10 Rock-Solid Dividend Paying Stocks to Own in 2021

Historically low-interest rates have made it difficult over the last decade for income-oriented investors that want to generate safe cash flow for their retirements.

Dividend-paying stocks have become more appealing to income investors because of their competitive yields, the favorite tax treatment that dividends receive, and their ability to grow their payouts over time. While fixed interest rates from bond investments will lose purchasing power to inflation over time, the purchasing power of income from dividend growth stocks is more protected because companies tend to raise their dividend payments every year.

In this slideshow, we look at ten of the best high-dividend stocks that offer strong yields (above 3.5%), have consistent cash flow, and a strong track record of dividend growth. The companies in this slideshow have all raised their dividend every year for the last ten years.

These companies also have low payout ratios (below 75%), meaning that they will have the ability to continue to pay their dividend if their earnings have a temporary dip.

Stock prices will always fluctuate, but the dividends paid by these rock-solid dividend payers should remain secure with moderate earnings growth.

#1 - Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)

Dividend Yield: 4.38%
Track Record: 14 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 49.3%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $62.46 (9.2% Upside)


Verizon Communications Inc offers communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. Its Consumer segment provides postpaid and prepaid service plans; internet access on notebook computers and tablets; wireless equipment, including smartphones and other handsets; and wireless-enabled internet devices, such as tablets, and other wireless-enabled connected devices, such as smart watches. Read More 


#2 - W. P. Carey (NYSE:WPC)

Dividend Yield: 5.45%
Track Record: 22 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $80.00 (2.9% Upside)


W. P. Carey ranks among the largest net lease REITs with an enterprise value of approximately $18 billion and a diversified portfolio of operationally-critical commercial real estate that includes 1,215 net lease properties covering approximately 142 million square feet as of September 30, 2020. For nearly five decades, the company has invested in high-quality single-tenant industrial, warehouse, office, retail and self-storage properties subject to long-term net leases with built-in rent escalators. Read More 

#3 - Altria Group (NYSE:MO)

Dividend Yield: 6.91%
Track Record: 12 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 74.9%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $51.10 (6.3% Upside)


Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarettes, oral tobacco products, and wine in the United States. It offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars principally under the Black & Mild brand; and moist smokeless tobacco products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands, as well as provides on! oral nicotine pouches. Read More 

#4 - National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Dividend Yield: 3.23%
Track Record: 25 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $49.30 (9.2% Downside)


National Fuel Gas Company operates as a diversified energy company. It operates through four segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil in California and in the Appalachian region of the United States. Read More 

#5 - Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN)

Dividend Yield: 3.48%
Track Record: 16 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $55.50 (0.7% Upside)


Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The company also owns and operates 20 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity in Oregon. Read More 

#6 - Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Dividend Yield: 3.09%
Track Record: 10 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $148.75 (3.8% Upside)


Sempra Energy operates as an energy-services holding company in the United States and internationally. The company's San Diego Gas & Electric Company segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity; and supplies natural gas. It offers electric services to approximately 3.7 million population and natural gas services to approximately 3.4 million population that covers 4,100 square miles. Read More 

#7 - Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN)

Dividend Yield: 3.22%
Track Record: 40 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 34.9%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $25.89 (23.7% Downside)


Franklin Resources, Inc is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides its services to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, and partnerships. It launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and multi-asset mutual funds through its subsidiaries. Read More 

#8 - Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH)

Dividend Yield: 3.27%
Track Record: 34 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 32.7%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $62.29 (6.8% Upside)


Cardinal Health, Inc operates as an integrated healthcare services and products company in the United States and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and physician offices. The company operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. Read More 

#9 - Comerica (NYSE:CMA)

Dividend Yield: 3.69%
Track Record: 9 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 39.7%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $70.76 (2.0% Downside)


Comerica Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services. It operates through Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Wealth Management, and Finance segments. The Commercial Bank segment offers various products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services for small and middle market businesses, multinational corporations, and governmental entities. Read More 

#10 - Delek Logistics Partners (NYSE:DKL)

Dividend Yield: 8.32%
Track Record: 8 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 73.4%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $40.50 (5.7% Downside)


