NOBL: An ETF For Dividend Aristocrats
The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index consists of companies that have increased dividends for at least 25 consecutive years — and only one U.S. fund tracks it.


A chronicle of companies moving in and out of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index may not be as riveting as an episode of The White Lotus. But look behind the scenes. Stock market volatility is heightened these days, signaling a possible inflection point in market leadership. It’s a good time, then, for investors to turn their attention to stocks that pay dividends, especially the stocks of high-quality companies with steadily increasing payouts.
That’s the stomping ground of the Dividend Aristocrats index, which includes only companies in the S&P 500 benchmark that have consistently raised dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Walmart are longtime Aristocrats members.
Earlier this year, as part of the benchmark’s annual reconstitution, three new companies were added: insurance company Erie Indemnity, energy provider Eversource Energy, and FactSet Research Systems, which provides financial data and analytic services to investors. There were no deletions.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL)
Exchange-traded fund ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL, $104, expense ratio 0.35%) is the only U.S. fund that tracks the Dividend Aristocrats index, which currently includes 69 stocks.
The ETF is an antidote of sorts to the concentration of the Magnificent Seven, those tech-related firms that drove market returns for much of the past two years. None of the Seven are Aristocrats, for starters; two of them, Amazon.com and Tesla, don’t even pay a dividend. And the Aristocrats index is equal-weighted — assets are evenly divided by each stock in the index, regardless of market value, dividend yield, or any other measure — and rebalanced quarterly. “It’s a ward against single-stock concentration,” says a spokesperson for S&P Dow Jones Indices. The ETF also yields 2.5%, which is better than the 1.2% yield of a comparable S&P 500 ETF.
Naturally, the absence of the Magnificent Seven in the Aristocrats index has hurt the relative recent returns of the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF. Over the past five years, the ETF’s 11.5% annualized return has lagged the 16.9% average annual gain in the straight-up S&P 500. But over longer hauls, the Aristocrats index has turned in similar returns to the S&P 500, with less volatility.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
Related content
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Nellie joined Kiplinger in August 2011 after a seven-year stint in Hong Kong. There, she worked for the Wall Street Journal Asia, where as lifestyle editor, she launched and edited Scene Asia, an online guide to food, wine, entertainment and the arts in Asia. Prior to that, she was an editor at Weekend Journal, the Friday lifestyle section of the Wall Street Journal Asia. Kiplinger isn't Nellie's first foray into personal finance: She has also worked at SmartMoney (rising from fact-checker to senior writer), and she was a senior editor at Money.
-
Major Insurers Scale Back Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans for 2026. What You Need to Know.
Beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans might be losing their plan as UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Aetna (CVS Health) scale back offerings for 2026.
-
I want to retire, but I have to keep working so my adult kids have insurance. Help!
It's a tricky period when your adult child is under 26 but needs health insurance. We ask financial experts for advice.
-
Preferred Bank Stocks: The Investment Retirees (and Others) May Be Missing Out On
Most large banks issue preferred stocks that pay out fixed dividends, often with higher yields than bonds. Should you make room for them in your portfolio?
-
Don't Let Your Equity Compensation Trip You Up: A Financial Expert's Guide
Stock options, RSUs and other executive perks can come with some serious strings attached. To avoid a nasty tax surprise, you need a plan.
-
Rally Fades on Mixed AI Revolution News: Stock Market Today
All three main U.S. equity indexes opened higher but closed lower as a seven-session winning streak for the S&P 500 came to an end.
-
The Spendthrift Trap: Here's One Way to Protect Your Legacy From an Irresponsible Heir
A spendthrift clause in an estate plan can protect an inheritance from a financially irresponsible child's debts and poor decisions.
-
Adapting to AI's Evolving Landscape: A Survival Guide for Businesses
Like it or not, AI is here to stay, and opting out could be disastrous for your organization. Instead, focus on what you can control and be flexible, as AI is still evolving.
-
S&P, Nasdaq Hit New Highs: Stock Market Today
A late-day rally wasn't enough to lift the Dow into the green as its six-session winning streak came to an end.
-
AMD Stock Surges on OpenAI Deal
Advanced Micro Devices could see tens of billions of dollars in new revenue from the ChatGPT maker as the AI infrastructure buildout accelerates.
-
These Stocks Dipped in 2025. Do They Have Value?
If you are looking to add new long-term positions to your portfolio, as you should, this is the time to examine stocks that the market shuns.