3 Dividend Stocks to Buy in March and Hold for the Long Term

Dividend investing gets boring fast when every article you read recommends the usual big names like Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble. Those are fine companies and great dividend stocks. But the consumer goods universe is bigger than megacaps, and some of the most compelling dividend stories right now are hiding in plain sight.

I hadn't even heard of two of these tickers before, but when I dug into their businesses, I was struck by their impressive portfolios and massive, consistent cash flows. It's amazing how many long-term opportunities are hiding in plain sight in the consumer goods world.

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1. Turning Point Brands

Turning Point Brands (NYSE: TPB) isn't exactly a name you hear every day, and that's part of what drew me in. Honestly, I'd never come across the company before I started researching consumer goods dividend stocks. It makes and distributes a range of branded products, including Zig-Zag rolling papers and Stoker's tobacco, as well as modern oral nicotine pouches under its FRE and ALP brands.

The explosive growth engine here is modern oral nicotine-related products. Q4 modern oral net sales surged 266% year over year to $41.3 million, now representing 34% of total company revenue, up from just 12% a year earlier. The company's Stoker's segment saw 70% net sales growth. Meanwhile, gross margin held steady at 55.9%.

In other words, the company is booming, and last month, the board declared a 7% dividend increase. Turning Point Brands is generating $19.2 million in quarterly free cash flow, the payout is well covered, and the company is guiding for $220 million to $240 million in 2026 modern oral gross revenue.

I wouldn't be scared of the sell-off. This ticker is a great long-term hold.

2. Crown Holdings

Crown Holdings (NYSE: CCK) makes the aluminum cans that hold your beer, soda, and energy drinks. It's not glamorous, but it is one of the most disciplined capital allocators in the consumer packaging space. It also just announced a 35% dividend increase.​ The numbers back it up. In 2025, Crown delivered record adjusted EBITDA of approximately $2.1 billion, an 8% increase over 2024. Full-year net sales reached $12.365 billion.

What's underappreciated is Crown's positioning in global beverage can demand. European beverage volumes grew 12% in 2025, driving a 27% gain in that segment's income. North American tinplate operations also outperformed. The global shift toward aluminum cans, driven by sustainability preferences and the explosion of energy drinks and seltzers, gives Crown a durable tailwind in my opinion.

CEO Timothy Donahue said in a statement that the 35% dividend increase "underscores the strength of our earnings and free cash flow generation, the resilience of our end markets, and our confidence in our operations."

Crown returned over $400 million to shareholders through buybacks and dividends in 2025. This is a company with growing free cash flow, a clean balance sheet, and a product that's recession-resistant. Canned soda isn't going anywhere. A dividend raise of this size shows that management believes the best is still ahead.

3. Mondelez International

Mondelez (NASDAQ: MDLZ) owns Oreo, Cadbury, Toblerone, Ritz, and Trident, among other brands. It generated $38.5 billion in revenue in 2025. This is one of the largest packaged snack companies on the planet, and it's trading at a significant discount to its intrinsic value.​

Mondelez is trading about 17% below its $73 fair value estimate, offering a 3.3% dividend yield. Its 2025 profits took a hit from high cocoa prices -- diluted EPS fell 44.7% to $1.89, and adjusted EPS dropped 14.6% on a constant currency basis -- but this is a temporary commodity issue, not a long-term problem. Organic revenue still grew 4.3%, the company generated $3.2 billion in free cash flow, and it returned $4.9 billion to shareholders.

Emerging markets, especially Brazil and Mexico, drove much of the growth. Management expects organic sales to grow 0% to 2% in 2026, with chocolate margins improving as cocoa prices stabilize.

All these numbers add up to one thing: With its strong global brands and solid, consistent cash, Mondelez is the kind of "boring" company that quietly delivers steady, long-term returns.

Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Turning Point Brands. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.