The Dow Jones Industrial Average takes a fair amount of criticism from market pundits and financial experts. Some of that criticism is justified and often stems from just how the index its weighted. But you can’t deny that the Dow Jones stocks are still some of the most important companies in the entire U.S. and overall world. With the thirty Dow Jones stocks being powerhouses in their respective fields, they feature enviable moats, large cash flows and big-time profits.
And yes, stable and growing dividend payments.
Overall, the Dow Jones stocks can be an income seeker’s best friend. And just buying the index can lead to some good results. The index tracking SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSEARCA:DIA) pays a decent 2.25% yield. That’s not too shabby at all. However, investors who are serious about finding more income need to dig deeper into Dow Jones stocks and take a look at individual names.
But which ones? Here are five of the best Dow Jones dividend stocks to buy today.
Top Dow Jones Dividend Stocks: Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Dividend Yield: 2.63%
Dow Jones stock Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) is proof that old dogs can learn new tricks and that tech’s elder statesmen still have plenty of growth behind them.
After being the go-to networking firm during the dotcom days, CSCO switched gears to offer more services and other products to go along with their networking equipment. It turns out this was a great idea. Services revenues for the firm continue to surge. Even better is that subscriptions for software and services jumped to be 65% of Cisco’s non-equipment revenues. These reoccurring revenues provide the firm with a long runway to keep growth going. And with reoccurring and services profit margins well into the double digits, Cisco has indeed been growing.
The firm managed to see double-digit non-GAAP per share growth in the last quarter.
And as expected, CSCO has been sharing its growth with shareholders. Since its first dividend payout in 2011, Cisco has upped its dividend by over 480%. That includes the 6% jump at the beginning of this year. This dividend growth rate puts the networking firm in very elite company among Dow Jones stocks.
Add in its hefty buyback programs and continued revenue/cash flow growth, CSCO belongs in every income investor’s portfolio.
Pfizer (PFE)
Dividend Yield: 3.45%
Like Cisco, pharmaceutical firm Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has been able to find growth and additional sources of revenue in recent years. Like many pharmaceuticals, PFE was facing a major patent cliff as several of its blockbusters — such as Lipitor and Viagra — went off patent. However, PFE was able to fill those holes with several other major product launches as well as targeting biosimilars and generic drugs. New cancer and recently launched biotech drugs have set the firm back on the path to growth once more. And with a robust pipeline, PFE should continue to shine in the future.
And those drugs will get a chance to shine pretty bright thanks to a spin-off/merger.
Pfizer already spun-out its slow-moving animal health division as Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS). However, the firm announced that it plans on merging its consumer health division with GlaxoSmithKline’s (NYSE:GSK). The deal will push some of the boring and slow-growing pieces of its pie outwards and let the higher-margined drugs shine. This should strengthen its cash flows and dividends further.
And speaking of those dividends, PFE recently upped its payout by 5.88% on the back of robust cash flows and increased earnings from its new drugs. That dividend represents the company’s 322 consecutive payout and its ninth year of annual dividend increases.
Top Dow Jones Dividend Stocks: Chevron (CVX)
Dividend Yield: 3.58%
Big oil is a great place to find big dividends. That includes top Dow Jones stocks like Chevron (NYSE:CVX). CVX has long been a great place to find higher yields and more recently that yield has gotten better.
Like many energy stocks, Chevron dug in deep and cut costs, reduced its drilling and focused on profitable long-term production efforts during the last oil rout. With many of these projects now starting to produce some hefty natural gas and oil, CAPEX spending at the oil giant has decreased. Meanwhile, higher overall oil prices have helped boost cash flows at the firm. All of which has made its dividend that much stronger.
After several years of token dividend increases, CVX has finally gotten back to meaningful raises and upped its payout by 6.25% at the start of the year. Today, CVX yields a high 3.58%. That’s all thanks to rising cash flows and better margins.
Even better is that the firm has recently announced that it plans on doubling down its exposure to low-cost shale in the Permian Basin. Over the next four years, CVX plans on doubling its output in the region to more than 900,000 barrels per day. Given how juicy margins are in the shale, this will only help the firm and its investors further.
After a rocky patch, Chevron is back on track to being one of the top Dow Jones stocks.
Top Dow Jones Dividend Stocks: JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM)
Dividend Yield: 3%
When it comes to banks in the Dow Jones, JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) can’t be beaten. As the nation’s largest bank, JPM features a huge competitive advantage, large moat and an asset base that only a few competitors can even come close to. And that base continues to get better.
Last quarter, JPM managed to see its loans and deposits grow by 2% and 3%, respectively. Meanwhile, credit card sales jumped by 10% year-over-year. This is wonderful news for the bank. Banks like JPM profit from something called net-interest margins. Basically, it’s the difference between what they charge on loans and what they hand back on deposits. With rates rising and the economy growing, this has been a boon to JPM’s cash flows over the last year or so.
Meanwhile, the firm continues to benefit from rising trading, asset management, corporate and high net worth/private banking growth. All of which has helped grow the bank at superb rates. Fellow InvestorPlace contributor Tom Taulli recently highlighted J.P. Morgan’s amazing ability to generate strong returns on tangible common equity — besting many of its peers by a wide margin.
With the bank trading at 3% yield and a forward price-to-earnings ratio of just 10, JPM is one heck of a bargain. And with its ability to generate strong returns and cash flows, income seekers should be snagging up shares of this Dow Jones stock with both hands.
Top Dow Jones Dividend Stocks: Procter & Gamble (PG)
Dividend Yield: 2.8%
When it comes to Dow Jones stocks, boring can be beautiful. Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) is a testament to that. Selling Crest toothpaste, Tide laundry soap and Bounty paper towels isn’t a very exciting business, but it is stable. And over the decades, that stability has made PG a dividend machine. The firm has managed to raise its dividend for 62 consecutive years and currently offers a hefty 2.8% dividend yield.
The best part is that PG has continued to try and improve its business and add some significant innovation to its portfolio.
That turnaround is paying benefits in a big way. The firm has managed to pick up some meaningful market share versus rivals, with organic growth growing by over 4%. This was driven by product innovation and is now the second quarter of 4% organic growth. Meanwhile, cost cutting exercises and a lower overall tax rate helped boost margins to 22%. Overall, Procter & Gamble managed to crush expectations when it came to earnings-per-share. With the big beat, it helped cement that PG’s turnaround is working.
Also underscoring that fact further was Procter & Gamble’s massive $4 billion in operating free cash flows.
For investors, PG stock isn’t insanely exciting, but it can provide a steady stream of dividend growth for years to come. And that makes it one of the best Dow Jones stocks for income seekers.