Dividend growth investors should not avoid quality dividend growth stocks just because their share prices have risen over the past year.

Indeed, there is good reason for investors to let their blue-chip winners run.

Many blue-chip dividend stocks are trading within near their 52-week highs, and yet, we expect them to continue performing well.

This article discusses 3 dividend stocks that are trading near their 52-week highs, and may continue to outperform in 2025.

Stryker Corporation (SYK)

Stryker is a global leader in the medical device sector. The company’s product lines include surgical equipment, neurovascular products and orthopedic implants.

On May 1st, 2025, Stryker reported first quarter earnings results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 11.9% to $5.9 billion, which was $210 million better than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.84 compared favorably to $2.50 in the prior year and was $0.11 above estimates.

Organic revenue was higher by 10.1% for the quarter. For the period, volume grew 9.4% and higher prices added 0.7% to results. MedSurg and Neurotechnology had sales of $3.5 billion, which represented 10.7% organic growth, while Orthopaedics and Spine was higher by 9.3% to $2.4 billion.

Future growth will be fueled organically, as well as a recent acquisition. On January 6th, 2025, Stryker announced that it had agreed to buy Inari Medical, Inc. (NARI), which manufacturers neurovascular medical devices, for $4.9 billion in cash.

Stryker is a dividend growth company. On December 10th, 2024, Stryker reported that it was raising its quarterly dividend 5% to $0.84 per share, extending the company’s dividend growth streak to 31 consecutive years.

Visa Inc. (V)

Visa is the world’s leader in digital payments, with activity in more than 200 countries. The stock went public in 2008, and its IPO has proven to be one of the most successful in U.S. history. The company’s global processing network provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transactions a second.

On April 29th, 2025, Visa reported second quarter 2025 results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. (Visa’s fiscal year ends September 30th.) For the quarter, Visa generated revenue of $9.6 billion, adjusted net income of $5.4 billion and adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.76, marking increases of 9%, 6% and 10%, respectively. These results were driven by an 8% gain in Payments Volume, a 13% gain in Cross-Border Volume and a 9% gain in Processed Transactions. Visa processed 60.7 billion transactions in the quarter.

Visa returns significant cash to shareholders through share buybacks and dividends. During the quarter, Visa returned $5.6 billion to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases. Visa repurchased 13 million shares of class A common stock in the quarter for $4.5 billion. Furthermore, a new $30 billion multi-year stock repurchase plan was authorized.

For fiscal 2025, management still expects low double-digit net revenue growth and low-teens EPS growth. This level of growth will easily allow for continued dividend increases. On October 29th, 2024, Visa announced a 13.5% increase to the dividend to $2.36 per share annually. Visa has increased its dividend for 16 years.

VICI Properties (VICI)

VICI Properties (VICI) is an experiential real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns one of the largest portfolios of gaming, hospitality, and entertainment destinations, including the well-known Caesars Palace.

It was formed in late 2017 as a spin-off from Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and now has 54 gaming facilities comprising 127 million square feet, approximately 60,300 hotel rooms and more than 500 restaurants, bars, nightclubs and sportsbooks.

In late April, VICI Properties reported (4/30/25) financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2025. It grew its revenue 3% over the prior year’s quarter and grew its funds from operations (FFO) per share 4%. The REIT has proved resilient to the pandemic and high inflation.

The hefty issuance of new shares has not prevented the REIT from growing its FFO per share significantly in the last three years. The REIT marginally raised its guidance for FFO per share in 2025, from $2.32-$2.35 to $2.33-$2.36.

The acquisition of MGM Growth Properties, whose value is approximately equal to the market cap of VICI Properties before the deal, is a major acquisition. Overall, we expect the REIT to grow its FFO per share at a 5.0% average annual rate over the next five years.

_______________

Bob Ciura has worked at Sure Dividend since October 2016. He oversees all content for Sure Dividend and its partner sites. Bob received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from DePaul.