The Traits That Mark Top Utility Dividend Stocks

What do the utility stocks with the highest dividend yields have in common? A persistent history of raising dividends, for one thing. Most of the top-yielding companies in IBD's screen have enlarged shareholder payments every year. To be sure, some lower-yielding utilities also raise dividends steadily.

But the top five utilities also tend to have higher market capitalizations. They are some of the biggest, too: The three with highest annual sales are top-yielding utilities: Southern Co. (NYSE:SO), National Grid (NYSE:NGG), Scana (NYSE:SCG), Teco Energy (NYSE:TE) and Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED).

Source: Investors.com

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