Delek Logistics Partners, LP owns and operates logistics and marketing assets for crude oil, and intermediate and refined products in the United States. It operates in two segments, Pipelines and Transportation, and Wholesale Marketing and Terminalling. The Pipelines and Transportation segment includes pipelines, trucks, and ancillary assets that provide crude oil gathering, crude oil intermediate and finished products transportation, and storage services primarily in support of the Tyler, El Dorado, and Big Spring refineries, as well as offers crude oil and other products transportation services to third parties. Read More 

#11 - Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK)

Dividend Yield: 3.79%
Track Record: 14 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 74.4%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $102.40 (0.1% Downside)


Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, renewable sources, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. Read More 

#12 - Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED)

Dividend Yield: 4.01%
Track Record: 47 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 72.8%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $76.56 (1.5% Downside)


Consolidated Edison, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses in the United States. The company offers electric services to approximately 3.5 million customers in New York City and Westchester County; gas to approximately 1.1 million customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens, and Westchester County; and steam to approximately 1,576 customers in parts of Manhattan. Read More 

#13 - International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM)

Dividend Yield: 4.34%
Track Record: 21 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 60.3%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $148.44 (1.1% Downside)


International Business Machines Corporation provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. Its Cloud & Cognitive Software segment offers software for vertical and domain-specific solutions in health, financial services, supply chain, and asset management, weather, and security software and services application areas; and customer information control system and storage, and analytics and integration software solutions to support client mission critical on-premise workloads in banking, airline, and retail industries. Read More 

#14 - Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB)

Dividend Yield: 3.51%
Track Record: 49 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 61.8%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $142.75 (10.2% Upside)


Kimberly-Clark Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets personal care and consumer tissue products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Personal Care, Consumer Tissue, and K-C Professional. The Personal Care segment offers disposable diapers, training and youth pants, swimpants, baby wipes, feminine and incontinence care products, and other related products under the Huggies, Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers, GoodNites, DryNites, Sweety, Kotex, U by Kotex, Intimus, Depend, Plenitud, Softex, Poise, and other brand names. Read More 

#15 - Mercury General (NYSE:MCY)

Dividend Yield: 4.17%
Track Record: 12 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 63.7%
Consensus Rating: Sell



Mercury General Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in writing personal automobile insurance in the United States. It also writes homeowners, commercial automobile, commercial property, mechanical protection, and umbrella insurance. The company's automobile insurance products include collision, property damage, bodily injury, comprehensive, personal injury protection, underinsured and uninsured motorist, and other hazards; and homeowners' insurance products comprise dwelling, liability, personal property, fire, and other hazards. Read More 

#16 - New Jersey Resources (NYSE:NJR)

Dividend Yield: 3.01%
Track Record: 9 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 64.6%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $40.25 (7.6% Downside)


New Jersey Resources Corporation, an energy services holding company, provides regulated gas distribution, and retail and wholesale energy services. The company operates through four segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services, and Storage and Transportation. The Natural Gas Distribution segment offers regulated retail natural gas services to approximately 558,000 residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey; provides storage management services; and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets. Read More 

#17 - National Retail Properties (NYSE:NNN)

Dividend Yield: 4.18%
Track Record: 11 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $47.29 (5.3% Downside)


National Retail Properties invests primarily in high-quality retail properties subject generally to long-term, net leases. As of September 30, 2020, the company owned 3,114 properties in 48 states with a gross leasable area of approximately 32.4 million square feet and with a weighted average remaining lease term of 10.7 years.

