Plenty of stocks pay dividends, but far fewer have raised their dividends every year.
And only a tiny percentage have raised their dividends every year for more than 50 years
These stocks are known as Dividend Kings. Once stocks get into the Dividend Kings club, they rarely leave. While 57 companies currently hold Dividend King status, in the last 10 years, only three companies have lost that status by cutting their dividends: materials company 3M, industrial parts maker Leggett & Platt, and clothing company VF Corp.
The 57 that remain have some of the safest dividends out there. Here are two of the best Dividend Kings to buy now and hold forever. 1. Automatic Data Processing Payroll processor Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP) is massive, serving 1 in 6 U.S. workers.