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10 Best Dividend Champions You’ve Never Heard Of


Published on January 10th, 2025 by Bob Ciura

Income investors are always on the hunt for high-quality dividend stocks.

There are many ways to measure high-quality stocks. One way for investors to find great dividend stocks is to focus on those with the longest histories of raising dividends.

With this in mind, we created a downloadable list of over 130 Dividend Champions, which have increased their dividends for over 25 consecutive years.

You can download your free copy of the Dividend Champions list, along with relevant financial metrics like price-to-earnings ratios, dividend yields, and payout ratios, by clicking on the link below:

 

Click here to instantly download your free spreadsheet of all Dividend Champions now, along with important investing metrics.

The Dividend Champions list includes several mega-cap stocks that have enormous businesses, such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Coca-Cola (KO).

But there are also smaller, less-followed companies that have generated strong shareholder returns, and have increased their dividends for over 25 years.

The following list is comprised of 10 Dividend Champions you’ve never heard of, ranked by 5-year expected annual returns, from lowest to highest.

Table of Contents

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Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Community Trust Bancorp Inc. (CTBI)

Community Trust Bancorp is a regional bank with 84 branch locations in 35 counties in Kentucky, Tennessee and West
Virginia. It is the second-largest bank holding company in Kentucky. Community Trust Bancorp operates with a $5.2 billion balance sheet.

CTBI has raised its dividend for 44 consecutive years.

In mid-October, Community Trust Bancorp reported (10/16/24) financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Its net interest income grew 9% over the prior year’s quarter, as net interest margin improved from 3.27% to 3.39% and loans grew 9%.

Provisions for loan losses increased from $1.8 million to $2.7 million. Non-interest income edged up 0.4% thanks to increased deposit fees. Overall, earnings-per-share grew 7%, from $1.15 to $1.23, and exceeded the analyst’s consensus by $0.08.

Community Trust Bancorp is a conservatively managed bank, which has proved resilient to all kinds of downturns. The bank has grown its deposits 4% in the last 12 months.

It has also proved resilient to the downturn caused by the impact of nearly 23-year high interest rates on the net interest margin of most banks via high deposit costs.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CTBI (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Matthews International (MATW)

Matthews International Corporation provides brand solutions, memorialization products and industrial technologies on a global scale. The company’s three business segments are diversified.

The SGK Brand Solutions provides brand development services, printing equipment, creative design services, and embossing tools to the consumer-packaged goods and packaging industries.

The Memorialization segment sells memorialization products, caskets, and cremation equipment to funeral home industries. This is the company’s biggest segment by revenue.

Source: Investor Presentation

The Industrial technologies segment is smaller than the other two businesses and designs, manufactures and distributes marking, coding and industrial automation technologies and solutions.

Matthews International reported fourth quarter and FY 2024 results on November 21st, 2024. The company reported sales of $447 million, a 7% decline compared to the same prior year period. The decrease was the result of a 19% sales decline in its Industrial Technologies segment.

Adjusted earnings were $0.55 per share, a 41% decrease from $0.96 a year ago. The company’s net debt leverage ratio rose from 3.3 one year ago to 3.6. For FY 2024, Matthews’ adjusted EPS fell 25% from $2.88 to $2.17.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on MATW (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: John Wiley & Sons (WLY)

John Wiley & Sons is a publishing and research company whose operations are split into three segments: Research, Publishing, and Solutions.

The company offers scientific, technical, medical and scholarly research journals, reference books, databases, clinical decision support tools, laboratory manuals, scientific and education books, and test preparation services.

Its services also include learning, development and assessment services for businesses and professionals and online program management services for higher education institutions.

John Wiley & Sons reported its second quarter (fiscal 2025) earnings results in December. The company announced that its revenues totaled $427 million during the quarter, which represents a decline of 13% versus the prior year’s quarter, which was a more pronounced decline compared to the previous quarter.

Earnings-per-share came in at $0.97 for the quarter, which beat the consensus estimate, as analysts had predicted a smaller profit for the quarter. Earnings-per-share were up by a strong 36% compared to the previous year’s period.

