Want Reliable Dividend Income? These 3 Stocks Yield 5% and Have Been Raising Their Payouts for Decades

Dividend income can be incredibly valuable for retirees and risk-averse investors who are mainly seeking stable, recurring cash flow for their portfolios. It can, however, be a challenge to find good quality dividend stocks that pay high yields, grow their payouts consistently, and that can be safe investments to hang on to.

The good news is I've got three excellent dividend stocks listed here that meet that criteria. Kimberly Clark (NASDAQ: KMB), T. Rowe Price Group (NASDAQ: TROW), and Realty Income (NYSE: O) are all phenomenal income-generating investments you can hang on to for the long haul. Here's a closer look at all three.

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Kimberly Clark

Kimberly Clark makes household products that people use every day. Its iconic brands are highly recognizable, with Kleenex and Huggies being consumer staples throughout the world. While it might not be a growth stock, the business does offer investors some good stability. In each of the past four years, its operating income has been within a range of $2.3 billion to $2.8 billion.

Today, the stock yields 5.3%. That's higher than normal as shares of Kimberly Clark have been crashing due to investor concerns about its pending acquisition of Kenvue, which, if it goes through, will add consumer health brands such as Tylenol and Listerine under Kimberly Clark's umbrella. It's a costly $48.7 billion acquisition that comes with some risk, but it can help complement Kimberly Clark's already strong portfolio of brands.

Kimberly Clark has been paying dividends for 92 years, and it's also a Dividend King, having raised its payout for 54 consecutive years. While there's a little more risk than usual with the stock, Kimberly Clark can make for a good dividend investment to hang on to, especially with a lot of bearishness priced into its low valuation -- it trades at a forward price-to-earnings multiple of just 13, which is based on analyst expectations.

T. Rowe Price Group

T. Rowe is a leading investment management firm, with an incredible $1.7 trillion in assets under management. The company prides itself on having an active approach, with its investment professionals actually going out into the field to help guide investors.

As more investors have been entering the market, there's been a growing need for T. Rowe's services. In 2025, the company's revenue totaled $7.3 billion, which is up a modest 13% over the past three years. The company also posted a profit of just over $2 billion last year, for a solid net margin of just under 28%.

The stock offers a similar yield to that of Kimberly Clark, as it too sits around 5.3%. While its growth streak may not be as impressive, the company did recently announce a 2.4% increase to its payout, marking the 40th consecutive year that it has provided its shareholders with a dividend boost.

Realty Income

A top dividend stock for many investors is Realty Income. This is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with a diverse portfolio of tenants that generate income for the business, making it a fairly stable investment to hold. It has clients across 92 industries, and that kind of diversification makes it one of the best REITs to own, as it can enable the business to perform well even if certain sectors of the economy are struggling. Its occupancy rate is also high at around 99%.

The biggest reason to invest in the stock is undoubtedly its dividend. Not only does it yield just over 5%, but what makes Realty Income a special income stock is that it pays you every month, rather than every quarter, which is typically the norm for dividends. On top of that, it also routinely increases its dividend multiple times a year. Last month, it announced the 134th increase to its monthly dividend since going public in 1994.

Realty Income is a terrific stock for its dividend and stability. Last year, its normalized funds from operations (FFO) came in at just under $3.9 billion, which was up 9% from the previous year, when it totaled $3.6 billion. FFO is a key metric for REITs, and the growth is an encouraging sign that Realty Income's dividend is likely to continue to rise for the foreseeable future.

David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Kenvue, Realty Income, and T. Rowe Price Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.