Experience is everything and as an investor, I’ve always been interested in generating multiple streams of passive income. Naturally, dividend stocks, especially high-yielding ones, are alluring. That said, nothing in life is guaranteed, and dividends can get cut at a moment’s notice. Companies that pay dividends (without fail) for say 10, 15, or 20 years are likely “safer” than those simply with the highest yield. But then, we need to ask ourselves: what if the dividend doesn’t increase? As inflation erodes our buying power, it also erodes the power of the dividend. Dividend Aristocrats answer that question.

The Dividend Aristocrats are an elite group of 69 S&P 500 listed companies that have increased their dividend for at least each of the past 25 years. Let’s call them the “cream of the crop”. They, as a whole, are proven to have weathered pandemics, wars, and pretty much any economic downturn thrown at them- while still increasing their dividend year after year.

And that leads me to my next thought. If I’m hunting for yield, why not just look for the “Highest Yielding Dividend Aristocrats?” Not a terrible idea. The only issue with buying a high (or highest) yielding stock is that the yield could be high because the stock was hammered, perhaps due to a fundamental problem. In recent years, for example, Walgreens slashed their dividend at the beginning of 2024, as did 3M, VF Corp, and AT&T – all for different reasons.

So, how does one protect oneself from buying companies that could cut their dividend? While we can’t entirely eliminate the risk, but, if we combine analyst ratings and technical analysis into the hunt, now we have a clearer picture: a “buy” or higher consensus on Wall Street helps determine if a company is still worth investing in, while technical analysis tells us if Main Street believes in the narrative.

Today, I’m going to use what I’ve learned over the last 25 years as a trader to generate a list of the highest-yielding Dividend Aristocrats. While I usually cover three companies in my lists, today, I’ll take it a step further and cover five – and I’ll also list the rest as honorable mentions.

To get today’s list, I used Barchart’s Stock Screener to find companies on my Aristocrats watchlist, with the highest dividend yields. And for each, I’ll cover the consensus rating, and Barchart’s Opinion – an indication of the stock’s short-term direction.

I ran the screen and got the following results (arranged by yield, highest to lowest):

With that out of the way, here are the 5 highest-yielding Dividend Aristocrats today, what the consensus is, and the stocks’ short term direction. I’ll also include all the others as honorable mentions to round out the list.

Realty Income Corp is the landlord to some of the world’s largest companies. It specializes in the acquisition and management of commercial units, with a portfolio of 15,600 properties in the U.S., U.K., and Europe.

The company’s most recent quarterly financials reported sales of $1.38 billion, representing a 9.5% increase over the same quarter last year. Its net income also rose 87.8% to $251.5 million. Realty Income pays a forward annual dividend of $3.228, which translates to a yield of 5.73%, making it the highest-yielding Dividend Aristocrat today.

Barchart Opinion has an overall average of “Hold” for the stock, suggesting a wait-and-see phase before signaling a direction.

Barchart Opinion shares the same sentiments as the consensus “Hold” rating for O. The stock’s mean price is $61.18, with a high 52-week target of $68, which is approximately 20.7% above the stock’s current trading price.

Amcor provides packaging solutions for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries. The company has over 400 production facilities and a presence in more than 140 countries. It has two segments: Flexibles, which is the world’s largest supplier of plastic, and Rigid Plastics, which comprises operations.

Amcor’s most recent quarterly financials reported sales of $3.33 billion, 2% lower year-over-year, while net income rose 4.2% to $196 million. Amcor’s forward annual dividend is $0.51, translating to a forward yield of 5.36%, second only to Realty Income, which has the highest yield among all Dividend Aristocrats today.

Barchart Opinion has an overall average of 24% sell on AMCR, suggesting short-term bearish momentum for the stock. If you believe in “buy low, sell high”, this could be an opportunity!

Meanwhile, a consensus among 12 analysts rate Amcor a “Strong Buy”, which is rare for a company near the top of a list of “highest-yielding” stocks. AMCR’s mean price target is $11.39, and a high target price of $13, which is 36.7% away from its current price.

The third Dividend Aristocrat on this list today is Franklin Resources, also known as Franklin Templeton, a leader in the investment management industry. The company specializes in fixed income, equities, alternatives, and asset solutions.

Franklin’s most recent quarterly financials reported operating revenue of $2.1 billion, down 1.9% year-over-year. Meanwhile, net income jumped 21.9% to $151.4 million.

Franklin Resources pays a forward annual dividend of $1.28, which translates to a yield of approximately 5.22%, ranking it next to Amcor and third among Dividend Aristocrats with the highest dividend yields.

Barchart Opinion has an overall average of 100% Buy, suggesting a potential bullish momentum for the stock.

Meanwhile, a consensus among 12 analysts rate the stock a “Hold”, which has been consistent over the past two months. The stock has a mean target price of $23.17, and a high target $31, suggesting as much as 26.4% upside from the stock’s current price.

The next Dividend Aristocrat in this list is in a similar industry to Franklin Resources. T Rowe Price Group is another global asset manager operating with 8,084 associates globally and boasts over $1.6 trillion in assets under management (AUM).

The company’s most recent financials reported income of $1.76 billion, up 0.8% year-over-year. Meanwhile, net income declined 14.5% from the same quarter last year, to $490.5 million. Rowe pays a forward annual dividend of $5.08, translating to a yield of 4.77%, one of the highest among the Dividend Aristocrats today.

Barchart Opinion has an overall average rating of 40% Buy, indicating short-term bullish momentum for the stock. The strength is weak, however, improving.

A consensus among 13 analysts rate TROW stock a “Moderate Sell”, consistent over the past three months.  The stock’s mean target is $98.08, and its high target is $108, which is just 1.5% shy of its current price. If you believe in buy low, sell high, investors might want to wait for a pullback before hitting the buy button.

The last Dividend Aristocrat in this list is Stanley Black & Decker, which specializes in tools and engineering fastening systems. The company provides a wide range of equipment products that cater to builders, tradespeople, and DIYers like myself – and operate in two business segments: Industrial and Tools and Storage.

Stanley Black & Decker’s most recent quarterly financials reported sales of $3.7 billion, down 3.2% year-over-year. Its net income jumped 363.6% to 90.4 million.

The company pays a forward annual dividend of $3.28, translating to a forward yield of 4.63%.

Barchart Opinion has an overall average of 24% sell, suggesting a short-bearish momentum for the stock. If you believe in Stanley Black & Decker, and in “Buy low, sell high” this could be your moment.

Meanwhile, a consensus among 16 analysts rate the stock a “Moderate Buy”, consistent, yet improving over the past three months. The stock has a mean price of $82.92, with a 52-week high target of $102, which is roughly 44% from its current price. This suggests that there could be significant upside potential from its current position.

While the companies above have the highest yields, here’s the complete list of Dividend Aristocrats, organized by yield, as of the pre-market on July 18, 2025.

So, there you have it: the entire list of Dividend Aristocrats, organized by their dividend yields. I covered the top five, reported the current consensus among analysts, and the potential short-term direction of the stock. While opinions vary, one thing remains consistent: having a portfolio of these companies can deliver an ever-increasing and stable income.

On the date of publication, Rick Orford did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com