3 Dividend Aristocrats Worth a Closer Look

With the bullishness of the Trump era, dividend stocks may have moved to the back seat for a lot of investors. While cyclicals and financials have been big winners, defensive, dividend-paying stocks have lagged behind. Still, that provides a good opportunity to pick up some solid dividend stocks at relatively low prices. Dividend Aristocrats are perennial investor favorites. These are S&P 500 stocks that have hiked their payouts every year for 25 years or more. The exclusive status is a testament to their ability to generate consistent earnings growth, and a commitment to returning capital to shareholders. In today's market, here are three Dividend Aristocrats that look set to deliver continuing growth...

In the last few years, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has been a surprising turnaround story. The world's largest retailer was losing sales to Amazon.com and a host of other rivals, with comparable sales falling as recently as 2014. Under CEO Doug McMillon, the company has stepped up investments in wages and cleaning up stores to improve customer satisfaction, which has led to ten straight quarters of comparable sales increases. Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW) has been among the best retail performers since the recession. The home improvement specialist has ridden the housing recovery, and its stock has nearly tripled in value. Another home-improvement retailer worth a closer look is Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW), the paint manufacturer and retailer. Founded 150 years ago, the company has been around longer than almost any other S&P 500 stock, and has grown thanks to a combination of steady organic sales growth and savvy acquisitions.

Source: Motley Fool

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