Published on March 24th, 2026 by Bob Ciura
The consumer staples sector is home to some of the most well-known dividend growth stocks in the world.
Consumer staples stocks are an appealing investment category for a number of reasons.
First of all, consumer staples stocks are very recession-resistant by definition.
Consumer staples companies make products or deliver services that are considered to be ‘staples’ – in other words, consumers can’t do without them.
Food stocks within the consumer staples sector are an excellent example of this.
Consumers are likely to buy more food products during recessions as they cut back on dining out to conserve funds during difficult economic times.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a database of 60+ consumer staples stocks, which you can access below:
A surprising number of Dividend Kings, a group of stocks with at least 50 years of dividend increases, come from the Consumer Staples sector.
In fact, of the 57 stocks that currently comprise the Dividend Kings, 12 are from the Consumer Staples sector.
Therefore, it is clear that there are a number of quality dividend growth stocks from the Consumer Staples sector.
This article will list the 12 Dividend Kings from the Consumer Staples sector.
Table of Contents
The 12 consumer staples Dividend Kings are ranked by 5-year expected returns, from lowest to highest.
The table of contents below allows for easy navigation:
Consumer Staples Dividend King #12: Altria Group (MO)
Expected Annual Returns: 5.3%
Altria is a tobacco stock that sells cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, e-cigarettes, and more under a variety of brands, including Marlboro, Skoal, and Copenhagen, among others.
This is a period of transition for Altria. The decline in the U.S. smoking rate continues. In response, Altria has invested heavily in new products that appeal to changing consumer preferences, as the smoke-free category continues to grow.
The company also has a 35% investment stake in e-cigarette maker JUUL, and a 45% stake in the Canadian cannabis producer Cronos Group (CRON).
On January 28, 2026, Altria Group, Inc. reported its 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year results. The company generated adjusted diluted EPS of $5.42 for 2025, a 4.4% increase versus 2024.
EPS growth was supported by higher adjusted operating companies income, share repurchases that reduced the share count, and a lower adjusted tax rate.
The smokable products segment remained the primary profit engine, producing over $11 billion in adjusted operating companies income with margins expanding 1.8 percentage points to 63.4%.
Margin expansion occurred even as Marlboro’s retail share slipped below 40% and domestic cigarette volumes declined 10% for the year. The oral tobacco segment also contributed modestly to growth, with adjusted OCI up 1.3%.
Looking to 2026, Altria projected adjusted diluted EPS of $5.56 to $5.72, implying 2.5% to 5.5% year-over-year growth.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on Altria (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #11: Walmart Inc. (WMT)
Expected Annual Returns: 5.6%
Walmart traces its roots back to 1945 when Sam Walton opened his first discount store. The company has since grown into the largest retailer in the world, serving more than 230 million customers each week.
Revenue should be around $740 billion this year and the stock trades with a market capitalization of $1 trillion.
Walmart has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years, making it a new member of the prestigious Dividend Kings.
Walmart posted fourth quarter earnings on February 19th, 2026, and results were better than expected on both the top and bottom lines.
Earnings came to 74 cents per share on an adjusted basis, which beat estimates by a penny. Revenue was up 5.6% year to $190.7 billion, beating expectations by $2.38 billion.
Global ecommerce sales were up 24%, which was led by store-fulfilled pickup and delivery. Global advertising revenue soared 37% higher year-over-year, including the VIZIO business.
Walmart Connect was up 41% in the US. Membership fees rose 15.1% globally, which is attributed to the Sam’s Club business.
Revenue was up 5% in constant currency for the quarter. US comparable sales for Walmart rose 4.6%, including 27% higher in ecommerce.
Operating cash flow was $42 billion for the year, with free cash flow growing 18% from 2025 to $14.9 billion. Cash at the end of the year was $10.7 billion against debt of $51.5 billion. Inventory rose 4% year-over-year to $58.9 billion.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on WMT (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #10: Procter & Gamble (PG)
Expected Annual Returns: 7.0%
Procter & Gamble is a consumer products giant that sells its products in over 180 countries.
Notable brands include Pampers, Luvs, Tide, Gain, Bounty, Charmin, Puffs, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze, Swiffer, Crest, Oral-B, Scope, Olay and many more.
