While there’s no one best way to invest, buying dividend stocks has to rank high on the list. That’s because dividend payers tend to be successful, profitable companies tested in the crucible of numerous market and business cycles. Even better, you’re getting paid to own these peak-performance stocks. History proves it.

Several years ago, J.P. Morgan Asset Management found stocks that initiated and then raised their payouts over 40 years between 1972 and 2012 returned an average of 9.5% annually, versus just 1.6% for non-dividend-paying stocks. Dividend stocks also do better with less risk.

The following three stocks are among the top forever dividend stocks. That means you can buy them and then forget about them because they will continue rewarding you for as long as you hold on.

Mastercard (MA)

Open your wallet right now, and you probably have a Mastercard (NYSE:MA) credit card in there. It is the second biggest card issuer with almost 3.3 billion cards in circulation globally and $2.3 trillion in global gross dollar volume.

While consumer spending could dip in a recession hurting Mastercard’s performance, the long-term trend for spending is up. And because Mastercard doesn’t involve itself in the lending side of the credit card business, its downside is actually protected. It doesn’t have to worry about credit or loan losses because it is just the brand on the card. It’s not Mastercard’s balance sheet underwriting the debt associated with it.

As the world increasingly moves towards a cashless society, Mastercard is meeting the challenge of delivering new ways for people to pay. It also recently got approved to begin clearing bank card transactions in China. The country’s growing economy opens new opportunities for the clearinghouse.

Mastercard began paying a dividend in 2010 and has increased the payout every year since. It’s doubled the quarterly dividend in just the last five years. The yield is a paltry 0.6% annually, but with a 23% payout ratio, there is plenty of room for future growth. The card issuer also produces plenty of free cash flow (FCF) to support the dividend, generating some $10 billion worth this past year. Mastercard is a dividend stock you can set and forget in your portfolio.

Lam Research (LRCX)

Think of Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) as the company selling miners their picks and shovels during the gold rush. That’s because it doesn’t make semiconductors itself but rather sells the equipment chipmakers need to produce their chips. Its wafer fabrication machines let them make denser chips, essential for the sophisticated and advanced packaging techniques required by artificial intelligence (AI).

Lam says its equipment is a $1 billion opportunity per 100,000 wafer starts per month capacity. Next-generation technology for emerging markets such as etching could catapult this leading manufacturer further. Analysts see this one area as a $38 billion market. Etching is the selective removal of film and material from a wafer to create features customers want. And customers are flocking to Lam’s extreme ultraviolet lithography machines for this purpose. It is on track to have a 75% market share in this area, and it’s only just starting. 

Lam Research returns 75% to 100% of its FCF to shareholders through share repurchases and dividend payments. The equipment maker produces over $37 per share in FCF but pays out only $8 per share annually in dividends. It’s been growing the payout at double-digit rates for years. With a low payout ratio of just 27%, it is both safe and primed for continued growth going forward. It’s a forever stock you will want to buy and never sell.

Procter & Gamble (PG)

Even though Warren Buffett sold off all his shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last year, it doesn’t mean you should. In fact, you ought to be a buyer. The consumer products giant owns well-known brands like Crest, Charmin, Febreeze, Pampers and Tide, essential to everyday living. Although the high-inflation, high-interest rate environment we’ve just gone through causes consumers to switch to lower-cost store brands, P&G’s products maintain their premium positioning.

The benefit of brand names is consistency. Shoppers know the quality they are getting no matter what store they walk into anywhere in the world. It makes it easy to reach for them time and again, which is why P&G products often hold the No. 1 or No. 2 selling position in their respective markets.

Procter & Gamble has a long history of paying a dividend, some 133 years, one of the longest streaks of any stock on the market. It generates more than sufficient cash flows to cover the dividend payment that yields 2.6% today. You could readily lock this stock up for the next 133 years without worrying about its payout.

On the date of publication, Rich Duprey held a long position in PG stock. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.