Dividend Kings, the companies that have raised their dividends annually for at least 50 consecutive years, are often considered stable long-term investments. It’s tough to maintain that streak through recessions, wars, interest rate spikes, and other macro headwinds, so the companies that join that elite list are usually well-oiled, cash-generating machines.
When interest rates rose in 2022 and 2023, many Dividend Kings lost their luster as investors pivoted toward safer fixed-income investments. Still, a lot of them bounced back over the following three years as the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rates again.
A man wearing a crown fans out a handful of cash.
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Two of those Kings are Coca-Cola (KO) and S&P Global (SPGI), which have both rallied about 30% over the past three years. Let’s see why they’re both still great stocks to buy this month, even if the S&P 500 seems historically expensive at 29 times earnings.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, the world’s top beverage company, might seem like a risky investment as soda consumption declines worldwide. But to offset that pressure, it diversified its portfolio over the past several decades to include bottled water, fruit juices, teas, sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee, and other non-carbonated drinks. It also refreshed its flagship sodas with smaller serving sizes, new flavors, and healthier versions.
Coca-Cola only sells the concentrates and syrups for those drinks, while its independent bottling partners actually produce and sell the finished drinks. That streamlined, capital-light business model enables it to generate plenty of cash to fund its dividends — which it’s raised annually for 64 consecutive years. It currently pays a forward yield of 2.6%, and its low trailing payout ratio of 67% indicates it can easily afford to raise its dividends for the foreseeable future.
In 2025, Coca-Cola’s organic revenue rose 5%, even as many of its industry peers struggled with inflationary and competitive headwinds, and it anticipates 4%-5% growth in 2026. Analysts expect its adjusted EPS to grow 7%-8% in 2025. At $78, Coca-Cola’s stock still looks reasonably valued at 24 times the midpoint of that forecast.
Coca-Cola isn’t an exciting growth stock. However, if you’re looking for an evergreen Dividend King to buy, hold, and sleep on in this turbulent market, it checks all the right boxes.
S&P Global
S&P Global, which has raised its dividends for 53 consecutive years, usually doesn’t attract as much attention as the other Dividend Kings because it only pays a forward yield of 0.9%. However, it’s another reliable evergreen stock that can easily weather the near-term headwinds.
S&P Global provides essential financial data, credit ratings, and analytics services to all the Fortune 100 companies and 80% of the Fortune 500 companies. Big banks, insurance companies, corporations, universities, and institutional investors all rely on its services to make financial decisions through economic expansions and contractions.
S&P Global’s credit ratings business remains sensitive to inflation, interest rate spikes, and other macro headwinds, which can curb the market’s appetite for new debt offerings. However, it can usually offset that pressure with the stable growth of its financial data and analytics businesses, which it’s been upgrading with more efficient AI tools, through both bull and bear markets. It also plans to spin off S&P Global Mobility, which provides automotive industry data, later this year to further streamline its business and boost its earnings. Its low trailing payout ratio of 26% gives it plenty of room for future dividend hikes.
S&P Global’s adjusted EPS grew 14% in 2025, and it expects 9%-10% growth in 2026. At $448 per share, it trades at 23 times the midpoint of that estimate. That reasonable valuation makes it a great stock to buy today, even if it pays a much lower yield than the other Dividend Kings.
— Leo Sun
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Source: The Motley Fool