John Wiley generated earnings-per-share of $2.78 during fiscal 2024, and it is expected that fiscal 2025 will be significantly stronger.

For the current year, management forecasts earnings-per-share of $3.25 to $3.60, which would represent growth deep in the double digits compared to 2024.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on WLY (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Brady Corp. (BRC)

Brady Corporation was founded in 1914, generates annual revenue of more than $1.3 billion. It manufactures and markets specialty materials. Its products include absorbents, labels, pipes and valves, signs, tags, tapes, and printers.

Source: Investor Presentation

On September 5th, 2024, Brady Corporation increased its quarterly dividend 2.1% to $0.24, extending the company’s dividend growth streak to 39 consecutive years.

On November 18th, 2024, Brady Corporation reported results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 for the period ending October 31st, 2024. For the quarter, revenue grew 13.6% to $377.1 million, which beat estimates by $11.2 million.

Adjusted earnings-per share of $1.12 compared favorably to $1.00 in the prior year and was $0.02 ahead of expectations.

Organic revenue grew 3.6% for the quarter with the Americas & Asia improving 5.1% and Europe & Australia inching higher by 0.7%.

Acquisitions greatly aided results while currency exchange and divestitures were slight headwind during the period. Gross profit margin contracted 140 basis points to 50.3% for the period.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on BRC (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Westamerica Bancorporation (WABC)

Westamerica Bancorporation is the holding company for Westamerica Bank. Westamerica Bancorporation is a regional community bank with 79 branches in Northern and Central California. The company can trace its origins back to 1884.

Westamerica Bancorporation offers clients access to savings, checking and money market accounts. The company’s loan portfolio consists of both commercial and residential real estate loans, as well as construction loans.

Westamerica Bancorporation is the seventh largest bank headquartered in California. It has annual revenues of about $325 million.

On October 17th, 2024 Westamerica Bancorporation reported third quarter results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenue decreased 10.8% to $74.4 million, but this was $3.6 million more than expected. GAAP earnings-per-share of $1.31 compared unfavorably to $1.33 in the prior year, but this was $0.07 above estimates.

Total loans fell 8% to $831.4 million million as commercial loans were lower by 10.1% and consumer loans fell 22.1%. Commercial real estate loans, which make up more than half of the total loan portfolio, were unchanged. As of the end of the quarter, nonperforming loans decreased 25.8% to $919,000 year-over-year.

As with the second quarter, this period had no provisions for credit losses, compared to $400,000 in the third quarter of 2024.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on WABC (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: New Jersey Resources (NJR)

New Jersey Resources provides natural gas and clean energy services, transportation, distribution, asset management and home services through its five main subsidiaries. The company owns both regulated and non-regulated operations.

NJR’s principal subsidiary, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), owns and operates natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure serving over half a million customers. NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV) invests in and operates solar projects, to provide customers with low-carbon solutions.

NRJ Energy Services manages a portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets, as well as provides physical natural gas services to customers in North America. The midstream subsidiary owns and invests in several large midstream gas projects.

Finally, the home services business provides heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, and solar products to residential homes.

Source: Investor Presentation

New Jersey Resources was founded in 1952 and has paid a quarterly dividend since. The company has increased its annual dividend for 28 consecutive years.

New Jersey Resources reported fourth quarter 2024 results on November 25th, 2024, for the period ending September 30th, 2024. Fourth quarter net income of $91.1 million compared favorably to the prior year quarter’s $37.0 million.

Consolidated net financial earnings (NFE) amounted to $88.7 million, compared to net financial earnings (NFE) of $29.6 million in Q4 2023 and NFE per share of $0.89 compared to $0.30 per share one year ago.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on NJR (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Donaldson Co. (DCI)

Donaldson has been creating filtration solutions for a wide array of applications since 1915. Its sales consist of filters in various engine and industrial applications as core categories. The company is expected to produce about $3.7 billion in revenue this year.