#18 - Pinnacle West Capital (NYSE:PNW)

Dividend Yield: 3.79%
Track Record: 9 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $88.71 (0.7% Upside)


Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Company, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the state of Arizona. The company engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity using coal, nuclear, gas, oil, and solar generating facilities. Read More 

#19 - Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR)

Dividend Yield: 3.27%
Track Record: 14 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 64.4%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $45.38 (9.3% Downside)


Portland General Electric Company, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, wholesale purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity in the state of Oregon. The company operates six thermal plants; seven hydroelectric plants; and three wind farms. As of December 31, 2020, it owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,269 circuit miles, including 287 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 414 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 568 miles of 115 kilovolt line. Read More 

#20 - PPL (NYSE:PPL)

Dividend Yield: 5.66%
Track Record: 9 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 73.1%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $33.00 (12.8% Upside)


PPL Corporation, a utility holding company, delivers electricity and natural gas in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company operates through three segments: U.K. Regulated, Kentucky Regulated, and Pennsylvania Regulated. It serves approximately 425,000 electric and 332,000 natural gas customers in Louisville and adjacent areas in Kentucky; 536,000 electric customers in central, southeastern, and western Kentucky; and 28,000 electric customers in five counties in southwestern Virginia. Read More 

#21 - South Jersey Industries (NYSE:SJI)

Dividend Yield: 4.33%
Track Record: 15 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 74.7%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $27.57 (1.5% Upside)


South Jersey Industries, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides energy-related products and services. The company engages in the purchase, transmission, and sale of natural gas. It also sells natural gas and pipeline transportation capacity on a wholesale basis to residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the interstate pipeline system, as well as transports natural gas purchased directly from producers or suppliers to customers. Read More 

#22 - The Southern (NYSE:SO)

Dividend Yield: 4.13%
Track Record: 19 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $67.42 (5.7% Upside)


The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates in four segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, Wholesale Gas Services, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy and battery energy storage projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, wholesale gas services, and gas pipeline investments operations. Read More 

#23 - Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX)

Dividend Yield: 3.52%
Track Record: 14 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 57.2%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $67.25 (0.7% Upside)


Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, purchases, distributes, and transports natural gas in Arizona, Nevada, and California. The company operates in two segments, Natural Gas Operations and Utility Infrastructure Services. As of December 31, 2020, it had 2,123,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and other natural gas customers. Read More 

#24 - AT&T (NYSE:T)

Dividend Yield: 7.09%
Track Record: 37 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $31.67 (8.9% Upside)


AT&T Inc provides telecommunication, media, and technology services worldwide. The company operates through Communications, WarnerMedia, and Latin America segments. The Communications segment offers wireless voice and data communications services; video and targeted advertising services; broadband, including fiber, and legacy telephony internet and voice communication; and wireline telecom services. Read More 

#25 - People's United Financial (NASDAQ:PBCT)

Dividend Yield: 3.99%
Track Record: 28 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $16.50 (8.3% Downside)


People's United Financial, Inc operates as the bank holding company for People's United Bank, National Association that provides commercial banking, retail banking, and wealth management services to individual, corporate, and municipal customers. The Commercial Banking segment offers commercial deposit products, commercial real estate lending, middle market and business banking, equipment financing, mortgage warehouse and asset-based lending, treasury management services, and capital market capabilities. Read More 

#26 - AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV)

Dividend Yield: 4.51%
Track Record: 49 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $119.46 (3.5% Upside)


AbbVie Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in the worldwide. The company offers HUMIRA, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behçet's diseases; SKYRIZI to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults; RINVOQ, a JAK inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients; IMBRUVICA to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), mantle cell lymphoma, waldenström's macroglobulinemia, marginal zone lymphoma, and chronic graft versus host disease; VENCLEXTA, a BCL-2 inhibitor used to treat adults with CLL or SLL; and MAVYRET to treat patients with chronic HCV genotype 1-6 infection. Read More 

#27 - Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO)

Dividend Yield: 3.06%
Track Record: 10 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 52.3%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $493.48 (3.7% Upside)


Broadcom Inc designs, develops, and supplies semiconductor infrastructure software solutions. It offers semiconductor devices with a focus on complex digital and mixed signal complementary metal oxide semiconductor based devices and analog III-V based products worldwide. The company's infrastructure software solutions enable customers to plan, develop, automate, manage, and secure applications across mainframe, distributed, mobile, and cloud platforms. Read More 

#28 - Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA)

Dividend Yield: 3.38%
Track Record: 46 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $50.25 (7.7% Downside)


Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc operates as a pharmacy-led health and beauty retail company. It operates through three segments: Retail Pharmacy USA, Retail Pharmacy International, and Pharmaceutical Wholesale. The Retail Pharmacy USA segment sells prescription drugs and an assortment of retail products, including health, wellness, beauty, personal care, consumable, and general merchandise products through its retail drugstores. Read More 

#29 - Cogent Communications (NASDAQ:CCOI)

Dividend Yield: 4.07%
Track Record: 8 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $86.43 (10.3% Upside)


Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides high-speed Internet access, private network, and data center colocation space services in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and Africa. The company offers on-net Internet access and private network services to law firms, financial services firms, advertising and marketing firms, as well as heath care providers, educational institutions and other professional services businesses, other Internet service providers, telephone companies, cable television companies, Web hosting companies, media service providers, mobile phone operators, content delivery network companies, and commercial content and application service providers. Read More 

#30 - WesBanco (NASDAQ:WSBC)

Dividend Yield: 3.51%
Track Record: 10 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 42.4%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $32.50 (12.3% Downside)


WesBanco, Inc operates as the bank holding company for WesBanco Bank, Inc that provides retail banking, corporate banking, personal and corporate trust, brokerage, and mortgage banking and insurance services. It operates in two segments, Community Banking, and Trust and Investment Services. The company offers commercial demand, individual demand, and time deposit accounts; money market accounts; interest bearing and non-interest bearing demand deposits, as well as savings deposits; and certificates of deposit. Read More 

#31 - Northrim BanCorp (NASDAQ:NRIM)

Dividend Yield: 3.33%
Track Record: 11 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 28.4%
Consensus Rating: N/A



Northrim BanCorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Northrim Bank that provides commercial banking products and services to businesses and professional individuals. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Home Mortgage Lending. The company offers noninterest-bearing checking accounts and interest-bearing time deposits, checking and savings accounts, individual retirement accounts, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit. Read More 

#32 - Donegal Group (NASDAQ:DGICA)

Dividend Yield: 4.24%
Track Record: 18 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: N/A



Donegal Group Inc, an insurance holding company, provides personal and commercial lines of property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England, and southern states. It operates through four segments: Investment Function, Personal Lines of Insurance, and Commercial Lines of Insurance. Read More 

#33 - The First of Long Island (NASDAQ:FLIC)

Dividend Yield: 3.42%
Track Record: 14 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 0.0%
Consensus Rating: Buy
Consensus Price Target: $19.50 (11.7% Downside)


The First of Long Island Corporation operates as the holding company for The First National Bank of Long Island that provides financial services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, consumers, municipalities, and other organizations. Its deposit products include business and small business checking, personal checking products, savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, interest on lawyer accounts, escrow service accounts, rent security accounts, time deposits, holiday club accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as money market accounts. Read More 

#34 - Amcor (NYSE:AMCR)

Dividend Yield: 3.84%
Track Record: 38 Years of Consecutive Dividend Growth
Payout Ratio: 64.4%
Consensus Rating: Hold
Consensus Price Target: $12.58 (3.5% Upside)


Amcor plc develops, manufactures, and sells various packaging products for food, beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, fresh produce, snack food, personal care, and other industries worldwide. It operates through two segments, Flexibles and Rigid Packaging. The company provides flexible packaging products, rigid packaging containers, specialty cartons, and closures. Read More 

 

15 Stocks that Insiders Love

An insider trade occurs when a corporate executive (such as a CEO, CFO or COO) that has non-public information about a company buys or sells shares of that company's stock. Company insiders are required by law to regularly report their stock purchases and sales to the SEC.

Tracking a company's insider trades is a metric that can be used to identify the direction that the company's executives believes that the company is headed. If a number of insiders purchase more shares of their company, they may believe that the company will have strong future earnings and that the share price will increase in the near future.

For example, if Microsoft's CEO, CFO and COO all recently purchased additional shares of Microsoft stock, that would be an indication that there could be unreported news that may positively effect Microsoft's stock price in the near future.

This slideshow lists the 15 companies that have had the highest levels of insider buying within the last 180 days.

View the "15 Stocks that Insiders Love" Here.