123 Dividend Challenger List 2021

We continue to focus heavily on high-quality dividend shares because we believe in generating passive income and that dividend-paying stocks fair economic downturns better. One group of dividend growth stocks is called the “dividend challengers” and those are stocks that have increased their dividends for at least five years in a row.

While five years is not the longest history for dividend growth, it does show a history of returning cash to shareholders through dividends. It also represents a company with a profitable business model, enduring competitive advantages, and positive growth prospects.

There are many ways to measure the quality of a dividend share. One possibility is the length of a company’s dividend history. In general, stocks that increase their dividends for several years in a row show a commitment to rewarding investors with rising dividends.

With this in mind, we have compiled a list of 250 dividend stocks (See below). Investors with dividend growth should familiarise themselves with this list.  The conditions to become a dividend challenger are simple: 5 to 9 consecutive years of dividend growth. It is not the highest hurdle to overcome, but it separates dividend growth stocks from companies that have kept their dividends stable for many years. There are, however, some subtle but important differences. Companies that have not increased their dividends in years are unable to do so because the underlying business is struggling.

When business conditions deteriorate, companies often see their revenues and earnings per share fall. This can happen for a number of reasons, including recessions, escalating competition, and unexpected events such as geopolitical conflicts or natural disasters. In these cases, companies with declining sales and profits may not be able to increase their dividends. While this may prove to be a precursor to a dividend cut, a potential red flag for a stock that freezes its dividends is if the company has been increasing its dividend every year for a long time.

Depending on how things go, the company concerned could return to dividend growth if its fundamentals improve. By contrast, if conditions worsen, the next step would be a dividend cut or suspension. A dividend freeze is only the first step in this process, and investors should be mindful that dividend growth has gone years without an increase in payout.

For a company to increase its dividend every five years, it must have a lasting competitive advantage, the ability to generate consistent profits even during a recession, and a shareholder-friendly management team dedicated to returning cash to investors. It must also have long-term growth potential and be able to increase its dividend in the future. Different lists of stocks with a long dividend history are a good resource for investors looking for quality dividend shares.

123 Dividend Challenger List 2021