Are you worried that the tech rally we saw in the first quarter could turn south again before the cherry blossoms finish falling? After watching the Nasdaq 100 index's bull run fizzle out last summer, you're probably right to be extra nervous.
If market volatility makes you jittery, consider these members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Businesses don't make it into this index unless they've already established an ability to generate reliable profits.
These three Dow Jones stocks offer dividend yields of 2.9% and higher. That's heaps better than the average for the index, which worked out to 2.1% at the end of March.
We don't know if the overall market is going to be up or down in the months ahead, but we can be fairly certain that the dividend payments these stocks distribute each quarter will keep rising for years to come.
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ +0.57%) is most famous for iconic consumer-health brands that it's been selling since the 19th century. The first thing investors should know about J&J is that more than four-fifths of its total revenue comes from sales of pharmaceuticals and medical technology.
NYSE: JNJ
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Competition for one of J&J's cancer therapies, Imbruvica, pressured pharmaceutical sales last year. The good news for investors is that this enormous company has a development pipeline chock-full of new growth drivers. For example, the FDA approved a new multiple myeloma treatment from J&J, called Tecvayli, last October. Analysts who follow the company expect annual Tecvayli to top out above $2 billion.
Pharmaceutical and medical technology sales have grown much faster than the company's consumer segment. To better streamline its high-growth operations, the company plans to spin off its consumer business into a new company called Kenvue by the end of 2023.
Shares of J&J offer a 2.9% yield at recent prices, and investors can look forward to a slightly larger combined amount from J&J and Kenvue in 2024. The company hasn't gone more than a year without raising its dividend payout since JFK was president.
Amgen
Amgen (AMGN 0.51%) is America's largest biotechnology company. Fueled by high-profit margin drug sales, its dividend has soared 353% over the past decade.
NASDAQ: AMGN
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Investors who buy the stock at recent prices don't need to see a repeat performance to realize a strong return. The stock currently offers a juicy 3.5% dividend yield.
There are no guarantees that Amgen can continue at its previous pace. A string of new product launches gives it a good chance, though. Tavenos is a vasculitis treatment the company acquired from Chemocentryx last year. By 2030, it's expected to generate more than $2 billion in annual sales,
Last December, Amgen agreed to acquire Horizon Therapeutics for $28.3 billion. Horizon already has three first-in-class treatments on the market, so the deal is expected to become accretive in 2024.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola (KO +0.31%) might seem like a poor investment choice, given the long-running downward trend in global soda consumption. Cautious investors will be glad to know that this company has successfully expanded its portfolio of brands to include bottled water, coffee, and alcoholic beverages. This diversification helped total sales rise 11% last year.
NYSE: KO
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Diversification while maintaining the core brand is a strategy that allowed Coca-Cola to raise its dividend payout for 61 consecutive years. With plenty of leading brands to drive growth, investors can look forward to rising dividend payments from this company for as long as people get thirsty.
In recent years, Coca-Cola has been selling stakes in bottling operations all over the world to streamline its brand-building operation. To this end, it intends to list Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in a public offering once market conditions become more favorable.
Last year, Coca-Cola's dividend commitment consumed just 19.4% of the free cash flow generated by its operation. That gives the company plenty of room for a big payout bump next year before we even factor in cash generated by asset sales. With a diverse product lineup and a more streamlined operation, this company could continue steadily raising its payout for decades to come.