Donaldson posted first quarter earnings on December 3rd, 2024, and results were better than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to 83 cents, which was a penny ahead of estimates.

Revenue was up 6.4% year-over-year to $900 million, beating estimates by almost $8 million.

Source: Investor Presentation

Gross margin was 35.5% of revenue, off 10 basis points year-over-year due to higher costs, particularly for real estate and distribution. Operating expenses were 20.7% of revenue, down 10 basis points from the prior year.

Adjusted operating income was 14.0% of revenue, an increase of 20 basis points from the prior year. The company reaffirmed its guidance for a range of adjusted earnings-per-share being $3.56 to $3.72.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on DCI (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Andersons Inc. (ANDE)

The Andersons is an agriculture company that conducts business in North America. It operates through the following segments: Trade, Renewables, and Nutrient & Industrial (formerly Plant Nutrient).

The Trade segment includes commodity merchandising and the operation of terminal grain elevator facilities. The Trade segment contributed over 70% of the company’s revenue in 2023. The Renewables segment produces, purchases, and sells ethanol and co products.

The Nutrient & Industrial segment manufactures, and distributes agricultural inputs, primary nutrients, and specialty fertilizers, to dealers and farmers, along with turf care and corncob-based products.

Source: Investor Presentation

On November 4th, 2024, The Andersons released its third quarter results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. For the quarter, the company reported revenue of $2.62 billion, a decrease from the $3.64 billion reported in the same quarter of the previous year.

The revenue decline continued to reflect weaker commodity prices and overall market sluggishness, which impacted the company’s trading and merchandising activities.

Net income for the quarter was $27 million, or $0.80 per diluted share, up from $10 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, in the previous year’s third quarter.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ANDE (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Bank OZK (OZK)

Bank OZK, previously Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional bank that offers services such as checking, business banking, commercial loans and mortgages to its customers in Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, New York and California.

Source: Investor Presentation

On October 1st, 2024, Bank OZK announced a $0.41 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.5% raise over the last quarter’s payment and a 10.8% raise year-over-year. This marks the company’s 57th consecutive quarter of raising its dividend.

In mid-October, Bank OZK reported (10/17/24) results for the third quarter of 2024. Total loans and deposits grew 15% and 20%, respectively, over last year’s quarter.

Net interest income grew 6% over the prior year’s quarter, despite higher deposit costs. Earnings-per-share grew 4%, from $1.49 to a new all-time high of $1.55, and exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.01.

Bank OZK has exceeded the analysts’ consensus in 16 of the last 18 quarters. Bank OZK has posted record earnings-per-share and record net interest income for 8 and 9 consecutive quarters, respectively.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on OZK (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):


Dividend Champion You’ve Never Heard Of: Polaris Inc. (PII)

Polaris designs, engineers, and manufactures snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and motorcycles. In addition, related accessories and replacement parts are sold with these vehicles through dealers located throughout the U.S.

The company operates under 30+ brands including Polaris, Ranger, RZR, Sportsman, Indian Motorcycle, Slingshot and Transamerican Auto Parts. The global powersports maker, serving over 100 countries, generated $8.9 billion in sales in 2023.

On February 1st, 2024, Polaris raised its quarterly dividend 1.5% to $0.66.

On October 22nd, 2024, Polaris reported third quarter results for the period ending September 30th, 2024. For the quarter, revenue decreased 23.6% to $1.72 billion, which missed estimates by $50 million.

Source: Investor Presentation

Adjusted earnings-per-share of $0.73 compared very unfavorably to $2.72 in the prior year and was $0.18 less than expected.

For the quarter, Marine sales were down 36%, On-Road fell 13%, and Off-Road, the largest component of the company, declined 24%. Decreases in all three businesses were mostly due to lower volumes.

Off-Road was negatively impacted by higher promotional spend and product mix. On-Road and Marine both suffered from weaker product mix. Gross margin contracted 204 basis points to 20.6%.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PII (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Additional Reading

The Dividend Champions list is not the only way to quickly screen for stocks that regularly pay rising dividends.

Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to support@suredividend.com.



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