5 Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Next 5 Years

Most lists of potential dividend stocks to invest in start with the same names, and I understand why.

Dividend stalwarts like Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) have long records, and a long record is a comforting thing to lean on when you are trying to plan a decade of income. I have leaned on these kinds of names myself when picking stocks.

But over time, I have found that a five-year hold is much easier to stick with when I know what the business is actually doing, not just how long it has been paying. The record tells you the past. It doesn't tell you whether the company is making the right moves now, or whether the people running it are still spending money on the right things.

Image source: Getty Images.

That's why this time I looked beyond household names that offer dividends to develop this list. The companies below are smaller, less talked about, more creative, and, in most cases, less covered by the big financial sites. Each one had a busy 2026, and each one made decisions this year that I think will matter well past the next earnings report. Some of those decisions are reassuring. Others are the kind that could go wrong if the business does not execute, and I have tried to say so for each one.

1. Weis Markets: a grocer that keeps upgrading its stores

Weis Markets (NYSE: WMK) operates about 200 supermarkets across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and several neighboring states, and it pays a $0.34-per-share quarterly dividend ($1.36 annualized). This year the company has leaned into the unglamorous side of grocery. In the first quarter, it completed more than 1,000 smaller-store and facility projects, including new HVAC systems, refrigerated cases, and front-end upgrades. Second-quarter total revenue rose 4.6%, and comparable store sales grew 2.3%, though net income fell 9.6%. Pharmacy is a headwind, since changes to Medicare drug pricing under the Inflation Reduction Act trimmed growth. The risk for a long hold is that a grocer in a regional, competitive market can only grow so fast.

2. Oil-Dri of America: a cat litter maker with a steady dividend habit

Oil-Dri of America (NYSE: ODC) is an obscure name, but its products are in many homes, mostly through cat litter. The company has paid cash dividends every year since 1974 and has raised them annually for more than two decades. In fiscal 2026, which ended in July, net sales rose 2% to $493.8 million and net income rose 6% to $57 million, a record for both measures. Domestic cat litter sales, excluding co-packaged products, rose 10% in the third quarter. In June, the board raised the common stock dividend by about 10%, and in October, it declared a $0.225-per-share dividend on common stock and a $0.168-per-share dividend on Class B stock. The Class B shares pay less, a detail buyers should check before choosing a share class. Something to consider is that cat litter is crowded, and store brands can pressure prices.

3. Universal Corp.: a tobacco and ingredients supplier that keeps raising its dividend

Universal Corp. (NYSE: UVV) is an obscure name behind many consumer products. It buys and processes leaf tobacco from growers around the world and sells it to cigarette manufacturers, and its ingredients business supplies fruit and vegetable ingredients to food makers. In May, the board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.83 per share, its 56th consecutive annual increase. This means that this company is a Dividend King, which are companies that have delivered 50 or more consecutive years of annual dividend increases.Consolidated revenue slipped about 2% in its most recent nine-month report, mostly on lower tobacco volumes. Its ingredients unit grew sales, but profit has come under pressure. The long-term problem is obvious: fewer people smoke each year.

4. J&J Snack Foods: a quiet snack maker that is trading volume for margin

J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ: JJSF) makes SuperPretzel soft pretzels and operates a frozen beverage business that includes ICEE and Slush Puppie. In its fiscal second quarter, net sales fell 3.2%, partly because the company deliberately cut lower-margin bakery business, according to Food Business News. That is a choice to shrink the top line in exchange for better economics. Gross margin improved to 28.8% from 26.9%, which management credited to its Project Apollo efficiency push, and adjusted earnings per share rose 14.3%. The risk is fuel. On its May 6 earnings call, the company's CFO said that if fuel stays at current rates, fuel costs could rise about $3.5 million in the second half versus the prior year if not mitigated. Frozen novelty sales also fell as slotting fees, the payments made to retailers for shelf space, weighed on results.

5. Tootsie Roll: a candy company that pays in cash and in stock

Tootsie Roll (NYSE: TR) has been making its namesake candy since 1896, and it pays shareholders in two ways. It declares a $0.09-per-share quarterly cash dividend and distributes a 3% stock dividend each year, which was paid in April. The stock dividend means shareholders get more shares rather than cash. The third quarter was softer. Net sales were $227.2 million, down about 1%, and earnings per share fell to $0.31 from $0.48. Management blamed the timing of Halloween shipments, higher ingredient and packaging costs, and a heavier advertising push concentrated in the quarter. Tariff refund recoveries helped cushion the drop. Whether this quarter was a blip depends on how long cost pressures last.

Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson and Oil-Dri Of America. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.