When interest rates are high, income investors typically flock to a treasuries - as we've seen happen over the last 24 months. But now that rates are on the way down, dividend stocks are sure to become more popular.
So which ones do we choose? When choosing a dividend stock, I prefer to start with the “top performers.” The S&P 500 has a historical average return of roughly 10-11% annually. S&P 500’s Dividend Aristocrats index registered a similar return 9.3% year-to-date- not including dividends. 9.3% takes all Dividend Aristocrats into account. If we look close enough, there have been stand-out performers that blow past the industry averages. More importantly, based on analyst price estimates and technical analysis, we can find targets that still have some gas left in the tank. So, here are the top-performing, buy-rated Dividend Aristocrats right now.
