Investing in dividend stocks is a powerful and safe method for building wealth. Then practice what you’ve learned with our free stock market simulation.
Best Dividend Stocks
Here are some superstar dividend stocks from the Motley Fool. These stocks are actually part of the famed group of Dividend Aristocrats, companies that have raised their dividend for at least 25 years in a row.
| Symbol | Company |
|---|---|
| LOW | Lowe’s Companies Inc. |
| WBA | Walgreens Boots Alliance |
| O | Realty Income Corporation |
| JNJ | Johnson & Johnson |
| TGT | Target Corporation |
What Are Dividend Stocks?
What is a stock dividend?
A stock dividend is essentially a dividend payment made in the form of additional shares instead of the typical cash payout. If a company’s tight on liquid cash, it may decide to distribute dividend stocks to shareholders instead. They’re typically acknowledged in the form of fractions paid per existing share owned. Depending on the company, the payout frequency of their dividend will differ.
The shareholder can keep the shares and hope that the company will be able to use the money not paid out in a cash dividend to earn a better rate of return. Alternatively, the shareholder could sell some of the shares for cash. The biggest benefit of a stock dividend over a cash dividend is that shareholders don’t have to pay tax on it. If a stock dividend has a cash-dividend option, then tax does need to be paid (even if the shares are kept instead of the cash!)
How do stock dividends work?
A stock dividend is kind of similar to a stock split, in that a company will issue new shares to shareholders in proportion to their shares outstanding. A stock dilution of 25% or greater is considered a split. Stock splits simply reduce the par value per share of stock outstanding. In contrast, stock dividends require the shifting of retained earnings into the company’s capital stock account, which reduces the cash available to pay out classified as a dividend. Cash paid out that is greater than retained earnings is classified as a return of capital.
Stock dividends are typically in the 5% to 15% range. If a company pays a 10% stock dividend, it means that each shareholder will receive one new share for every ten shares they own. After the dividend is paid out, a shareholder with 100 shares will then own 110 shares.
Finding Dividend Stocks To Buy
Dividend stocks are appealing to both passive and active traders. A good dividend stock has a high yield but can also be bought at a good price. If you can’t get the stock at the price you want, wait. Or look for another opportunity. Stock prices are constantly fluctuating, so new opportunities arise every few weeks. Use a tool like FinViz to screen for stocks that meet your dividend criteria.
Next stock pick released September 18th.
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Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks as of August 16, 2025
We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock and option newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share our results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Return vs SP500" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on August 16, 2025 prices:
Best Stock Newsletters
| Rank | Stock Newsletter | Picks Return | Return vs SP500 | Picks w Profit | Max % Return | Current Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Alpha Picks | 74.7% | 51.1% | 78% | 969% | Sept, 2025 Promotion: Save $50 |
| Summary: 2 picks/month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; Retail Price is $499/yr. See complete details and analysis in our Alpha Picks Review. | ||||||
| 2. |  Moby.co | 52.5% | 18.1% | 73% | 2,406% | Sept, 2025 Promotion:Next pick free! |
| Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Moby Review. | ||||||
| 3. |  Zacks Top 10 | 33.0% | 15.1% | 73% | 170% | Sept, 2025 Promotion:$1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 10-25 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 4. |  TipRanks SmartInvestor | 18.6% | 7.6% | 65% | 386% | Current Promotion: Save $180 |
| Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review. | ||||||
| 5. |  Stock Advisor | 41.7% | 6.1% | 76% | 299% | Sept, 2025 Promotion: Get $100 Off |
| Summary: 2 picks/month and 2 Best Buy Stocks lists focusing on high growth potential stocks over 5 years; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Review. | ||||||
| 6. |  Action Alerts Plus | 25.9% | 4.9% | 65% | 210% | Current Promotion: None |
| Summary: 100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short-term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review. | ||||||
| 7. | Rule Breakers | 35.6% | 1.2% | 78% | 273% | Current Promotion: Save $200 |
| Summary: 2 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review. | ||||||
| 8. | Zacks Home Run Investor | 3.5% | -1.3% | 44% | 200% | Sept, 2025 Promotion:$1, then $495/yr |
| Summary: 40-50 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | ||||||
| 9. | IBD Leaderboard ETF | 11.4% | -1.8% | n/a | n/a | Sept, 2025 Promotion:Save $129/yr |
| Summary: Maintains top 50 stocks to invest in based on IBD algorithm; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Investors Business Daily. | ||||||
| 10. | Stock Advisor Canada | 23.5% | -4.6% | 69% | 378% | Sept, 2025 Promotion: Save $100 |
| Summary: 1 pick/month from the Toronto stock exchange; Retail Price is CD$199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Canada Stock Advisor Review. | ||||||
| Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their 2024, 2023, 2022 stock picks' performance as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF. Performance as of August 16, 2025. | ||||||