3 Magnificent S&P 500 Dividend Stocks Down 15% to Buy and Hold Forever

Source The Motley Fool

The S&P 500 has slumped in recent months. The index has fallen more than 15% from its recent peak, driven down by concerns that tariffs might cause a recession.

Many stocks have fallen even further than the index, including ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT), and PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), which are down 15% or more. They look like even more attractive investments for those seeking durable dividends that could last a lifetime.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Adding more fuel to grow its dividend

Shares of Exxon have fallen more than 15% from their recent peak. That downdraft has driven the oil giant's dividend yield up to 3.8%. That's more than double the S&P 500's 1.4% dividend yield.

Exxon has a magnificent record of paying dividends. The company recently increased its payment by 4%, extending its dividend growth streak to 42 years in a row. Only 4% of companies in the S&P 500 have reached that milestone.

The company has plenty of fuel to continue growing its dividend. It produced $34.4 billion of free cash flow after funding its capital expenses last year, more than enough to cover its $16.7 billion dividend outlay. Meanwhile, Exxon's long-term strategic plan aims to increase its annual cash flow by $30 billion by 2030 through structural cost savings and investments in its lowest-cost assets.

Its focused strategy continues to pay dividends

Federal Realty's stock has slumped more than 20% from its recent peak. That sell-off has pushed up the dividend yield of the real estate investment trust (REIT) to 4.8%. The company has increased its dividend for 57 straight years. That leads the REIT sector and keeps it in the elite group of Dividend Kings, companies with 50 or more years of annual dividend growth.

The company has a simple strategy. It invests in the highest-quality shopping centers and mixed-use properties in the first-ring suburbs of the country's largest cities. Those locations typically have dense populations of high-income households, making them highly desirable for retailers. Federal Realty's properties tend to remain in high demand, enabling the REIT to steadily raise rental rates.

The REIT routinely invests to upgrade its portfolio. It will spend money to redevelop existing properties to make them more appealing to retailers. Federal Realty will also add new property types, such as residential units or offices. In addition, it will buy high-quality shopping centers as they go up for sale, often selling lower-quality properties to fund those new investments.

Continuing to satisfy dividend investors

Earlier this year, PepsiCo announced that it will increase its dividend by another 5% starting with its June payment. That will extend the beverage and snacking giant's dividend growth streak to 53 straight years, keeping its name on the list of Dividend Kings. With its stock down more than 20%, the company's forward dividend yield is up to 4%.

PepsiCo boasts a diverse portfolio of leading brands, including Pepsi, Gatorade, Quaker, and Lay's, which generate relatively stable and growing earnings and cash flow. The company's long-term targets are to organically grow its revenue by 4% to 6% per year while expanding its margin to support high-single-digit earnings-per-share growth. The company invests heavily each year into things that grow its business, including product innovation and manufacturing capacity expansion, and that improve its productivity, such as digitalization, automation, and logistics.

Meanwhile, PepsiCo has a strong balance sheet, which it uses to make strategic acquisitions as opportunities arise to further accelerate growth. For example, it recently agreed to buy Poppi for $1.7 billion to expand its better-for-you offerings and closed its $1.2 billion acquisition of Siete to expand its food portfolio.

Attractive entry points for these durable dividend stocks

Shares of Exxon, Federal Realty, and PepsiCo have all slumped more than 15% from their recent peaks, which has driven up their dividend yields to more attractive levels. With magnificent histories of dividend growth, which seems likely to continue, they're great stocks to buy and hold for a potential lifetime of steadily rising dividend income.

Should you invest $1,000 in ExxonMobil right now?

Before you buy stock in ExxonMobil, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and ExxonMobil wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $532,771!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $593,970!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 781% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 149% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2025

Matt DiLallo has positions in PepsiCo. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Dollar Slumps to Four-Year Low, Trump Still Says ‘Dollar Is Doing Great’?The U.S. dollar is facing its most aggressive sell-off in nearly four years, with the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index dropping Tuesday to its lowest level since March 2022.Despite this, Presi
Author  TradingKey
11 hours ago
The U.S. dollar is facing its most aggressive sell-off in nearly four years, with the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index dropping Tuesday to its lowest level since March 2022.Despite this, Presi
placeholder
Ethereum Is Already 20% Prepared for the Quantum Era, Says InterviewEthereum's drive for post-quantum security is advancing with strategic upgrades in execution, consensus, and data layers. The initiative is backed by the Ethereum Foundation's dedicated team. Ethereum aims to safeguard against future quantum threats well before they materialize.
Author  Mitrade
12 hours ago
Ethereum's drive for post-quantum security is advancing with strategic upgrades in execution, consensus, and data layers. The initiative is backed by the Ethereum Foundation's dedicated team. Ethereum aims to safeguard against future quantum threats well before they materialize.
placeholder
Top 3 Price Outlook: BTC Holds Above $89,000 as ETH Tests Resistance and XRP Stabilizes Near $1.90BTC trades near $89,300 after reclaiming $87,787 support and eyes $90,000, while ETH tests $3,017 and the $3,101 50-day EMA and XRP rebounds to $1.90 from $1.83 with $1.96 resistance and $1.77 downside risk.
Author  Mitrade
14 hours ago
BTC trades near $89,300 after reclaiming $87,787 support and eyes $90,000, while ETH tests $3,017 and the $3,101 50-day EMA and XRP rebounds to $1.90 from $1.83 with $1.96 resistance and $1.77 downside risk.
placeholder
EUR/USD weakens below 1.2000 amid rebound in US Dollar, all eyes on Fed rate decision The EUR/USD pair attracts some sellers to near 1.1990, snapping the four-day winning streak during the early European session on Wednesday. The major pair retraces from a five-year high amid renewed US Dollar (USD) demand.
Author  FXStreet
15 hours ago
The EUR/USD pair attracts some sellers to near 1.1990, snapping the four-day winning streak during the early European session on Wednesday. The major pair retraces from a five-year high amid renewed US Dollar (USD) demand.
placeholder
Standard Chartered warns that U.S. banks may lose up to $500 billion to stablecoins by 2028Standard Chartered has warned that banks in the U.S. may lose up to $500 billion to stablecoins by 2028.
Author  Cryptopolitan
15 hours ago
Standard Chartered has warned that banks in the U.S. may lose up to $500 billion to stablecoins by 2028.
goTop
quote