1 Dividend Stock to Hold for the Next 10 Years

With so much investing uncertainty around what could happen on any given day, it can be difficult envisioning what stocks may still be in your portfolio 10 years down the road. Still, if you're looking for the ones with longevity, one place to start is with Dividend Kings, which are companies that have increased their dividend payouts annually for at least 50 consecutive years.

Even with all the changes in the world over the last five decades, Dividend Kings have reliably rewarded their shareholders with dividend payout increases year in and year out. That ability is earned through a robust business model, as the one Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) runs.

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Low prices meet tech-powered convenience

Walmart's first store opened in 1962. The company says that its business was built on founder Sam Walton's strategy of "the lowest prices anytime, anywhere." That one location in Arkansas became a sprawling retail empire with over 10,000 stores worldwide, but the core foundation of low prices continues to this day. Every week, over 280 million shoppers visit Walmart's stores and websites in search of the best deals.

What's a little different in 2026 compared to 1962 is that Walmart can use advanced technology to make its shopping experience even more streamlined. For example, the company launched an artificial intelligence (AI) shopping assistant called Sparky. Through Sparky, customers can ask questions to find the best-rated products, see summarized reviews, and receive additional product information.

Sparky is offering real results by boosting order values. "Customer engagement is up, and the customers who use Sparky have an average order value that's about 35% higher than non-Sparky customers," CEO John Furner said in the company's fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 earnings call.

Walmart is also increasing its ability to meet customers where they are, as you no longer need to physically set foot in a store to get what you need. You can order items for pickup, where an employee will bring your order to your car, and the retail giant is also running drone deliveries.

Buy and hold

Walmart stock can be a strong addition to any portfolio and is worth holding for a decade or longer, but there are some additional factors to consider. With a dividend yield of 0.7%, it's not the highest yield you can find in the retail sector at the moment. Part of the reason for that depressed yield is Walmart's strong share price appreciation over the past several years (it's up nearly 38% annually over the past three years). With a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 44.4, it's an investment that may also be more richly valued than some investors like.

Still, Walmart has shown the ability to stick to its core strength of low prices while tapping into technology to make the shopping experience more seamless. That's a combo that can keep bringing in billions in revenue, turning them into profits, and allowing the company to continually increase its dividend payout, which it has already done for 53 consecutive years.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.