3 Dividend Aristocrats to Buy and Hold Forever

Dividend Aristocrats have a massive fan following among income investors, and for good reason: These are the only 65 stocks to have increased their dividends every year for at least 25 consecutive years. That's no small feat, as paying out a bigger dividend year after year, regardless of economic cycles, is the ultimate display of stability, resiliency, and shareholder commitment. Then again, not all Dividend Aristocrats are worth your money, but those that are could help you build great amounts of wealth if you patiently hang on to them. Here are three such best-in-class Dividend Aristocrats to buy and hold forever.

3M's (NYSE:MMM) tiny 1% dividend increase earlier this year was a huge turnoff for investors, but you should be happy about that raise nonetheless if you're a long-term investor. The thing is, 3M hit two targets with one arrow. Realty Income (NYSE:O), which joined the Dividend Aristocrats list in 2020, is one of the best new entrants to the group. I say this for two key reasons: It pays a dividend every month and is among the highest-yielding Dividend Aristocrats. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a top blue chip Dividend Aristocrat to buy and forget -- more so after the company proved itself (yet again) during the COVID-19 pandemic. With hospitals suspending elective procedures in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, demand for medical devices plunged. Johnson & Johnson's medical-devices sales slumped 11.6% in 2020.

Source: Motley Fool

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