The company generated $84 billion in sales in fiscal 2024 and 2025. Procter & Gamble has paid a dividend for 134 years and has grown its dividend for 69 consecutive years – one of the longest active streaks of any company.
In late January, Procter & Gamble reported (1/22/26) results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Its sales edged up 1% while organic sales remained flat over the prior year’s quarter, as modest price hikes were offset by slightly lower volumes.
Core earnings-per-share remained flat at $1.88, beating the analysts’ consensus by $0.02. The firm sales amid sustained price hikes are a testament to the strength of the brands of Procter & Gamble.
However, we note a remarkable deceleration in price hikes in the last seven quarters. This indicates that the company cannot keep raising its prices aggressively anymore.
Due to soft consumer spending amid increased economic uncertainty, Procter & Gamble reiterated its modest guidance for fiscal 2026. It expects 0%-4% growth of organic sales and 0%-4% growth of core earnings-per-share.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #9: Universal Corp. (UVV))
Expected Annual Returns: 8.2%
Universal Corporation is a market leader in supplying leaf tobacco and other plant-based inputs to consumer product manufacturers.
The Tobacco Operations segment buys and sells tobacco used to make cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and smokeless products. Universal buys tobacco from its suppliers, processes it, and sells it to large tobacco companies in the US and internationally.
The Ingredient Operations deal mainly with vegetables and fruits but is significantly smaller than the tobacco operations.
Universal Corporation reported its third quarter earnings results in February. The company generated revenues of $861 million during the quarter, a year-over-year decline of 8%. Revenues were up on a sequential basis, however.
Since Universal Corporation’s business results depend on weather to some degree, ups and downs in its quarterly results are to be expected. Cost of goods sold was down versus one year earlier, but not as much as its revenues.
Universal’s adjusted earnings-per-share totaled $1.35 during the third quarter, which was almost in line compared to the results seen in the previous quarter, when Universal earned $1.36 per share.
In all of fiscal 2025, Universal Corporation saw its earnings-per-share pull back by close to 10%..
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on UVV (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #8: Coca-Cola Co. (KO)
Expected Annual Returns: 9.5%
Coca-Cola is the world’s largest beverage company, as it owns or licenses more than 500 unique non-alcoholic brands.
Since the company’s founding in 1886, it has spread to more than 200 countries worldwide. Its brands account for about 2 billion servings of beverages worldwide every day, producing about $48 billion in annual revenue.
The company also has an exceptional 63-year dividend increase streak, making it a Dividend King.
Coca-Cola posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on February 10th, 2026, and results were mixed. The company saw adjusted earnings-per-share of 58 cents, which was two cents ahead of estimates.
However, revenue was up just 2.6% year-over-year to $11.8 billion, missing estimates by $250 million. Organic revenue was up 5%, driven by a 4% gain in concentrate sales and 1% in price and mix.
Concentrate sales were 3% better than unit case volume, which was driven by the timing of shipments and one additional selling day.
Comparable operating margin expanded from 24% of revenue a year ago to 24.4%, which met consensus estimates. Gross margin rose by a similar amount.
Free cash flow, adjusted for the Fairlife contingent payout, was $11.4 billion for the full year, which was about $600 million higher than 2024.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on KO (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #7: Sysco Corp. (SYY)
Expected Annual Returns: 10.8%
Sysco Corporation (SYY) is the largest wholesale food distributor in the United States and is expanding internationally.
The company was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1969 and now serves 600,000 locations with food delivery, including restaurants, hospitals, schools, hotels, and other facilities.
According to estimates, the company has a 16% market share of total food delivery within the United States.
On January 27th, 2025, Sysco reported second-quarter results for Fiscal Year 2026. The company reported fiscal Q2 2026 revenue of $20.8 billion, up 3.0% year-over-year, while adjusted EPS rose 6.5% to $0.99.
Gross profit increased 3.9% to $3.8 billion, with gross margin improving to 18.3% due to effective management of product cost inflation and sourcing efficiencies.
However, operating income declined 2.8% to $692 million and net earnings fell 4.2% to $389 million, primarily due to higher operating expenses tied to investments in sales capacity and infrastructure.
Segment performance was mixed across regions. U.S. Foodservice sales grew 2.4% to $14.4 billion, supported by 0.8% total case growth and 1.2% local case growth, reflecting improving demand despite slower restaurant foot traffic.
