Dividend Safety · Screener

Safest Dividend Stocks — A & B Grade Dividend Safety Screener

Only the most reliable dividend payers make this list. Every stock here earned an A or B dividend safety grade — meaning the payout is well-covered by earnings and cash flow.

Methodology: How Stocks Earn A & B Grades

Our dividend safety grade combines four factors. To earn an A or B, a stock needs strong scores across all dimensions — a single weak factor can pull the grade down.

  • Payout Ratio below 60% — The company retains enough earnings to reinvest in the business and fund the dividend comfortably.
  • FCF Coverage above 1.5x — Free cash flow covers the dividend with room to spare, even if earnings take a temporary hit.
  • Stable Earnings — Low coefficient of variation in earnings over the past 10 years. Volatile earners are more likely to face a quarter where the dividend isn't covered.
  • Growth Streak of 5+ years — Consecutive years of dividend increases signal management commitment to the payout.
A & B grades

Safest Dividend Stocks

View all ratings →
AAPL $273.05

Apple Inc.

Z-Score 9.75
Fair Value $223.83
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: -22.0%
ABBV $203.71

AbbVie Inc.

Z-Score 2.11
Fair Value $316.55
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: 35.6%
ABT $96.00

Abbott Laboratories

Z-Score 2.94
Fair Value $105.96
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: 9.4%
ACN $195.06

Accenture plc

Z-Score 3.57
Fair Value $324.67
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: 39.9%
AMGN $350.16

Amgen Inc.

Z-Score 1.48
Fair Value $255.37
Moat ★★★☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -37.1%
BLK $1,048.42

BlackRock, Inc.

Z-Score 1.37
Fair Value $658.75
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -59.2%
CAT $798.40

Caterpillar Inc.

Z-Score 5.67
Fair Value $325.23
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -145.5%
CLX $102.17

The Clorox Company

Z-Score 2.78
Fair Value $124.08
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: 17.7%
COP $116.45

ConocoPhillips

Z-Score 2.97
Fair Value $91.45
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -27.3%
CPB $21.26

The Campbell's Company

Z-Score 1.54
Fair Value $24.80
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: 14.3%
DAL $71.21

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Z-Score 1.30
Fair Value $112.79
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: 36.9%
DE $594.52

Deere & Company

Z-Score 2.49
Fair Value $420.36
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -41.4%
DIS $106.30

The Walt Disney Company

Z-Score 1.54
Fair Value $83.95
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -26.6%
DVN $44.94

Devon Energy Corporation

Z-Score 1.64
Fair Value $110.06
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: 59.2%
EOG $129.16

EOG Resources, Inc.

Z-Score 3.18
Fair Value $125.52
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: -2.9%
GILD $135.87

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Z-Score 3.02
Fair Value $128.21
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: -6.0%
GIS $35.28

General Mills, Inc.

Z-Score 2.36
Fair Value $44.12
Moat ★★★☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: 20.0%
HD $350.99

The Home Depot, Inc.

Z-Score 6.02
Fair Value $244.73
Moat ★★★★☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: -43.4%
HRL $21.33

Hormel Foods Corporation

Z-Score 1.75
Fair Value $22.42
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: 4.9%
HSY $191.45

The Hershey Company

Z-Score 4.94
Fair Value $282.53
Moat ★★★★☆
Div Safety B
Safe Zone MoS: 32.2%
JNJ $230.69

Johnson & Johnson

Z-Score 4.79
Fair Value $203.28
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety B
Safe Zone MoS: -13.5%
JPM $316.99

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Z-Score 0.32
Fair Value $0.00
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -100.0%
KMI $31.94

Kinder Morgan, Inc.

Z-Score 1.21
Fair Value $22.78
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -40.2%
KO $75.48

The Coca-Cola Company

Z-Score 3.83
Fair Value $65.76
Moat ★★★★☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: -14.8%
LOW $253.29

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Z-Score 3.94
Fair Value $209.04
Moat ★★★☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: -21.2%
MA $516.65

Mastercard Incorporated

Z-Score 9.75
Fair Value $644.55
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: 19.8%
MCD $306.94

McDonald's Corporation

Z-Score 5.19
Fair Value $252.88
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety B
Safe Zone MoS: -21.4%
MMM $151.40

3M Company

Z-Score 2.49
Fair Value $67.92
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -122.9%
MRK $117.10

Merck & Co., Inc.

