(By Dividends4Life) An investment strategy based on
Dividend Growth Stocks focuses on companies that produce predictable results and thus are able to consistently raise their dividends. Demand for household and personal care products is generally stable and not affected by changes in the economy or other factors. If you lose your job, you probably won't stop bathing, washing your clothes, brushing your teeth or stop buying toilet paper. That's why companies in the Consumer Defensive sector are sought after as desirable dividend growth investments.
For many of these companies, raw material costs is a primary driver of profitability, and the larger more established companies are in a better position to negotiate better terms. Growth comes from a growing population and expanding into emerging markets where the people are starting to earn a wage they can not only life on, but begin to buy things we consider necessities.
The Consumer Defensive sector has been a steady performer over the years for both yield and growth. Given the relatively low price of most consumer goods, people often prefer to pay a few pennies more for a name brand that they are confident with. Investments in the Consumer Defensive sector brings yield stability and potential dividend growth to an income portfolio.
This week week, I screened my
dividend growth stocks database for Consumer Defensive companies with a yield above 3.00% and that have increased their dividends for at least 8 consecutive years. The results are presented below:
General Mills, Inc. (
GIS) is a major producer of packaged consumer food products, including Big G cereals and Betty Crocker desserts/baking mixes. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1898 and has increased its dividend payments for 8 consecutive years.