Investors looking for the best stocks for the long run should look at stocks with the longest histories of raising their dividends each year.
Stocks that can raise their dividends each year, even during recessions and market downturns, are the best dividend stocks to buy and hold.
These 3 dividend stocks represent some of the best stocks for the long run.
Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
Automatic Data Processing is one of the largest business services outsourcing companies in the world. The company provides payroll services, human resources technology, and other business operations to more than 700,000 corporate customers. Automatic Data Processing produces annual revenue of about $20 billion.
ADP posted third quarter earnings on April 30th, 2025, and results were better than expected on both the top and bottom lines. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $3.06, which was nine cents ahead of estimates. Earnings were up from $2.35 in Q2, and from $2.88 a year ago.
Revenue was up almost 6% year-over-year to $5.6 billion, beating expectations by $110 million. Employer Services revenue was $3.77 billion, up 5% year-over-year. Segment earnings were $1.5 billion, up 6% year-over-year, on pretax margin of 39.8% of revenue. The latter was up 20 basis points year-over-year.
PEO Services revenue was $1.79 billion, up 7% year-over-year, with segment earnings up 7% to $253 million on pretax margin of 14.2% of revenue. That was unchanged from a year ago.
Automatic Data Processing has compounded its adjusted earnings-per-share at a rate of more than 13% per year over the last decade, which we believe it can come close to matching moving forward. Much of this growth is likely to be driven by the company’s Professional Employer Organization (PEO) Services segment, which continues to deliver very impressive revenue growth. Importantly, this revenue growth has been accompanied by meaningful margin expansion, which means that the segment’s growth has had an outsized impact on the firm’s bottom line.
In addition, the company’s buyback has been a low single-digit tailwind annually for earnings-per-share growth in the past decade, and we expect that will continue moving forward.
ADP has increased its dividend for 50 years.
Parker-Hannifin (PH)
Parker-Hannifin is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in motion and control technologies. The company generates annual revenues of $20 billion.
In early May, Parker-Hannifin reported (5/1/25) results for the third quarter of 2025. Organic sales grew 1% over the prior year’s quarter, as 12% growth in aerospace was almost offset by declines in North American Business and International Business.
Adjusted earnings-per-share grew 7%, from $6.49 to $6.94, thanks to strong sales and a wider profit margin in all segments. Parker-Hannifin exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.22. Notably, Parker-Hannifin has exceeded the analysts’ EPS estimates for 39 consecutive quarters.
Parker-Hannifin has more than tripled its earnings-per-share over the last nine years. The growth trajectory of the company slowed in 2020 due to the global recession caused by the coronavirus. However, Parker-Hannifin has returned to high growth mode in the last four years. Given also its acquisition of Meggitt, its record backlog and its consistent business performance, we expect Parker Hannifin to grow its earnings-per-share at a 9.0% average annual rate over the next five years.
Parker-Hannifin’s growth will come in part from acquisitions. The $4.3 billion CLARCOR transaction and the Meggitt acquisitions are examples of this. Parker Hannifin integrates the new products in its system while it achieves significant synergies.
Parker-Hannifin has increased the dividend for 69 consecutive years.
Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
Abbott Laboratories, founded in 1888, is one of the largest medical appliances & equipment manufacturers in the world, comprised of four segments: Nutrition, Diagnostics, Established Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices.
Abbott Laboratories provides products in over 160 countries and employs 114,000 people. The company generated $42 billion in sales in 2024.
On April 16th, 2025, Abbott Laboratories reported first quarter results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, the company produced $10.4 billion in sales (60% outside of the U.S.), which represented growth of 4% compared to the first quarter of 2024, but this was $60 million less than expected.
Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.09 compared to $0.98 in the prior year and was $0.02 ahead of estimates.
U.S. sales grew 8.4% while international was higher by 1.2%. Currency exchange was a 2.8% headwind for the period. Company-wide organic sales improved 6.9%. However, excluding Covid-19 testing products, organic growth was 8.3% for the period.
Nutrition grew 6.8% organically during the quarter as the company continues to see a recovery in market share of its infant formula business following a stoppage of production in 2022. U.S. sales were higher by 8.8% as a result.
ABT has increased its dividend for 53 years.
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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.