3 Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever

For many investors, dividend stocks are the anchors of a fully diversified portfolio. They’re typically well-established, solid stocks that are reliable for passive income and for weathering market storms. Great dividend stocks raise their dividends annually and should provide value to your portfolio forever.

If you’re looking for potential dividend stocks to consider today, I recommend Coca-Cola (KO +0.34%), Realty Income (O 0.95%), and Walmart (WMT +0.99%). Here’s why.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

1. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a Dividend King, and it has raised its dividend annually for the past 63 years. That’s about as reliable as a stock gets. The dividend typically has a high yield of around 3%, but because the stock has been performing so well lately, it’s only 2.6%.

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NYSE: KO

Coca-Cola

Today’s Change

(0.34%) $0.26

Current Price

$77.34

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$334B

Day’s Range

$77.19 - $78.05

52wk Range

$65.35 - $82.00

Volume

12M

Avg Vol

18M

Gross Margin

61.75%

Dividend Yield

2.63%

That demonstrates how valuable Coca-Cola is as a stock beyond the passive income. Loyal fans buy the company’s beverages at all times, giving it resilience under harsh conditions and the ability to keep growing. It owns 32 separate billion-dollar brands, and acquiring new companies that it can develop into its next great brand is one of the ways it continues to grow sales and provide value for shareholders.

The market has been embracing the localized production model that has protected it from the brunt of tariff changes over the past year, which is yet another reason to be confident about the company and its future.

2. Realty Income

Realty Income is one of the largest real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the world, with 15,500 properties globally. It’s a retail REIT, leasing properties to many well-known and trusted chain stores that sell essentials and can pay their rent on time. It has a 98.9% occupancy rate, its highest in a while, demonstrating its resilience while the real estate market is under pressure.

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NYSE: O

Realty Income

Today’s Change

(-0.95%) $-0.62

Current Price

$64.41

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$61B

Day’s Range

$64.35 - $65.79

52wk Range

$50.71 - $67.94

Volume

193K

Avg Vol

6.7M

Gross Margin

48.73%

Dividend Yield

4.97%

It has recently started diversifying into new industries beyond retail, including gaming and industrials, which expand its long-term opportunity. It has ample capital to continue buying new properties, and it’s constantly sourcing new, quality properties to keep up its lucrative operating model.

Realty Income has paid a monthly dividend for more than 55 years, and the dividend yields 5% at the current price.

3. Walmart

Walmart is the largest physical retailer in the world (although it recently lost the top spot as the largest company in the world by sales to Amazon). But the market loves its resilience, stability, and consistency, and its stock performance has crushed Amazon, and the S&P 500, over the past five years, up 183% versus 39% for Amazon and 73% for the broader market.

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NASDAQ: WMT

Walmart

Today’s Change

(0.99%) $1.24

Current Price

$126.57

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$999B

Day’s Range

$124.97 - $126.68

52wk Range

$79.81 - $134.69

Volume

1M

Avg Vol

31M

Gross Margin

25.40%

Dividend Yield

0.75%

Walmart has more than 5,000 U.S. locations and nearly 11,000 locations worldwide, but it grows in more ways than opening new stores. E-commerce has been a major growth driver recently, up 24% year over year in the 2026 fiscal fourth quarter (ended Jan. 31), and its membership program, Walmart+, is growing quickly.

Walmart is also a Dividend King, having raised its dividend annually for the past 53 years. Its yield is low right now at only 0.8% because the stock has performed so well, but it’s a dividend you can rely on.