Best Dividend Growth Stocks

Dividend growth investing prioritizes rising income over high current yield. The math is compelling: a stock yielding 2% today that grows dividends 10% annually will yield 5.2% on your original cost in 10 years, and 13.5% in 20 years. Meanwhile, a 5% static yield remains 5% forever. Dividend growth stocks also tend to be higher-quality companies since sustainable dividend increases require consistent earnings growth, healthy cash flows, and disciplined capital allocation. This screen finds stocks with 8-25% annual dividend growth combined with strong Dividends Scores.

Historically, S&P 500 dividends have grown 5-6% annually over long periods. This screen uses 8% as the minimum threshold to surface companies with genuinely strong dividend momentum, and caps at 25% because extremely high rates often result from low starting bases or special dividends that may not persist. We also require at least 2% current yield to ensure these are meaningful dividend payers, not just companies that recently started paying. The most reliable dividend growers maintain consistent double-digit increases through economic cycles.

Dividend Aristocrats require 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases, a backward-looking metric that includes some slow-growing legacy companies and excludes younger fast-growers. This screen takes a forward-looking approach: we filter for strong recent dividend growth (8-25% CAGR over 5 years) combined with quality fundamentals via Stock Scores that suggest growth can continue. We also cover international stocks, while Dividend Aristocrats are US-only. Both approaches have merit: Aristocrats offer proven stability, while this screen may surface emerging dividend growers earlier.

Stock Unlock updates all stock data daily, including prices, dividend yields, financial ratios, and Stock Scores. Our screener covers 100,000+ stocks across 70+ global exchanges, ensuring you see current fundamentals rather than stale data from weeks ago.

Stock Scores are our proprietary 1-5 ratings across seven dimensions: Valuation, Growth, Profitability, Financial Health, Dividends, Management, and Analyst sentiment. Unlike one-size-fits-all systems that treat banks, tech stocks, and REITs the same way, our algorithms are calibrated per industry using metrics specific to each business type. Scores update in real-time as prices change and when new financial data arrives. Green (4-5) indicates strength, yellow (3) is neutral, red (1-2) signals caution. They're not trading signals; they help you quickly assess fundamental health across 100,000+ stocks. Learn more about Stock Scores →

Most screeners like Yahoo Finance or Finviz cover only US stocks with basic filters. Stock Unlock is a complete research platform: 85+ screening criteria across 100,000+ stocks on 70+ global exchanges, proprietary Stock Scores calibrated per industry, portfolio tracking with brokerage sync, dividend analysis with 35 years of history, and tools for valuation, comparison, and deep fundamental research. Free accounts get several searches per week, with unlimited access for power users. For international investors or anyone wanting deeper analysis than basic screeners provide, Stock Unlock surfaces opportunities that US-only tools miss entirely.