3 Dividend Kings to Buy and Hold for 20 Years

People often think about income in retirement, but anyone can benefit from buying dividend stocks, no matter where you are on your investing journey. You can collect the quarterly or monthly dividends a company pays out. Or, if you don't need the income immediately, you can set up a dividend reinvestment plan and have those payouts buy more shares.

For those looking for the utmost reliability, the Dividend Kings consistently sit at the top, achieving the rare feat of increasing their dividend payouts for 50 consecutive years or more. Three companies that have earned that title and that are worth considering holding for the next 20 years are Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).

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The beverage maker that keeps paying dividends

Coca-Cola may seem to have a simple business with its soda lineup, but sometimes simple is extremely valuable. In 2020, Forbes ranked it the sixth-most valuable brand in the world, sitting just behind Meta Platforms at fifth and just ahead of Walt Disney at seventh.

Showing off that brand strength, the company just reported strong 2026 first-quarter results, with volume for its Coca-Cola Zero Sugar line growing by 13%. Outside of soda, it saw noticeable volume increases in its water and tea lines, up 5% and 8%, respectively.

We also saw Coca-Cola address concerns that it would constantly need to raise prices to grow revenue, with customers eventually pushing back. It's offering different beverage sizes at different price points and saw success selling single-serve mini-cans in convenience stores.

For the rest of 2026, it expects organic sales growth to fall in a range between 4% to 5%. This was positive, as the company was able to maintain its guidance despite inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty. For 64 years, Coca-Cola has reliably boosted its dividend, which currently yields 2.6%.

Procter & Gamble products are everywhere

On shopping lists, some Procter & Gamble products appear monthly and sometimes weekly. For laundry, its portfolio includes Tide and Gain. In paper towels and toilet paper, it owns both Bounty and Charmin. It also owns Crest, Scope, Pepto-Bismol, and plenty of other products found in homes around the world.

It might not be the most exciting product lineup. Still, the company not only generates consistent revenue, it also turns that revenue into profits. In its fiscal 2026 third-quarter results, it reported revenue of $21.2 billion, which beat expectations of $20.5 billion. It also reported net income of $3.9 billion, up from the $3.7 billion reported the same time a year ago.

When it comes to dividend payouts, Procter & Gamble has Coca-Cola beat on two fronts. The first is that it has increased its dividend payout for 70 consecutive years. The second is that its dividend yield is higher, at 3%.

Moving beyond consumer goods

Johnson & Johnson was previously known as a healthcare conglomerate, seemingly trying to be all things to all people. That approach wasn't working, so it spun off its consumer healthcare segment, Kenvue, in 2023. Things haven't quite worked out for Kenvue, but Johnson & Johnson is seeing strong momentum over the last year, with shares climbing by more than 50% as of this writing.

J&J's new focus is on pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and it sees six key businesses driving its growth: oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular, surgery, and vision. In its first-quarter results, Johnson & Johnson is seeing promise with its blood cancer treatment, Darzalex, whose $4 billion in sales topped analyst estimates of $3.4 billion. Sales of its drug to treat psoriasis and inflammatory bowel diseases, Tremfya, also topped estimates of $1.2 billion, recording $1.6 billion in sales.

One of its drugs, Stelara, lost patent protection last year, and sales fell roughly 60% in the quarter to $656 million. That's a situation to keep monitoring in the coming quarters, to see if Johnson & Johnson can make up for those lost sales.

For its Dividend King status, Johnson & Johnson has increased its payout for 64 years, although its yield of 2.3% is the lowest on this list. But as a healthcare stock, it also offers greater stock price appreciation potential than either Coca-Cola or Procter & Gamble, helping boost total return.

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