Dividend Contenders 2026 financial analysis and market data

The 2026 Dividend Contenders list includes companies on United States exchanges that have increased their dividends for 10 to 24 consecutive years. Out of nearly 6,000 companies listed on the NYSE and NASDAQ, only 311 meet this criteria, representing a success rate of approximately 5.18%.

Currently, these companies are trading at an elevated valuation with a trailing average price-to-earnings ratio of approximately 21.92x, down from a peak of over 27x in May 2021. The forward P/E ratio is 16.59x. The average dividend yield is about 2.59%, with a trailing average 10-year dividend growth rate of approximately 9.95% and a 5-year growth rate of around 8.53%. The average payout ratio is approximately 48.99%.