Z-Score 2.86
Fair Value $173.52
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: 32.5%
MSFT $418.07

Microsoft Corporation

Z-Score 9.19
Fair Value $417.54
Moat ★★★★½
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: -0.1%
MU $448.42

Micron Technology, Inc.

Z-Score 13.53
Fair Value $179.14
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -150.3%
NKE $46.48

NIKE, Inc.

Z-Score 2.93
Fair Value $32.18
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: -44.4%
NVDA $202.06

NVIDIA Corporation

Z-Score 93.80
Fair Value $129.90
Moat ★★★☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: -55.5%
PEP $156.99

PepsiCo, Inc.

Z-Score 3.85
Fair Value $153.33
Moat ★★★★☆
Div Safety B
Safe Zone MoS: -2.4%
PSX $155.75

Phillips 66

Z-Score 3.42
Fair Value $173.50
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: 10.2%
RTX $195.79

RTX Corporation

Z-Score 2.52
Fair Value $136.77
Moat ★½☆☆☆
Div Safety A
High Risk MoS: -43.1%
SBUX $98.95

Starbucks Corporation

Z-Score 3.10
Fair Value $53.35
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety B
Caution MoS: -85.5%
SLB $52.20

SLB N.V.

Z-Score 3.08
Fair Value $37.90
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: -37.7%
SO $93.51

The Southern Company

Z-Score 0.99
Fair Value $92.50
Moat ★½☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -1.1%
SYY $76.26

Sysco Corporation

Z-Score 4.76
Fair Value $77.93
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: 2.1%
TGT $130.18

Target Corporation

Z-Score 2.97
Fair Value $112.44
Moat ★★★☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: -15.8%
TJX $159.69

The TJX Companies, Inc.

Z-Score 3.80
Fair Value $116.03
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: -37.6%
UNP $252.18

Union Pacific Corporation

Z-Score 3.90
Fair Value $158.91
Moat ★★★☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: -58.7%
UVV $51.66

Universal Corporation

Z-Score 2.98
Fair Value $41.36
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -24.9%
V $313.94

Visa Inc.

Z-Score 7.99
Fair Value $394.98
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: 20.5%
VLO $226.28

Valero Energy Corporation

Z-Score 4.99
Fair Value $392.49
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: 42.4%
WFC $81.97

Wells Fargo & Company

Z-Score 0.24
Fair Value $0.00
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -100.0%
WM $224.18

Waste Management, Inc.

Z-Score 2.68
Fair Value $163.88
Moat ★★½☆☆
Div Safety A
Caution MoS: -36.8%
WMT $127.92

Walmart Inc.

Z-Score 5.71
Fair Value $72.56
Moat ★★★½☆
Div Safety A
Safe Zone MoS: -76.3%
XOM $147.68

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Z-Score 3.53
Fair Value $126.71
Moat ★★☆☆☆
Div Safety B
High Risk MoS: -16.6%
FAQ

Common questions

What does an A grade dividend mean?

An A grade means the dividend is extremely safe: payout ratio below 50%, free cash flow covers the dividend by 2x or more, earnings are consistent, and the company has a long streak of dividend increases. These are the dividends most likely to survive a recession without being cut.

How is this different from the full dividend ratings page?

The full ratings page shows every dividend-paying stock graded A through F. This screener only shows A and B grades — the safest dividends. Use the full ratings page if you want to see which stocks have concerning payout ratios (C-F grades).

Can even A-grade dividends get cut?

It's rare but possible. Black swan events (pandemic shutdowns, regulatory bans) can force even the safest companies to cut dividends. However, A-grade companies typically have enough cash reserves to maintain the dividend through 1-2 years of stress before considering a cut.

Should I only buy A-grade dividend stocks?

Not necessarily. A B-grade stock with a higher yield and strong growth prospects might be a better total return investment than an A-grade stock with a low yield. The safety grade tells you the probability of a dividend cut — it doesn't tell you whether the stock is a good investment overall. Always check the fair value and moat rating too.

Related

More dividend research

Dividend Safety Hub

Learn how our safety grading system works and explore the full framework.

All Dividend Ratings

Every dividend stock graded A through F, including at-risk payouts.

The Strike Zone

Stocks that are simultaneously undervalued, safe, and moated.