International operations delivered stronger performance, with sales rising 7.3% to $4.0 billion and operating income increasing 23.2% to $117 million, driven by strong volume growth and disciplined margin management.
During the first half of fiscal 2026, sales reached $41.9 billion, up 3.1% year-over-year, while adjusted EPS increased 5.9% to $2.14.
The company generated $611 million in operating cash flow and $413 million in free cash flow, returning $518 million to shareholders through dividends. Management expects full-year adjusted EPS of $4.50–$4.60.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SYY (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #6: Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL)
Expected Annual Returns: 10.8%
Colgate-Palmolive has been in existence for more than 200 years, having been founded in 1806.
It operates in many consumer staples markets, including Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, and more recently, Pet Nutrition.
These segments afford the company just over $20 billion in annual revenue.
Colgate posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on January 30th, 2026, and results were better than expected on both the top and bottom lines.
Adjusted earnings-per-share came to 95 cents, which was four cents ahead of estimates. Revenue was up 5.9% year-over-year to $5.23 billion, and bested estimates by $110 million.
Organic sales rose 2.2% during the quarter, including a 0.9% headwind from lower private label pet volume. Latin America saw organic revenue growth of 6.5%, Africa/Eurasia was up 10.3%, and North America fell 1.8%.
Operating cash flow was $4.2 billion for the year, which is a record for the company. Management noted profit margins and revenue growth as drivers, but also excellent working capital management as drivers of the strong cash generation.
For 2026, management expects sales to rise 2% to 6%, including a small positive impact from forex translation.
Organic sales are expected to be up 1% to 4%. Gross margin is expected to be higher, but advertising investment is also expected to rise.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CL (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #5: The Marzetti Company (MZTI)
Expected Annual Returns: 12.8%
The Marzetti Company has been making food products since 1969. Marzetti makes various meal accessories like croutons and bread products in frozen and non-frozen categories.
Marzetti also has one of the best dividend increase streaks in the entire market, with more than six decades of consecutive increases.
Marzetti posted second quarter earnings on February 3rd, 2026, and results were worse than expected on both the top and bottom lines. The company saw earnings-per-share come to $2.15, which missed estimates by eight cents.
Revenue was up 1.7% year-over-year to $518 million, missing expectations by $2.37 million. The company also noted $8.2 million of revenue was attributed to a temporary supply agreement that is expected to conclude on March 31st.
Gross profit was $137.3 million, while gross margin was up 80 basis points on an adjusted basis. SG&A costs were up by $3.3 million, primarily driven by higher marketing spending and the expanded launch of Texas Roadhouse rolls.
Capex for the quarter was $17.7 million, while the company paid a $28 million dividend and repurchased $20 million in stock. Marzetti still has no debt and $201 million in cash on hand.
Management is buying Bachan’s, the maker of Japanese-American barbeque sauces – for $400 million. They noted the acquisition is expected to be accretive immediately.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on MZTI (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #4: Target Corp. (TGT)
Expected Annual Returns: 13.4%
Target was founded in 1902 and has operations solely in the U.S. market.
Its business consists of about 1,850 big box stores, which offer general merchandise and food, as well as serving as distribution points for the company’s burgeoning e-commerce business.
Target should produce more than $105 billion in total revenue this year. The company also sports an extremely impressive dividend increase streak of 57 years.
Target posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on March 3rd, 2026, and results were better than expected. The company saw revenue fall 1.5% year-over-year to $30.45 billion for the quarter, which met expectations.
However, earnings came to $2.44 per share on an adjusted basis, which beat estimates by a massive 28 cents. The management team noted advertising revenue was higher, as well as good results in beauty and food & beverage.
Sales were weaker in most of its major categories, however, resulting in the 1.5% drop. Comparable sales were down 2.5%, slightly worse than expected, as transactions fell 2.9% and average ticket rose 0.4%.
The company expects sales to grow at about 2% for this year, reflecting a small increase in comparable sales, new stores, and non-merchandise sales contributing to growth.
Earnings are expected between $7.50 and $8.50 per share on an adjusted basis. Strength in earnings could come from higher sales and operating margins expected to be 20 basis points above fiscal 2026.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on TGT (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #3: Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB)
Expected Annual Returns: 13.7%
The Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a global consumer products company that operates in 175 countries and sells disposable consumer goods, including paper towels, diapers, and tissues.
