December Dividend Stocks For Making Regular Passive Income
To assist in filling out your monthly dividend income, here are 15 of my favorite stocks that pay dividends in December. All of these companies paying December dividends are part of my dividend portfolio.
Stocks That Pay Dividends In December
Company | Symbol | S&P 500 Sector |
1. McDonald’s | MCD | