Dividend Aristocrats In Focus: Chevron Corporation


Updated on February 20th, 2025 by Felix Martinez

Chevron Corporation (CVX) is one of the world’s largest and most well-known energy stocks. It is also one of the energy sector’s most stable dividend growth companies, having grown its dividend for 38 consecutive years.

As a result, Chevron is a member of the exclusive Dividend Aristocrats – a group of 69 elite dividend stocks with 25+ years of consecutive dividend increases.

We believe the Dividend Aristocrats are some of the highest-quality dividend stocks in the entire stock market. With this in mind, we created a full list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats, along with important financial metrics such as dividend yields and P/E ratios.

You can download a copy of our full Dividend Aristocrats list by clicking on the link below:

 

Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividend’s own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.

Due to the industry’s reliance on high commodity prices for profitability, only two oil stocks are on the list of Dividend Aristocrats: Chevron and Exxon Mobil (XOM).

Chevron’s dividend consistency and stability help it stand out in the otherwise volatile energy industry. This article will analyze Chevron’s intermediate-term investment prospects.

Business Overview

Chevron is one of 6 integrated oil and gas super-majors, along with:

  • BP (BP)
  • Eni SpA (E)
  • TotalEnergies (TTE)
  • Exxon Mobil (XOM)
  • Shell (SHEL)

Like the other integrated supermajors, Chevron engages in upstream oil and gas production and downstream refining businesses. In 2023, Chevron generated 74% of its earnings from its upstream segment. Therefore, it is highly sensitive to the underlying commodity price.

Global oil demand has continued to increase in the years since the coronavirus pandemic steadily. Separately, oil and gas prices have been elevated due to the war in Ukraine and resulting sanctions on Russia. Before the sanctions, Russia was producing about 10% of global oil output and one-third of natural gas consumed in Europe.

The benefit from these exceptionally favorable conditions was evident in Chevron’s performance in 2022, although conditions softened in 2023 and 2024 as oil and gas prices moderated off their peaks.

Still, Chevron is posting strong financial results. At the end of January, Chevron reported (1/31/25) earnings for the fourth quarter and full year. The company fourth-quarter 2024 earnings of $3.2 billion ($1.84 per share), up from $2.3 billion in 2023, with adjusted earnings at $3.6 billion. The company returned a record $27 billion to shareholders, including $15.2 billion in buybacks and $11.8 billion in dividends. The board approved a 5% dividend increase to $1.71 per share. Full-year earnings totaled $17.7 billion, though lower refining margins and asset retirement costs impacted cash flow.

Production hit record levels, with global output up 7% and U.S. production rising 19%, driven by growth in the Permian Basin and PDC Energy integration. Key projects included the Anchor deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico and the Future Growth Project in Kazakhstan. Chevron also divested assets in Canada, Alaska, and the Republic of Congo while advancing its $53 billion acquisition of Hess. The company aims for $2–3 billion in cost savings by 2026.

Chevron expanded low-carbon initiatives, cutting emissions by 700,000 metric tons and increasing carbon storage efforts. It upgraded refining capabilities in Pasadena, Texas, and secured new exploration acreage worldwide. The company also launched a $500 million Future Energy Fund III to invest in clean energy technologies while maintaining its focus on capital discipline and long-term growth.

Growth Prospects

Chevron is one of the largest publicly traded energy corporations in the world and stands to benefit tremendously from elevated prices of oil and gas.

Chevron invested heavily in growth projects for years but failed to grow its output for an entire decade, as oil projects take several years to start bearing fruit. However, Chevron is now in the positive phase of its investing cycle.

Source: Investor Presentation

In addition, thanks to the high-grading of its asset portfolio, Chevron can fund its dividend even at an oil price of $40.

Another long-term growth catalyst is Chevron’s major acquisition. On October 23rd, 2023, Chevron agreed to Acquire Hess (HES) for $53 billion in an all-stock deal. Thanks to this deal, Chevron will purchase the highly profitable Stabroek block in Guyana and Bakken assets, greatly enhancing its production and free cash flow.

Nevertheless, given the nearly all-time high earnings-per-share expected this year, we expect an -5 % average annual decrease over the next five years.

Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance

Chevron’s competitive advantage in the highly cyclical energy sector comes primarily from its size and financial strength. The company’s operational expertise allowed it to navigate the 2020 coronavirus pandemic successfully.

As a commodity producer, Chevron is vulnerable to any oil price downturn, particularly given that it is the most leveraged oil major to the oil price. However, thanks to its strong balance sheet, the company is likely to endure the next downturn, just like it has done in all the previous downturns.

Chevron’s aggressive cost-cutting efforts have helped the company become more efficient. Chevron has continued to reduce drilling costs, significantly reducing its break-even expense.

Chevron stacks up well among its peers in the energy sector. However, the company is certainly not the most recession-resistant Dividend Aristocrat, as evidenced by its performance during the 2007-2009 financial crisis:

  • 2007 adjusted earnings-per-share: $8.77
  • 2008 adjusted earnings-per-share: $11.67 (33% increase)
  • 2009 adjusted earnings-per-share: $5.24 (-55% decline)
  • 2010 adjusted earnings-per-share: $9.48 (81% increase)

Chevron’s adjusted earnings per share declined by more than 50% during the 2007-2009 financial crisis, but the company managed to remain profitable during a bear market that drove many of its competitors out of business.

This allowed Chevron to continue raising its dividend payment throughout the Great Recession. Chevron’s dividend safety is far above the average company in the energy sector.

Valuation & Expected Total Returns

Chevron’s expected total returns are more difficult to assess than those of many other companies. This is primarily due to the company’s highly volatile results, which result from the dramatic swings in oil and gas prices.

With a share price near $158, the price-to-earnings ratio presently sits 14.8 times based on 2025 expected earnings of $10.70 per share.

If the stock reverted to our fair value estimate of 14 times earnings, this would imply a fractional valuation headwind over the next five years.

Moreover, the stock offers a 4.4% dividend yield. However, the valuation tailwind and the dividend are likely to be offset by the expected 5% average annual decline in earnings per share.

Overall, the stock could generate a -0.5% average annual return over the next five years off its nearly all-time high current stock price.

Final Thoughts

Chevron is one of the rare oil and gas companies that was able to navigate through the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the oil downturn of 2014-2016, and the COVID-19 pandemic without cutting its dividend.

Chevron’s lower cost structure allows it to handle a much lower average oil price. Furthermore, new projects in the U.S. and international markets will help the company continue to grow.

Nevertheless, as we are nearing the peak of the oil industry’s cycle, which is infamous for its dramatic swings, Chevron should probably be avoided around its current stock price.

Additionally, the following Sure Dividend databases contain the most reliable dividend growers in our investment universe:

If you’re looking for stocks with unique dividend characteristics, consider the following Sure Dividend databases:

The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:

Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].





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An Outperforming Investment Tool to Help You Game the Market


Editor’s note: “An Outperforming Investment Tool to Help You Game the Market” was previously published in January 2025 with the title, “Introducing: An Outperforming Investment Tool to Help You Game the Market.” It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.

For the past several months, since it became clear that Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, the stock market has been highly volatile. 

The S&P 500 rallied 4% in the week after the election – only to crash 3% the following week. Then stocks rose 4% into December just to sink 5% by the month’s end… popped 6% higher in mid-January before dropping 3% after the inauguration. And here in February, stocks gained 4% in the first few weeks of the month, then flopped about 4% over the past week. 

Wall Street has been stuck on a roller-coaster ride since early November. 

With all this volatility, investors are dying to know what the next four years will look like for stocks under “Trump 2.0.” Is this unpredictability the new normal?

Possibly… 

I have six words of advice for this era: embrace the boom, beware the bust

Embrace the Boom; Beware the Bust

Thanks in large part to the AI investment megatrend and long-awaited rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, the U.S. stock market has been booming for the past two years. 

That is, the craze around artificial intelligence has sparked an exceptional surge in investment. Companies have been racing to create the infrastructure necessary to support next-gen AI. Indeed, Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL) – pretty much all the world’s major tech companies continue to spend billions upon billions of dollars to build new AI data centers, create new applications, hire more engineers, etc. And all that investment has created a major economic boom.

Meanwhile, throughout 2022 – after embarking on the most aggressive rate-hiking cycle in nearly 50 years – the Federal Reserve finally slowed its pace of hikes. And here in 2024, the central bank actually started to cut rates. This has provided much-needed relief to consumers looking to finance big purchases and businesses looking to make new investments. This relief has also helped support an economic boom.

The result? Stocks have been soaring for two years. 

Since hitting its lows in October 2022 – just over two years ago – the S&P has surged more than 70% higher. In fact, it just posted its second consecutive year of 20%-plus gains. 

The index rose 24% in 2023. It popped another 23% in ’24. That is just the fourth time since the Great Depression – nearly 100 years ago – that the S&P 500 rallied more than 20% in back-to-back years. 

We are unequivocally in a stock market boom. 

And in our view, this boom is about to get even ‘boomier.’ 



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Tariff confusion drives dollar higher – United States


Written by the Market Insights Team

The global equity selloff continues, the US dollar’s rebound is gaining traction and Treasury yields are suffering their worst weekly slide since September. Investors are avoiding risky bets due to US President Donald Trump ratcheting up tariff threats, which has seen the euro pull back sharply from 2-month highs versus the dollar. Meanwhile, the pound is outperforming most G10 peers bar the dollar and franc this week and is eyeing its highest weekly close in over three years versus the euro. On the data docket today, all eyes are on the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation.

Dollar balancing tariffs, weaker growth

Boris Kovacevic – Global Macro Strategist

The trade and geopolitical news flows once again overshadowed what seemed to be a pretty important day for US macro developments. Durable goods, home sales, jobless claims and GDP data sent mixed signals about the state of the worlds largest economy. GDP grew by an annualized 2.3%, while unemployment claims rose to a 2-month high and tumbled for a second consecutive month. Overall, the data continues to point to weaker economic momentum ahead and the dollar would have depreciated against this backdrop would it not have been for the tariff news.

Markets once again reacted to fresh tariff announcements made by the US President. Donald Trump confirmed that the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go into effect, while also hinting at potential new levies on China as soon as March. This bolstered the dollar against the Canadian Dollar and Mexican peso. However, the strengthening of the Greenback broadened out to most major currencies as well.

Beyond trade, Trump’s refusal to commit to a security backstop in Ukraine added another layer of geopolitical uncertainty. Meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he reiterated that the focus should first be on securing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, rather than discussing long-term military commitments.

Still, conviction around a sustained dollar rally is fading, as tariff fatigue and growth concerns begin to weigh on sentiment. Traders remain cautious despite the elevated trade uncertainty and lack of policy clarity. For now, FX markets remain driven by trade headlines, with the dollar benefiting from renewed tariff bets—but the long-term picture remains far from clear.

The US dollar index will likely end the week higher, a feat the dollar has only achieved once in the last seven weeks. The last hurdle to overcome is the US PCE report due today. The core figure could slow on a month-on-month basis. However, personal spending is expected to remain robust.

Chart of USD and citi surprise index

Euro back on the defence

Boris Kovacevic – Global Macro Strategist

Fresh trade tensions are adding pressure to the euro, as President Trump confirmed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and hinted at new levies on China. While the EU was not directly targeted, the risk of further escalation weighs on sentiment, especially with Trump’s criticism of European trade policies and VAT systems still lingering.

While the dollar initially rallied on the tariff news, conviction around sustained USD strength is fading, as the economic drag from higher trade barriers could outweigh short-term inflationary effects. For the euro, the uncertainty keeps upside limited, with EUR/USD hovering under $1.0400 as traders assess whether tariffs will remain a US-focused issue or expand further.

On the other hand, the ECB remains confident that policy is still restrictive, but the debate over future rate cuts is intensifying as per the meeting minutes released yesterday. A 25bp cut next week to 2.5% is expected, yet officials are divided. Some have shown worries about sticky services inflation and trade risks, while others fear weak growth and missing the 2% inflation target. The neutral rate remains a wildcard, with policymakers questioning its usefulness as a policy guide. Meanwhile, disinflation is on track, but wage growth and energy risks call for caution.

Chart of EURUSD and Ukraine peace probability

Risk sensitive or safe haven sterling?

George Vessey – Lead FX & Macro Strategist

As we explained in yesterday’s report, the pound’s high yielding status is a double-edged sword in that when the market mood is upbeat, sterling tends to appreciate, but in deteriorating global risk conditions, the pound becomes more vulnerable. Hence, the latest bout of tariff angst has sent GBP/USD tumbling from $1.27 to $1.2570 in 24 hours. GBP/USD has erased its weekly gains and more, whilst several key moving averages continue to act as hurdles to the upside.

Apart from weakening against the US dollar though, some analysts think the FX market is viewing the pound as a tariff safe-haven of sorts, driven by confidence that the UK is less economically vulnerable to tariffs compared to major exporters like the EU. This is evidenced by sterling appreciating against the euro and holding above €1.21. If it closes the week above this level, it will be the highest weekly closing price in almost three years. If we look at sterling more broadly though, it appreciated against less than 50% of its global peers yesterday, which contradicts this sterling safe haven theory. Moreover, sterling’s vulnerability to global risk aversion due to its reliance on foreign capital inflows would likely limit any haven demand in our view.

Nevertheless, the meeting between US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer appeared constructive, with hopes of a trade deal boosting the odds of the UK avoiding tariffs. The UK is one of the only countries in the world to have a neutral trade relationship with the US in goods, so it’s hard to see how/why Trump would have imposed them anyway. But even if the UK does evade tariffs, a slowdown in global trade would still hurt the UK economy, which would weigh on the pro-cyclical pound.

Chart of GBP vs G10 this week

Risk aversion drives stocks and yields lower

Table: 7-day currency trends and trading ranges

Table of FX rates

Key global risk events

Calendar: February 24-28

Table of risk events

All times are in GMT

Have a question? [email protected]

*The FX rates published are provided by Convera’s Market Insights team for research purposes only. The rates have a unique source and may not align to any live exchange rates quoted on other sites. They are not an indication of actual buy/sell rates, or a financial offer.



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2025 REITs List | See All 218 Now


Updated on February 24th, 2024 by Bob Ciura
Spreadsheet data updated daily

Real estate investment trusts – or REITs, for short – can be fantastic securities for generating meaningful portfolio income. REITs widely offer higher dividend yields than the average stock.

While the S&P 500 Index on average yields less than 2% right now, it is relatively easy to find REITs with dividend yields of 5% or higher.

The following downloadable REIT list contains a comprehensive list of U.S. Real Estate Investment Trusts, along with metrics that matter including:

  • Stock price
  • Dividend yield
  • Market capitalization
  • 5-year beta

You can download your free 200+ REIT list (along with important financial metrics like dividend yields and payout ratios) by clicking on the link below:

 

In addition to the downloadable Excel sheet of all REITs, this article discusses why income investors should pay particularly close attention to this asset class.

And, we also include our top 7 REITs today based on expected total returns.

Table Of Contents

In addition to the full downloadable Excel spreadsheet, this article covers our top 7 REITs today, as ranked using expected total returns from The Sure Analysis Research Database.

The table of contents below allows for easy navigation.

How To Use The REIT List To Find Dividend Stock Ideas

REITs give investors the ability to experience the economic benefits associated with real estate ownership without the hassle of being a landlord in the traditional sense.

Because of the monthly rental cash flows generated by REITs, these securities are well-suited to investors that aim to generate income from their investment portfolios. Accordingly, dividend yield will be the primary metric of interest for many REIT investors.

For those unfamiliar with Microsoft Excel, the following images show how to filter for high dividend REITs with dividend yields between 5% and 7% using the ‘filter’ function of Excel.

 

Step 1: Download the Complete REIT Excel Spreadsheet List at the link above.

Step 2: Click on the filter icon at the top of the ‘Dividend Yield’ column in the Complete REIT Excel Spreadsheet List.

Step 3: Use the filter function ‘Between’ along with the numbers 0.05 and 0.07 to display REITs with dividend yields between 5% and 7%.

This will help to eliminate any REITs with exceptionally high (and perhaps unsustainable) dividend yields.

Also, click on ‘Largest to Smallest’ at the top of the filter window to list the REITs with the highest dividend yields at the top of the spreadsheet.

Now that you have the tools to identify high-quality REITs, the next section will show some of the benefits of owning this asset class in a diversified investment portfolio.

Why Invest in REITs?

REITs are, by design, a fantastic asset class for investors looking to generate income.

Thus, one of the primary benefits of investing in these securities is their high dividend yields.

The currently high dividend yields of REITs is not an isolated occurrence. In fact, this asset class has traded at a higher dividend yield than the S&P 500 for decades.

Related: Dividend investing versus real estate investing.

The high dividend yields of REITs are due to the regulatory implications of doing business as a real estate investment trust.

In exchange for listing as a REIT, these trusts must pay out at least 90% of their net income as dividend payments to their unitholders (REITs trade as units, not shares).

Sometimes you will see a payout ratio of less than 90% for a REIT, and that is likely because they are using funds from operations, not net income, in the denominator for REIT payout ratios (more on that later).

REIT Financial Metrics

REITs run unique business models. More than the vast majority of other business types, they are primarily involved in the ownership of long-lived assets.

From an accounting perspective, this means that REITs incur significant non-cash depreciation and amortization expenses.

How does this affect the bottom line of REITs?

Depreciation and amortization expenses reduce a company’s net income, which means that sometimes a REIT’s dividend will be higher than its net income, even though its dividends are safe based on cash flow.

Related: How To Value REITs

To give a better sense of financial performance and dividend safety, REITs eventually developed the financial metric funds from operations, or FFO.

Just like earnings, FFO can be reported on a per-unit basis, giving FFO/unit – the rough equivalent of earnings-per-share for a REIT.

FFO is determined by taking net income and adding back various non-cash charges that are seen to artificially impair a REIT’s perceived ability to pay its dividend.

For an example of how FFO is calculated, consider the following net income-to-FFO reconciliation from Realty Income (O), one of the largest and most popular REIT securities.

Source: Realty Income Annual Report

In 2023, net income was $872 million while FFO available to stockholders was above $2.8 billion, a sizable difference between the two metrics.

This shows the profound effect that depreciation and amortization can have on the GAAP financial performance of real estate investment trusts.

The Top 7 REITs Today

Below we have ranked our top 7 REITs today based on expected total returns.

Expected total returns are in turn made up from dividend yield, expected growth on a per unit basis, and valuation multiple changes. Expected total return investing takes into account income (dividend yield), growth, and value.

Note: The REITs below have not been vetted for safety. These are high expected total return securities, but they may come with elevated risks.

We encourage investors to fully consider the risk/reward profile of these investments.

For the Top 10 REITs each month with 4%+ dividend yields, based on expected total returns and safety, see our Top 10 REITs service.

Top REIT #7: Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. (IIPR)

  • Expected Total Return: 15.4%
  • Dividend Yield: 10.5%

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. is a single-use “specialty REIT” that exclusively focuses on owning properties used for the cultivation and production of cannabis.

Because the industry is in the midst of a legal transition, there are constraints on capital available to businesses engaged in the marijuana business.

Due to the cannabis boom over the past few years, as well as its exclusivity in terms of the listing giving the trust access to public markets, Innovate Industrial Properties is a unique REIT.

On November 6th, 2024, Innovative Industrial Properties released its Q3 results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenues and normalized AFFO/share were $75.6 million and $2.25, both down 1.7% compared to last year.

Revenues declined due to a $3.0 million drop in rent and property management fees from repossessed properties since June 2023, and a $1.3 million decrease from reclassified sales-type leases.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on IIPR (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Top REIT #6: Clipper Realty (CLPR)

  • Expected Total Return: 14.6%
  • Dividend Yield: 10.7%

Clipper Realty is a Real Estate Investment Trust, or REIT, that was founded by the merger of four pre-existing real estate companies. The founders retain about 2/3 of the ownership and votes today, as they have never sold a share.

Clipper Properties owns commercial (primarily multifamily and office with a small sliver of retail) real estate across New York City.

Clipper Realty Inc. (CLPR) reported strong third-quarter 2024 results, with record revenues of $37.6 million, a 6.8% increase from the same period in 2023, driven largely by growth in residential leasing and higher occupancy.

Net operating income (NOI) reached a record $21.8 million, while adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) hit $7.8 million, or $0.18 per share, up from $6.3 million, or $0.15 per share, a year earlier.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CLPR (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Top REIT #5: Plymouth Industrial REIT (PLYM)

  • Expected Total Return: 15.9%
  • Dividend Yield: 5.8%

Plymouth Industrial REIT is a full-service, vertically integrated real estate investment trust which acquires, owns, and manages single and multi-tenant industrial properties, which include distribution centers, warehouses, light industrial and small bay industrial properties.

The majority of the property portfolio is located in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, and Georgia. As of June 30, 2024, the trust owned and managed 210 buildings, totaling 33.8 million square feet in over 10 markets.

Plymouth’s property portfolio resides almost entirely within The Golden Triangle states, which is within a day’s drive to 70% of the U.S. population, and contains more ports than any other region in the country.

Plymouth Industrial reported third quarter 2024 results on November 6th, 2024. The trust reported core funds from operations (FFO) of $0.44 per common share, down two cents compared to last year.

Adjusted FFO per share of $0.40 was a 4.8% decrease compared to Q3 2023. Same store net operating income (NOI) on a cash basis rose by 0.6% year-over-year when excluding early termination income.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PLYM (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Top REIT #4: Ellington Credit Co. (EARN)

  • Expected Total Return: 16.4%
  • Dividend Yield: 14.7%

Ellington Credit Co. acquires, invests in, and manages residential mortgage and real estate related assets. Ellington focuses primarily on residential mortgage-backed securities, specifically those backed by a U.S. Government agency or U.S. governmentsponsored enterprise.

Agency MBS are created and backed by government agencies or enterprises, while non-agency MBS are not guaranteed by the government.

On November 12th, 2024, Ellington Residential reported its third quarter results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. The company generated net income of $5.4 million, or $0.21 per share.

Ellington achieved adjusted distributable earnings of $7.2 million in the quarter, leading to adjusted earnings of $0.28 per share, which covered the dividend paid in the period.

Net interest margin was 5.22% overall. At quarter end, Ellington had $25.7 million of cash and cash equivalents, and $96 million of other unencumbered assets.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on EARN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Top REIT #3: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (ARE)

  • Expected Total Return: 17.0%
  • Dividend Yield: 5.5%

Alexandria Real Estate Equities owns and operates life science, technology and ag-tech campuses across North America.

Key locations for this Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) include Boston, San Francisco, New York, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and the Research Triangle (North Carolina). The company focuses on high quality properties in prime locations.

Alexandria’s business model has taken on renewed importance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a significant number of the company’s life science tenants are working on solutions for similar future crises.

On January 27th, 2025, Alexandria reported fourth quarter 2024 results for the period ending December 31st, 2024. For the quarter, the company generated $789 million in revenue, a 4.2% increase compared to Q4 2023.

Adjusted funds from operations (FFO) totaled $412 million or $2.39 per share compared to $390 million or $2.28 per share in Q4 2023.

Alexandria ended the quarter with $5.7 billion in liquidity. And more than fifty percent of the company’s tenants are investment-grade or publicly traded large cap businesses.

Alexandria issued its 2025 guidance, expecting $9.23 to $9.44 in adjusted FFO.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ARE (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Top REIT #2: American Assets Trust (AAT)

  • Expected Total Return: 17.0%
  • Dividend Yield: 6.2%

American Assets Trust (AAT) is a REIT that was formed in 2011 as a successor of American Assets, a privately held company founded in 1967.

AAT is headquartered in San Diego, California, and has great experience in acquiring, improving and developing office, retail and residential properties throughout the U.S., primarily in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.

Its office portfolio and its retail portfolio comprise of approximately 4.1 million and 3.1 million square feet, respectively.

In late October, AAT reported (10/29/24) financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Adjusted same-store net operating income grew 16% and funds from operations (FFO) per share grew 20% over last year’s quarter, thanks to a lease termination fee, rent hikes and slightly higher occupancy.

Thanks to a non-recurring termination fee, AAT raised its guidance for FFO per share in 2024 from $2.48-$2.54 to $2.51-$2.55.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on AAT (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Top REIT #1: Community Healthcare Trust (CHCT)

  • Expected Total Return: 17.6%
  • Dividend Yield: 9.9%

Community Healthcare Trust is an REIT which owns income-producing real estate properties linked to the healthcare sector, such as physician offices, specialty centers, behavioral facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and medical office buildings.

The trust has investments in 197 properties in 35 states, totaling 4.4 million square feet.

Source: Investor Presentation

On February 18th, 2025, Community Healthcare Trust reported fourth quarter results for the period ending December 31st, 2024.

Funds from operations (FFO) per share dipped 16% to $0.48 from $0.57 in the prior year quarter. Adjusted FFO per share, however, declined by 10% to $0.55.

During the quarter, Community Healthcare acquired three properties for $8.2 million. These properties were 100% leased with lease expirations through 2029.

The trust also has seven properties under definitive purchase agreements, with a combined purchase price of roughly $170 million, expected to close from 2025 through 2027.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CHCT (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Final Thoughts

The REIT Spreadsheet list in this article contains a list of publicly-traded Real Estate Investment Trusts.

However, this database is certainly not the only place to find high-quality dividend stocks trading at fair or better prices.

In fact, one of the best methods to find high-quality dividend stocks is looking for stocks with long histories of steadily rising dividend payments.

Companies that have increased their payouts through many market cycles are highly likely to continue doing so for a long time to come.

You can see more high-quality dividend stocks in the following Sure Dividend databases, each based on long streaks of steadily rising dividend payments:

You might also be looking to create a highly customized dividend income stream to pay for life’s expenses.

The following lists provide useful information on high dividend stocks and stocks that pay monthly dividends:

 

Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].





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Your Sky-High Electric Bill Reveals the Market’s Next Big Opportunity


Hint: It’s all about the solar industry.

Hello, Reader.

Tom Yeung here with today’s Smart Money.

Earlier this month, I found myself staring at a crisp white envelope on my desk.

The paper seemed to glow under the fluorescent lamp… a glossy corporate logo in the corner winking ominously at me.

It was… cue the foreboding music… my utility bill.

Now, I knew my Massachusetts-state utility bill would be high, because New England has the worst utility prices in the nation. However, it was even higher than I expected, because a surge in nationwide utility prices means that just about all Americans’ utility bills are rising 60% faster than average inflation.

Here’s the thing: This little envelope from my utility company and the sky-high bill likely sitting in your own inbox have more to do with your portfolio’s potential profits than you think.

For the first time since moving into our home, we’re considering adding solar panels to this 200-year-old house.

And as millions of other homeowners (and their state representatives) come to the same conclusion, we’re going to see a new boom in solar spending.

As Eric detailed in a recent Smart Money, solar stocks may soon become hot, hot, hot once again… especially during this second Trump administration.

So, in today’s Smart Money, I’d like to dive deeper into the solar industry’s latest, upcoming revolution, why we could see an uptick in solar spending, and what this all means for your portfolio.

Let’s dive in…

The Solar Revolution’s Third Act

The first American solar “revolution” started in California after then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Million Solar Roofs initiative – a cash incentive and rebate program that began in 2006. By 2020, roughly 15% of the state’s utility grid was from solar.

The second revolution began during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

The surprising truth about the “drill, baby, drill” president is that solar output doubled under his watch, before doubling again during the Biden administration. Trump’s hands-off approach to power generation meant states like Texas and Florida expanded their incentive programs for solar installations with minimal federal intervention, and these efforts continued through the following administration. (These two states combined now produce more solar than California.)

The result is that power prices in both states have fallen in real terms since Trump first took office in January 2017.

The third revolution is now set to start… for three specific reasons:

  1. Red-Hot Electricity Demand: The acceleration of AI data center construction has turned electricity generation into a “sunrise” industry, especially in states still lacking solar power.

    In the Mid-Atlantic, for example, auction prices for wholesale electricity have risen almost tenfold since last year on insatiable demand.

  2. Cheapening Solar Prices: The levelized cost of solar energy is at least 29% lower than the cheapest fossil fuel option. The price of lithium-ion batteries – an essential component of solar installations – is also in retreat.

    Prices have dropped 25% in the past year alone, thanks to sharp year-over-year decreases in lithium prices (-22%) and cobalt prices (-25%). This makes solar broadly more affordable for utilities, which must provide energy in both daytime and night.

  3. State Regulations: Then there are homeowners like me… staring at our rising utility bills.

    One effect of this will be more residential solar. The U.S. Energy Information Administration believes residential rooftop solar is growing at 25% annually, and that rate could accelerate as electricity prices continue to rise.

    But the biggest prize will come from regulatory pressures for utilities to construct more capacity. Utility-scale projects currently make up around two-thirds of installed U.S. capacity and will likely remain the largest growth driver thanks to economies of scale.

In all, we’re already seeing some effects of these three catalysts…

A Compelling Opportunity

Last week, Massachusetts state regulators announced plans to force local utilities to reduce total gas bills “by at least 5%” after public outcry over heating costs. Utilities seeking to raise prices in states like New York will almost certainly find it more difficult going forward.

The math is also changing for public utilities.

Eversource Energy (ES), a New England-based utility company with few historical ties to solar power, is now considering large-scale solar as far north as New Hampshire – a state better known for icy downhill skiing than abundant sunshine.

In addition, solar farms can take as little as eight months to construct – far faster than gas-powered (one to three years) and nuclear (five-plus years) power plants.

Energy companies are seeing unprecedented short-term demand, and solar offers a quick way to meet that need while appeasing regulators and customers.

That is why Eric believes that solar stocks are presenting a compelling opportunity. It’s also why he recently added a promising solar investment to his Fry’s Investment Report portfolio that’s primed for significant growth.

It’s an investment that Eric previously took an almost 80% gain from during the first Trump administration. This go-around, he believes double that first gain is well within reach.

To learn more about this company, and all the stocks in Eric’s portfolio, click here to learn about becoming a Fry’s Investment Report member today.

Regards,

Thomas Yeung

Markets Analyst, InvestorPlace

P.S. As we’ve been talking about all week here, at 8 p.m. ET tonight, TradeSmith CEO Keith Kaplan goes live with his full market briefing: The Last Melt-Up. And it couldn’t be more urgent. The S&P 500 is pulling back. President Trump’s agenda is facing headwinds in Washington. Inflation looms. And the Fed seems stuck in neutral.

Is the great meltdown finally here? Is it time to cut your losses and sell? Join Keith tonight at 8 p.m. ET here and you’ll get the full answers. Or you can sign up here.



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10 Buy And Hold Forever Dividend Stocks For Decades Of Dividend Growth


Updated on February 24th, 2025 by Bob Ciura

It isn’t surprising that we favor stocks that pay dividends, as studies have shown that owning income producing securities is an excellent way to build wealth while also protecting to the downside.

In bull markets, dividends can add to the gains from the stock while also purchasing additional shares. When prices decline, dividends can reduce the losses while being used to acquire more shares at a now lower price.

With this in mind, we created a full list of the Dividend Kings, a group of stocks with over 50 consecutive years of dividend increases.

You can see the full downloadable spreadsheet of all 54 Dividend Kings (along with important financial metrics such as dividend yields, payout ratios, and price-to-earnings ratios) by clicking on the link below:

 

The Dividend Kings  have rewarded shareholders with rising income for decades.

The following 10 stocks represent Dividend Kings that can continue to raise their dividends for decades to come.

The list includes 10 Dividend Kings with our highest Dividend Risk Score of ‘A’ in the Sure Analysis Research Database, that also have payout ratios below 70% to ensure a sustainable dividend payout.

The stocks are sorted by dividend payout ratio, from lowest to highest.

Table of Contents

Dividend King To Hold Forever: Nordson Corp. (NDSN)

Nordson was founded in 1954 in Amherst, Ohio by brothers Eric and Evan Nord, but the company can trace its roots back to 1909 with the U.S. Automatic Company.

Today the company has operations in over 35 countries and engineers, manufactures, and markets products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials, plastics, and other materials, with applications ranging from diapers and straws to cell phones and aerospace.

Source: Investor Presentation

On August 14th, 2024, Nordson increased its dividend by 15% to $0.78 per share quarterly, marking 61 years of increases.

On December 11th, 2024, Nordson reported fourth quarter results for the period ending October 31st, 2024. For the quarter, the company reported sales of $744 million, 4% higher compared to $719 million in Q4 2023, which was driven by a positive acquisition impact, and offset by organic decrease of 3%.

Industrial Precision saw sales decrease by 3%, while the Medical and Fluid Solutions and Advanced Technology Solutions segments had sales increases of 19% and 5%, respectively. The company generated adjusted earnings per share of $2.78, a 3% increase compared to the same prior-year quarter.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on NDSN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: Sysco Corp. (SYY)

Sysco Corporation is the largest wholesale food distributor in the United States. The company serves 600,000 locations with food delivery, including restaurants, hospitals, schools, hotels, and other facilities.

Source: Investor Presentation

On January 28th, 2025, Sysco reported second-quarter results for Fiscal Year (FY)2025. The company reported a 4.5% increase in sales for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, reaching $20.2 billion.

U.S. Foodservice volume grew by 1.4%, while gross profit rose 3.9% to $3.7 billion. Operating income increased 1.7% to $712 million, with adjusted operating income growing 5.1% to $783 million. Earnings per share (EPS) remained at $0.82, while adjusted EPS grew 4.5% to $0.93.

The company reaffirmed its full-year guidance, projecting sales growth of 4%-5% and adjusted EPS growth of 6%-7%.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SYY (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

Archer-Daniels-Midland is the largest publicly traded farmland product company in the United States. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s businesses include processing cereal grains, oilseeds, and agricultural storage and transportation.

Archer-Daniels-Midland reported its third-quarter results for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 on November 18th, 2024. The company reported adjusted net earnings of $530 million and adjusted EPS of $1.09, both down from the prior year due to a $461 million non-cash charge related to its Wilmar equity investment.

Consolidated cash flows year-to-date reached $2.34 billion, reflecting strong operations despite market challenges.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ADM (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (FMCB)

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp is a locally owned and operated community bank with 32 locations in California. Due to its small market cap and its low liquidity, it passes under the radar of most investors.

F&M Bank has paid uninterrupted dividends for 88 consecutive years and has raised its dividend for 59 consecutive years.

In late January, F&M Bank reported (1/23/25) financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. The bank grew its earnings-per-share 9% over the prior year’s quarter, from $28.55 to a new all-time high of $31.11. Loans and deposits grew 1% each.

Net interest income dipped -3% due to a contraction of net interest margin from 4.30% to 4.05% amid higher deposit costs. Management remains optimistic for the foreseeable future, as the bank enjoys one of the widest net interest margins in its sector.

We reiterate that F&M Bank is one of the most resilient banks during downturns, such as the pandemic, a potential recession or the financial turmoil caused by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse and First Republic.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on FMCB (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend King To Hold Forever: Hormel Foods (HRL)

Hormel Foods was founded back in 1891 in Minnesota. Since that time, the company has grown into a juggernaut in the food products industry with nearly $10 billion in annual revenue.

Hormel has kept with its core competency as a processor of meat products for well over a hundred years, but has also grown into other business lines through acquisitions.

Hormel has a large portfolio of category-leading brands. Just a few of its top brands include include Skippy, SPAM, Applegate, Justin’s, and more than 30 others.

It has also pursued acquisitions to drive growth. For example, in 2021, Hormel acquired the Planters snack nuts business from Kraft-Heinz (KHC) for $3.35 billion, which has boosted Hormel’s growth.

Source: Investor Presentation

Hormel posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on December 4th, 2024, and results were in line with expectations. The company posted adjusted earnings-per-share of 42 cents, which met estimates. Revenue was off 2% year-on-year to $3.14 billion, also hitting estimates.

Operating income was $308 million for the quarter on an adjusted basis, or 9.8% of revenue. Operating cash flow was $409 million for Q4.

For the year, sales were $11.9 billion, and adjusted operating income was $1.1 billion, or 9.6% of revenue. Adjusted earnings-per-share was $1.58. Operating cash flow hit a record of $1.3 billion.

Guidance for 2025 was initiated at $11.9 billion to $12.2 billion in sales, with organic net sales growth of 1% to 3%.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on HRL (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: PPG Industries (PPG)

PPG Industries is the world’s largest paints and coatings company. Its only competitors of similar size are Sherwin-Williams and Dutch paint company Akzo Nobel.

PPG Industries was founded in 1883 as a manufacturer and distributor of glass (its name stands for Pittsburgh Plate Glass) and today has approximately 3,500 technical employees located in more than 70 countries at 100 locations.

On January 31st, 2025, PPG Industries announced fourth quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2024. For the quarter, revenue declined 4.6% to $3.73 billion and missed estimates by $241 million.

Adjusted net income of $375 million, or $1.61 per share, compared favorably to adjusted net income of $372 million, or $1.56 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted earnings-per-share was $0.02 below expectations.

Source: Investor Presentation

For the year, revenue from continuing operations decreased 2% to $15.8 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share totaled $7.87.

PPG Industries repurchased ~$750 million worth of shares during 2024 and has $2.8 billion, or ~10.3% of its current market capitalization, remaining on its share repurchase authorization. The company expects to repurchase ~$400 million worth of shares in Q1 2025.

For 2025, the company expects adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $7.75 to $8.05.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PPG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: California Water Service Group (CWT)

California Water Service is a water stock and is the third-largest publicly-owned water utility in the United States.

It was founded in 1926 and has six subsidiaries that provide water to approximately 2 million people in 100 communities, primarily in California but also in Washington, New Mexico and Hawaii.

Source: Investor Presentation

California Water Service reported its third quarter earnings results on October 31st. Operating revenues totaled $300 million during the quarter, which was 18% higher than the same quarter last year. This represents a stronger performance compared to what the analyst community had forecasted.

The operating revenue increase was driven by rate increases over the last year as well as by higher accrued unbilled revenue compared to the previous year’s quarter.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CWT (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: Gorman-Rupp Co. (GRC)

Gorman-Rupp began manufacturing pumps and pumping systems back in 1933. Since that time, it has grown into an industry leader with annual sales of nearly $700 million and a market capitalization of $1 billion.

Today, Gorman-Rupp is a focused, niche manufacturer of critical systems that many industrial clients rely upon for their own success.

Gorman Rupp generates about one-third of its total revenue from outside of the U.S.

Source: Investor Presentation

Gorman-Rupp posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on February 7th, 2025, and results were weaker than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to 42 cents, which was three cents light of estimates.

Revenue was up 1.3% year-over-year to $162.7 million, which matched expectations. The increase in sales was primarily attributed to the impact of pricing increases taken in the year-ago period.

Gross profit was $49.2 million for the quarter, or 30.2% of revenue. These were down from $50.9 million and 31.7%, respectively, in the same period of 2023.

The decline in gross margins of 150 basis points included 220 basis points of increased labor and overhead costs, which were driven by healthcare expenses.

That was partially offset by a 70-basis point improvement in cost of materials, which itself was driven by a 140-basis point improvement in selling prices offset by a 70-basis point decline from inventory costing.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on GRC (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: SJW Group (SJW)

SJW Group is a water utility company that produces, purchases, stores, purifies and distributes water to consumers and businesses in the Silicon Valley area of California, the area north of San Antonio, Texas, Connecticut, and Maine.

SJW Group has a small real estate division that owns and develops properties for residential and warehouse customers in California and Tennessee. The company generates about $670 million in annual revenues.

Source: Investor Presentation

On October 28th, 2024, SJW Group reported third quarter results for the period ending June 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenue grew 9.9% to $225.1 million, beating estimates by $11.6 million. Earnings-per-share of $1.18 compared favorably to earnings-per-share of $1.13 in the prior year and was $0.04 more than expected.

As with prior periods, the improvement in revenue was mostly due to SJW Group’s California and Connecticut businesses, which benefited from higher water rates, while growth in customers aided the Texas business.

Higher rates overall added $40 million to results for the quarter, higher customer usage added $4.8 million, and growth in customers contributed $2.4 million. Operating production expenses totaled $166.7 million, which was a 12% increase from the prior year.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SJW (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend King To Hold Forever: Stepan Co. (SCL)

Stepan manufactures basic and intermediate chemicals, including surfactants, specialty products, germicidal and fabric softening quaternaries, phthalic anhydride, polyurethane polyols and special ingredients for the food, supplement, and pharmaceutical markets.

It is organized into three distinct business lines: surfactants, polymers, and specialty products. These businesses serve a wide variety of end markets, meaning that Stepan is not beholden to just a handful of industries.

Source: Investor presentation

The surfactants business is Stepan’s largest by revenue, accounting for ~68% of total sales in the most recent quarter. A surfactant is an organic compound that contains both water-soluble and water-insoluble components.

Stepan posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on February 19th, 2025, and results were mixed once again. Revenue was down 1.2% year-on-year to $526 million, but did beat estimates by almost $5 million. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to 12 cents, which missed estimates by 21 cents.

Global sales volume was off 1% year-over-year as double-digit growth in surfactants was offset and then some by demand weakness in polymers. Surfactants were up 3% year-over-year in Q4 to $379 million. Polymer net sales fell 12% to $130 million.

The company managed to generate about $13 million in pre-tax cost savings during the quarter, and about $48 million for the full year.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SCL (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Final Thoughts

Screening to find the best Dividend Kings is not the only way to find high-quality dividend growth stocks to hold forever.

Sure Dividend maintains similar databases on the following useful universes of stocks:

There is nothing magical about investing in the Dividend Kings. They are simply a group of high-quality businesses with shareholder-friendly management teams that have strong competitive advantages.

Purchasing businesses with these characteristics–at fair or better prices–and holding them forever, will likely result in strong long-term investment performance.

Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].





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