It operates through two segments that each house many popular brands: Personal Care Segment (Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Depend, Poise) and the Consumer Tissue segment (Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle, and Viva), generating about $20 billion in annual revenue.
Kimberly-Clark posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on January 27th, 2026, and results were mixed. Sales fell 0.5% year-over-year to $4.1 billion as organic sales growth of 2.1% was offset by a 2.5% decline resulting from the exit of the company’s private label diaper business in the US.
Organic sales growth was driven by volume and mix growth of 3%, partially offset by a 1.1% pricing headwind.
Adjusted gross margin was 37% of sales, in line with the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings-per-share came in at $1.86, which was up from $1.50 a year ago and a nickel ahead of estimates.
Management noted the merger with Kenvue was overwhelmingly approved by shareholders of both companies, and that it is expected to close in the second half of this year.
The dividend was also boosted to $5.12 per share annually from $5.04 previously. That is the 54th consecutive year of dividend increases for the company.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on KMB (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #2: Hormel Foods Corp. (HRL)
Expected Annual Returns: 15.3%
Hormel Foods was founded in 1891 in Minnesota. Since that time, the company has grown into a juggernaut in the food products industry with about $12.3 billion in annual revenue.
Hormel has kept its core competency as a processor of meat products for well over a hundred years but has also grown into other business lines through acquisitions.
The company sells its products in 80 countries worldwide, and its brands include Skippy, SPAM, Applegate, Justin’s, and more than 30 others.
Hormel posted first quarter earnings on February 26th, 2026, and results were mixed. The company posted slightly higher revenue at +1.3% year-over-year, totaling $3.03 billion. That missed expectations by $30 million.
Adjusted earnings-per-share came to 34 cents, which was two cents better than estimates.
Management noted gross profit was weak enough to offset top line growth as higher input costs and logistics expenses were worse than expected.
Adjusted SG&A was comparable to the year-ago period as a percentage of revenue, as higher employee and legal expenses were offset by reductions in marketing and advertising.
Adjusted operating income was $247 million, while adjusted operating margin was 8.2% of revenue for the quarter.
Cash flow from operations was $349 million, rising about $26 million year-over-year.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on HRL (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Consumer Staples Dividend King #1: PepsiCo Inc. (PEP)
Expected Annual Returns: 15.5%
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage company that generates almost $94 billion in annual sales. The company’s products include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Frito-Lay chips, Gatorade, Tropicana orange juice and Quaker foods.
The company has more than 20 $1 billion brands in its portfolio.
On February 3rd, 2026, PepsiCo announced that it would increase its annualized dividend by 4.0% to $5.92 starting with the payment that was made in June 2026, extending the company’s dividend growth streak to 54 consecutive years.
That same day, PepsiCo released fourth quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 5.6% to $29.3 billion, which beat estimates by $370 million.
Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.26 compared favorably to $1.96 the prior year, which was $0.02 more than expected.
For the year, revenue grew 2.3% to $93.9 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $8.14 was down from $8.16 in 2024. Organic sales grew 2.1% for the quarter and 1.7% for the year.
For the quarter, food volume fell 2% while beverages grew 1%. PepsiCo Beverages North America’s organic revenue improved 2% for the period even as volume decreased by 4%.
Revenue for PepsiCo Foods North America as lower by 1%, largely due to divestitures. Food volume declined 1%.
The International Beverages segment grew 2% due to 3% volume growth. Revenues in Europe/Middle East/Africa were up 5%. Food volume declined 5%, but this was offset by a 1% gain in beverages.
Currency was a 7% headwind for this region. Latin America Foods increased 5% and Asia Pacific Foods grew 4%.
PepsiCo provided guidance for 2026 as well, with the company expecting organic sales in a range of 2% to 4%. The company expects earnings-per-share growth in a range of 4% to 6%.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PEP (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Final Thoughts
The consumer staples sector is an intriguing place to looks for high-quality dividend investment ideas.
If you’re willing to look outside of this sector while hunting for investment opportunities, the following stock databases are highly useful:
If you’re looking for other sector-specific dividend stocks, the following Sure Dividend databases will be useful:
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