Dividend health check: October 2026

Published 7 October 2026 · data as of 7 October 2026 · dividend changes for September 2026

We track 1,128 dividend-paying stocks and 48 dividend ETFs. 46 of the stocks have raised their dividend for 50 years or more (Dividend Kings) and 144 for at least 25. 36 of the 46 Kings show neither of our two warning signs (paying out more than they earn, or dividend growth under 2% a year over five years); 6 pay out more than they earn. In September 2026, 73 companies paid a higher regular dividend than the comparable earlier payment and 3 a lower one; 12 paid a special dividend. The median increase was 6.9%.

Dividend Kings table (CSV) September 2026 dividend changes (CSV)

Dividend stocks tracked

1,128

Dividend Kings (50+ years)

25+ years of increases

144

10-24 years of increases

280

Median yield, all stocks

2.3%

Median yield, Kings

2.7%

Dividend Kings health check

All 46 companies with 50+ consecutive years of dividend increases. Two warning signs are flagged: a payout ratio above 100% (the company paid out more than it earned over the last year) and five-year dividend growth under 2% a year. 36 Kings show neither. Payout ratios: 24 under 60%, 16 between 60% and 100%, 6 above 100%. Median yield 2.70%, median five-year dividend growth 5.7% a year.

Company	Years	Yield	Payout	5-yr growth	Flags
American States Water Company AWR	70	2.68%	55%	8.7%	—
Dover Corporation DOV	68	1.09%	25%	1.0%	dividend grew under 2% a year over five years
Northwest Natural Holding Company NWN	68	4.15%	65%	0.5%	dividend grew under 2% a year over five years
The Procter & Gamble Company PG	68	2.93%	64%	6.0%	—
Parker-Hannifin Corporation PH	68	0.81%	26%	14.8%	—
Genuine Parts Company GPC	67	3.34%	1674%	5.5%	pays out more than it earns
Emerson Electric Co. EMR	67	1.38%	48%	1.3%	dividend grew under 2% a year over five years
Cincinnati Financial Corporation CINF	64	2.31%	17%	7.7%	—
Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW	62	2.72%	41%	15.9%	—
Colgate-Palmolive Company CL	62	2.43%	82%	3.3%	—
The Coca-Cola Company KO	62	2.46%	62%	4.5%	—
Johnson & Johnson JNJ	62	2.10%	61%	5.3%	—
Nordson Corporation NDSN	61	1.13%	33%	15.6%	—
Illinois Tool Works Inc. ITW	61	2.58%	58%	7.1%	—
The Marzetti Company MZTI	61	3.99%	57%	6.2%	—
Hormel Foods Corporation HRL	58	5.89%	188%	4.5%	pays out more than it earns
ABM Industries Incorporated ABM	57	2.40%	41%	7.5%	—
Commerce Bancshares, Inc. CBSH	57	2.01%	27%	4.1%	—
Stepan Company SCL	57	2.53%	76%	6.5%	—
California Water Service Group CWT	56	2.94%	57%	7.8%	—
Federal Realty Investment Trust FRT	56	4.37%	91%	1.0%	dividend grew under 2% a year over five years
H2O America HTO	56	3.03%	61%	5.6%	—
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. SWK	56	3.73%	81%	3.5%	—
Altria Group, Inc. MO	54	6.48%	89%	4.1%	—
Sysco Corporation SYY	54	2.84%	59%	3.1%	—
Universal Corporation UVV	54	7.78%	432%	1.3%	pays out more than it earns; dividend grew under 2% a year over five years
Black Hills Corporation BKH	53	3.98%	69%	4.5%	—
MSA Safety Incorporated MSA	53	1.18%	26%	4.2%	—
National Fuel Gas Company NFG	53	2.83%	30%	3.7%	—
Becton, Dickinson and Company BDX	53	2.33%	72%	6.0%	—
Abbott Laboratories ABT	52	2.57%	79%	10.4%	—
W.W. Grainger, Inc. GWW	52	0.78%	24%	8.3%	—
Kimberly-Clark Corporation KMB	52	5.29%	100%	3.3%	pays out more than it earns
PepsiCo, Inc. PEP	52	4.71%	75%	6.9%	—
PPG Industries, Inc. PPG	52	2.78%	41%	5.8%	—
Target Corporation TGT	52	3.01%	47%	11.0%	—
AbbVie Inc. ABBV	52	2.59%	190%	6.8%	pays out more than it earns
Canadian Utilities Limited CU.TO	52	3.68%	1150%	1.0%	pays out more than it earns; dividend grew under 2% a year over five years
Middlesex Water Company MSEX	51	2.72%	55%	5.8%	—
S&P Global Inc. SPGI	51	0.98%	23%	7.5%	—
Walmart Inc. WMT	51	0.92%	35%	5.5%	—
Nucor Corporation NUE	51	0.89%	18%	6.5%	—
RPM International Inc. RPM	51	2.27%	41%	7.2%	—
Fortis Inc. FTS.TO	51	3.40%	75%	5.1%	—
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP	50	2.59%	61%	11.5%	—
Consolidated Edison, Inc. ED	50	3.34%	57%	2.1%	—

