5 Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever

Buying a stock to hold forever isn't as simple as it sounds. Few companies can consistently win year in and year out, decade after decade. But it does happen in evergreen industries, such as healthcare and consumer goods, where brand power, deep pockets, and even patents can keep competitors at bay.

Achieving decades of uninterrupted dividend increases is a remarkable feat that only world-class companies can pull off. Remember, dividends are a cash expense, so a business must grow to continue sending all that money to shareholders.

These five blue chip dividend stocks have done it. No, they won't make you rich overnight. But don't underestimate the compounding effect of reinvesting a growing dividend. They are still worth buying and carving out permanent spots in your portfolio for.

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1. AbbVie

Biopharmaceutical giant AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has a storied history, dating back decades to its time as part of Abbott Laboratories, before it began trading independently in 2013. Counting the Abbott years, AbbVie is a Dividend King, a company with at least 50 consecutive annual dividend increases. Today, AbbVie develops treatments across immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, and aesthetics, and has 12 products that topped $1 billion in sales in 2025.

AbbVie's diverse sales base is ideal for a buy-and-hold stock, and the company has proven it can adapt as key patents, such as Humira, expired in 2023. AbbVie's dividend is still less than half of its 2026 earnings estimates, and Wall Street anticipates annualized earnings growth above 20% over the next several years.

2. McDonald's

Fast-food pioneer McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is a global burger empire today with more than 45,000 locations across over 100 countries. Its food appeals to value-focused consumers and is a symbol of Americana worldwide.

The company franchises its restaurants to operators who shoulder most of the operating expenses. The fees and royalties from all those stores generate steady, recurring revenue.

As a result, McDonald's has been a fantastic dividend stock for a long time. The company is essentially knocking on the door of Dividend King status, poised to join that exclusive club with its next dividend raise later this year. McDonald's continues to expand and innovate its way to growth.

The dividend is only 57% of 2026 earnings estimates, and analysts see McDonald's extending its streak, with high-single-digit earnings growth expected ahead.

3. Johnson & Johnson

Few names resonate as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) does in the healthcare space. The company is a stalwart in pharmaceuticals and medical devices after spinning off its consumer products business as Kenvue.

Johnson & Johnson is also a legendary dividend stock with a whopping 64 consecutive dividend increases, one of the longest streaks on record. The healthcare behemoth has a diverse business, anchored by an AAA-rated corporate balance sheet.

Johnson & Johnson is a textbook widow-and-orphan stock -- a boring, slow-growing dividend payer investors can depend on. It's only natural to have it on this list. Johnson & Johnson's dividend is also still in excellent financial health, consuming under half of its estimated 2026 earnings, even after all these increases. Analysts anticipate the business grinding forward, with annual earnings growth averaging 8% to 9% over the coming years.

4. Walmart

Almost every American shops at Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT). Its massive scale enables it to procure and sell goods at the lowest prices, creating a self-fulfilling loop that makes Walmart tougher to compete with. The company isn't recession-proof, but so many people buy their groceries and household staples there that it has maintained and increased its dividend for 53 years and counting.

When e-commerce disrupted the retail industry, Walmart utilized its stores and supply chain to compete with Amazon. E-commerce is now a genuine growth engine for Walmart. Analysts see the company growing earnings by an average of 9% over the next three to five years, which should help it continue growing its bottom line and dividend. The dividend is only 34% of Walmart's 2026 earnings estimates, so there's plenty of cushion.

5. Becton, Dickinson

Global medical technology company Becton, Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) sells healthcare products and systems across its four business segments: medical essentials, connected care, biopharma systems, and interventional. With over 33,000 patents and $1 billion in annual research and development spending, Becton, Dickinson has been at the cutting edge of healthcare for decades. And the stock is a Dividend King, with 54 consecutive yearly dividend increases.

Analysts currently estimate the company's earnings will grow by just over 1% annually over the next several years. That's OK. You're not going to find a buy-and-hold stock that's firing on all cylinders all the time. Plus, the dividend is still only one-third of 2026 earnings estimates, so investors can feel confident in the dividend's safety while waiting for management to reignite growth.

Justin Pope has positions in McDonald's. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie, Abbott Laboratories, Amazon, Kenvue, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson and recommends the following options: long January 2028 $320 calls on McDonald's and short January 2028 $340 calls on McDonald's. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.