S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats: Who's Out, Who's In
The dependable dividend growers of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats dumped a Dow Jones stock and added an industrial supplier.


The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index looks only a little different as we head into the second half of the year.
Widely regarded as some of the best dividend stocks for dependable dividend growth, the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats is an index of S&P 500 companies that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years.
That's kind of a big deal if you are a long-term equity income investor. Regular dividend hikes not only increase the yield on an investor's original cost basis over time, often quite dramatically; they also help investors sleep better at night.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-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.
After all, any company that manages to raise its dividend year after year – through recession, war, market crashes and more – is demonstrating both its financial resilience and its commitment to returning cash to shareholders.
S&P Dow Jones Indices, which rebalances the index quarterly, ditched Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) at the beginning of 2024 after the pharmacy chain slashed its dividend by almost half.
Walgreens had increased its dividend every year for nearly half a century before the cut. Analysts, who regularly give WBA one of the lowest rankings of all 30 Dow Jones stocks, applauded the decision to take cash earmarked for shareholders and invest it back into the business.
Perhaps most interesting is what will happen to long-time member 3M (MMM). The Dow stock is on the Aristocrats chopping block after slashing its dividend as part of its Solventum (SOLV) spin off. 3M is expected to be cut from the list of dependable dividend payers when S&P Dow Jones next rebalances the index.
Dividend Aristocrats Fastenal and Kenvue
The Dividend Aristocrats membership list remains at 67 stocks, however, as Fastenal (FAST) was added to the index in the first quarter of 2024. The industrial supplier has raised its dividend for 25 consecutive years, making it available for inclusion in the index.
Most recently, Fastenal declared a quarterly cash dividend of 39 cents per share to be paid on February 29 to shareholders of record as of February 1. The company generated more than $1 billion in levered free cash flow in fiscal 2023, and that was after paying out more than a billion dollars in dividends.
Fastenal stock sports a dividend yield of 2.4%, which is fairly generous for an Aristocrat. The exchange-traded fund that tracks the index, the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL), has a dividend yield of 2.1%.
Other changes to the Dividend Aristocrats over the past year include the removal of VF Corp. (VFC) and the addition of Kenvue (KVUE), which was spun off from fellow Aristocrat Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).
Related Content
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
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.

Dan Burrows is Kiplinger's senior investing writer, having joined the publication full time in 2016.
A long-time financial journalist, Dan is a veteran of MarketWatch, CBS MoneyWatch, SmartMoney, InvestorPlace, DailyFinance and other tier 1 national publications. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Consumer Reports and his stories have appeared in the New York Daily News, the San Jose Mercury News and Investor's Business Daily, among many other outlets. As a senior writer at AOL's DailyFinance, Dan reported market news from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Once upon a time – before his days as a financial reporter and assistant financial editor at legendary fashion trade paper Women's Wear Daily – Dan worked for Spy magazine, scribbled away at Time Inc. and contributed to Maxim magazine back when lad mags were a thing. He's also written for Esquire magazine's Dubious Achievements Awards.
In his current role at Kiplinger, Dan writes about markets and macroeconomics.
Dan holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Columbia University.
Disclosure: Dan does not trade individual stocks or securities. He is eternally long the U.S equity market, primarily through tax-advantaged accounts.
-
Proposed Changes to HSAs in the One Big Beautiful Bill Add up for Retirement Savers
HSAs are getting a glow-up in the pending tax bill. Those 55+ and workers enrolled in Medicare Part A will have more opportunity to save for medical costs in retirement.
-
Ford Recall 2025: Rearview Camera Glitch Affects 1.1 Million Vehicles
Over 1 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles are being recalled due to a software issue affecting rearview cameras. Here's what models are impacted and how owners can address the problem.
-
How One Widow Nearly Missed Out on $213,000 in Social Security
Losing your partner often means losing 30% to 50% of your household income. This financial adviser emphasizes that planning ahead and understanding the rules surrounding survivor benefits can help.
-
Simple Ways to Make Your Executor's Job Less of a Pain
Being an executor of an estate isn't easy, so you should do what you can to help them out. It can be as easy as making a list and being smart about your email accounts.
-
'Trump Accounts' for Newborns: A Great Idea That Could Be Better
According to this financial professional, limitations on the proposed $1,000 deposit at birth highlight shortcomings in our retirement landscape, but the potential is there to make a big difference.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Chop as Judges Block Then Reinstate Tariffs
The Trump administration has asked for and received a stay in a case that seems headed for the Supreme Court.
-
Opportunity Zones Expert Sees Bright Future in 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
New legislation introduces rural "super incentives" and expanded access, though a potential investment freeze could stall billions in community development funding. Here's what every investor needs to know.
-
Sorry, But AI Alone Doesn't Cut It for Financial Planning
Artificial intelligence has its place in retirement planning — but only as a tool. It falls short in several key areas that require a human touch.
-
Five Divorce Settlement Blind Spots: An Expert's Guide to What You Can't Afford to Miss
Even the best lawyers can miss tax and other financial considerations when drafting complex divorce settlements, so specialist advice is vital from the outset.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Struggle Ahead of Nvidia Earnings
The three main indexes closed lower as Wall Street awaited the AI bellwether's quarterly results.