacity and simultaneously had a messy contract renegotiation with its workers. However, a focus on higher-margin deliveries from small- and medium-sized businesses and health care companies seems to be lifting earnings even if sales have been relatively flat. That profitability may help support shares, but more importantly will continue to support this firm’s big-time dividend payouts.
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15 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy Now originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 02/27/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