Dividend changes in September 2026

Each regular payment with an ex-dividend date in September 2026, compared with the previous regular payment (or, for companies paying once or twice a year, the same payment a year earlier). 73 were higher, 3 lower; 12 were special dividends (over 1.5 times the usual amount). Changes under 0.1% (US and Canada) or 3% (elsewhere) are ignored. Outside the US and Canada amounts are often converted from another currency or vary with earnings, so those are shown as higher or lower payments, not raises or cuts.

Biggest increases

Company	Ex-dividend	Before	Now	Change
Ithaca Energy plc ITH.L	3 September 2026	7.461p	11.4146p	+53%*
Lam Research Corporation LRCX	23 September 2026	$0.26	$0.33	+26.9%
United Fire Group, Inc. UFCS	4 September 2026	$0.16	$0.20	+25%
DiamondRock Hospitality Company DRH	30 September 2026	$0.09	$0.11	+22.2%
Prudential plc PRU.L	10 September 2026	5.7404p	6.7121p	+16.9%*
OFG Bancorp OFG	30 September 2026	$0.30	$0.35	+16.7%
Fortive Corporation FTV	4 September 2026	$0.06	$0.07	+16.7%
UMB Financial Corporation UMBF	10 September 2026	$0.43	$0.50	+16.3%
Tapestry, Inc. TPR	4 September 2026	$0.40	$0.463	+15.7%
Computacenter plc CCC.L	24 September 2026	23.60p	27.10p	+14.8%*
Nordson Corporation NDSN	10 September 2026	$0.82	$0.94	+14.6%
McKesson Corporation MCK	1 September 2026	$0.82	$0.94	+14.6%
Bank of America Corporation BAC	4 September 2026	$0.28	$0.32	+14.3%
Perdoceo Education Corporation PRDO	1 September 2026	$0.15	$0.17	+13.3%
Napco Security Technologies, Inc. NSSC	11 September 2026	$0.15	$0.17	+13.3%

Lower payments

Company	Ex-dividend	Before	Now	Change
The Wendy's Company WEN	1 September 2026	$0.14	$0.07	-50%
Admiral Group plc ADM.L	3 September 2026	115.00p	70.50p	-38.7%*
CSL Limited CSL.AX	9 September 2026	A$2.4508	A$2.2438	-8.4%*

* Listed outside the US and Canada: a higher or lower payment, which may reflect exchange rates or a variable dividend policy rather than a decision to raise or cut.

Sectors

Dividend-paying stocks by sector, highest median yield first.

Sector	Payers	Median yield	Median 5-yr growth	25+ years	Payout over 100%
Real Estate	112	4.95%	2.7%	4	71%
Utilities	65	3.46%	5.2%	18	6%
Consumer Defensive	66	3.42%	4.5%	25	26%
Energy	69	2.76%	7.5%	8	20%
Financial Services	240	2.54%	6.7%	23	7%
Consumer Cyclical	131	2.27%	7.2%	9	9%
Communication Services	34	2.02%	2.9%	1	24%
Basic Materials	68	1.74%	7.2%	11	21%
Healthcare	62	1.29%	5.7%	14	16%
Industrials	196	1.24%	7.6%	27	6%
Technology	85	0.88%	8.3%	4	5%

Real estate payout ratios are high by design: REITs must distribute most of their taxable income, and earnings understate their cash flow.

10-year government bond yields

Country	Yield	Change on the month	As of
United States	5.27%	—	6 October 2026
Germany	3.55%	—	7 October 2026
United Kingdom	5.363%	—	5 October 2026
Japan	3.103%	—	6 October 2026
France	4.68%	—	24 September 2026 (entered by hand)
Italy	4.529%	—	24 September 2026 (entered by hand)
Canada	3.92%	—	6 October 2026
Australia	5.344%	—	30 September 2026
Switzerland	0.586%	—	30 September 2026

Source: QuietSaving, from Yahoo Finance company data and official central bank and treasury bond data; see our methodology and data sources. You're welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page. Facts, not investment advice.

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