Five Different Groups for Dividends in 2026

Five Dividend Groups for Seeking Out Dividends in 2026

We are in a new year, and all of us need to make the most of our hard-earned investments. No other investment type but Mutual Funds did better for me in 2025 than dividend stocks. In reading and taking various investment studies on Udemy, I found three more groups of Dividend Stock classifications that I was unaware of.

Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Kings have been around for years. But I came across these new classifications of Dividend Achievers, Dividend Contenders, and Dividend Champions. All have different rules to be in their list and you will find several companies in more than one list.

Just being on the list does not necessarily mean they are excellent investments, but this gives you a basis to study. AI has really improved my returns in 2025. I no longer make any purchases without studying out each one and get the AI perspectives on each. I highly recommend the new VingeGPT AI. It was designed specifically for dividend investors, and it is free. VingeGPT ties in with ChatGPT. I will probably do an article on VingeGPT and also an 2026 article on each of these five Dividend Groups below in upcoming weeks.

Here are the different dividend groups and their basic differences:

• Dividend Achievers: Companies that have increased their dividend payouts for 10+ consecutive years, with a minimum market presence and trading volume. There are around 400 companies on this list.

• Dividend Contenders: Companies with 10-24 years of consecutive dividend growth, boasting around 368 companies.

• Dividend Champions: Companies that have increased their dividend payouts for 25+ consecutive years. There are currently 137 companies on this list.

• Dividend Aristocrats: S&P 500 companies with 25+ years of consecutive dividend growth, a market capitalization of at least $3 billion, and a minimum average daily trading volume of $5 million. There are 66 companies on this list.

• Dividend Kings: Companies that have increased their dividend payouts for 50+ consecutive years, with only 53 companies achieving this prestigious status.

These categories help investors identify companies with a strong track record of dividend growth and stability. The key differences lie in the number of years of consecutive dividend growth and the requirements for market presence and trading volume ¹.

List of all Dividend Achievers for 2025 from DividendStocks.com

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