The dividend kings list includes companies which have managed to raise dividends for at least 50 years in a row. This is a huge accomplishment, since it shows a business model that has endured the destructive forces of several recessions, oil shocks, wars, market crashes and changes in technology. I would strongly encourage every dividend investor to study the success of each of those companies, in an effort to learn about the characteristics that made each company able to afford rewarding shareholders with a raise for over half a century.
There were two companies, which became dividend kings in 2013 – Colgate Palmolive (CL) and Nordson Corp (NDSN). This brings the total number of components to 17, which I believe is a record. There were no deletions in 2013, as no components cut distributions. The two new additions include:
Colgate-Palmolive together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. The company operates in two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. Over the past decade, the company has managed to raise dividends by 11.40% per year.
Currently, shares are overvalued at 26.70 times earnings and yield 2.10%. Check my analysis of Colgate-Palmolive for more information on the company.
Nordson engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems for dispensing and processing adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, fluid management, testing and inspection, surface treatment, and curing. Over the past decade, the company has managed to raise dividends by 8.10% per year.
Currently, shares are overvalued at 21 times earnings and yield 1%.
Given the fact that the next companies that are close to the 50 year mark have only raised distributions for 48 years in a row, it looks like there won’t be any additions until sometime in 2016. If there is a change in the list prior to that, it would only be because a component cuts or freezes distributions.
The other components of the index include:
| Name | Symbol | Dividend Streak Yrs | 10 year Div Growth | 10 year EPS Growth | P/E | Yield |
| American States Water | AWR | 59 | 5.6% | 7.7% | 17.35 | 2.9% |
| Cincinnati Financial | CINF | 53 | 6.4% | 6.9% | 14.2 | 3.3% |
| Colgate-Palmolive | CL | 50 | 11.4% | 8.9% | 26.9 | 2.1% |
| Diebold | DBD | 60 | 5.4% | -3.5% | – | 3.4% |
| Dover | DOV | 58 | 9.8% | 15.9% | 16.85 | 1.6% |
| Emerson Electric | EMR | 57 | 7.7% | 7.8% | 24.66 | 2.5% |
| Genuine Parts | GPC | 57 | 6.2% | 7.0% | 18.3 | 2.6% |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | 51 | 10.8% | 6.0% | 21.07 | 2.8% |
| Coca-Cola | KO | 51 | 9.8% | 9.4% | 20.49 | 2.8% |
| Lancaster Colony | LANC | 51 | 6.9% | 2.5% | 21.77 | 2.0% |
| Lowe’s | LOW | 51 | 29.2% | 10.0% | 23.28 | 1.4% |
| 3M | MMM | 56 | 6.8% | 9.8% | 20.69 | 2.5% |
| Nordson | NDSN | 50 | 8.1% | 20.1% | 20.72 | 1.0% |
| Northwest Natural Gas | NWN | 58 | 3.7% | 3.2% | 18.57 | 4.4% |
| Procter & Gamble | PG | 57 | 10.6% | 9.6% | 20.33 | 3.0% |
| Parker-Hannifin | PH | 57 | 13.4% | 23.6% | 19.94 | 1.4% |
| Vectren | VVC | 54 | 2.5% | 1.4% | 22.61 | 4.0% |
Again, this list is not a recommendation to buy these shares. Businesses do change over time, as models are subjects to competitive pressures and constant changes in the business environment.
