2 No-Brainer Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now

If you're looking to boost your passive income in 2026, there are elite dividend stocks available at attractive prices. Several consumer goods companies with long records of paying consistent dividends are offering high yields. Here are two to consider buying today.

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Coca-Cola

Consistent financial performance has sustained 64 consecutive dividend increases for Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). The stock's attractive forward yield of 2.7% and steady annual sales make it a no-brainer income investment right now.

Over the last year, the company generated $12.5 billion in free cash flow and paid out nearly $11 billion in dividends. That's pushing the upper boundary of its payout limits, but Coca-Cola has historically paid virtually all of its free cash flow in dividends. This stems from its capital-light business model, in which most of its revenue comes from concentrate syrups used to make the finished product.

Coca-Cola faces some headwinds as it seeks to manage its portfolio to keep pace with evolving tastes. However, it appears to be on top of this. In 2024, nearly a third of its global volume came from low- or no-calorie beverages. It has 32 brands generating at least $1 billion in annual sales. This covers many different categories to meet demand for a variety of preferences and drinking occasions.

In addition to the ever-popular Diet Coke and Coke Zero, the company has Fairlife dairy products, along with Smartwater and Topo Chico sparkling water. Recent financial results continue to show consistent unit-volume growth, indicating that management is selective in expanding its portfolio to sustain sales growth.

Across its brands, global unit case volume increased by 3% year over year in the first quarter. This translated to healthy organic revenue growth of 10%, with adjusted earnings up 12% on a currency-neutral basis.

Coca-Cola is not without opportunities to keep growing. It added over 600,000 outlets in the quarter to make its products available in more stores globally. This stock could be paying dividends for decades to come.

Hershey

Over the last few years, Hershey (NYSE: HSY) has been hit by record cocoa prices. Higher chocolate prices weighed on demand, while the inflationary cost spike pressured the company's bottom line. But this has presented an excellent opportunity for patient investors to grab shares at attractive yields.

Despite the stock's recent recovery, it still offers a forward dividend yield of 3.2%. Hershey had to pause its annual dividend increase in 2025 due to higher commodity costs, but overall, it has continued to pay dividends and navigate the environment well.

Over the last year, it generated $1.85 billion in free cash flow and paid $1.1 billion in dividends, ensuring sustainable payouts even during challenging times. Hershey has grown its dividend at an annualized rate of 11% over the past five years and has paid a dividend for 96 consecutive years.

The rising demand for GLP-1s shows that people are becoming more health-conscious. However, people are unlikely to lose their taste for chocolate. Hershey's recent results reflect this. It posted a solid organic sales increase of 7.9% year over year in Q1. This was driven by demand for Hershey's and Reese's.

Additionally, Hershey is seeing strong growth in its snack portfolio, including SkinnyPop, Dot's, and LesserEvil.Management is focused on offering a range of candy and snack brands to meet demand across occasions and preferences.

With cocoa prices down from their peak, the worst is likely behind Hershey. Company guidance calls for adjusted sales to increase between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2026, with adjusted earnings anticipated to surge 30% to 35%, as it recovers from the cocoa cost shock.

Hershey is the leader in the U.S. confectionery market. Its global distribution, marketing, and top brands should make it a solid dividend stock for years to come.

John Ballard has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Hershey. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.