Dividend Aristocrats Pay Increasing Dividends

Standard and Poor's maintains the Dividend Aristocrats series, four indices of companies that have a history of consistently raising dividends:

S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats includes stocks from the S&P 500 index that have consistently increased dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. See complete list of stocks.
S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats includes stocks from the S&P Composite 1500 index that have consistently increased dividends every year for at least 25 years.
S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index includes stocks from the S&P/Citigroup Broad Market Index (BMI) Canada index that have consistently increased dividends every year for at least seven years.
S&P Europe 350 Dividend Aristocrats includes stocks from the S&P Europe 350 index that have consistently increased dividends for at least 10 consecutive years.

Many of the companies included in the indices are excellent candidates for the portfolio of a long-term investor who wants income or wants to reinvest dividends.

You can own stocks from the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats index with the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY), an exchange-traded fund that usually delivers a dividend yield of one to two points higher than the yield of the S&P 500.

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Updated February 8, 2008.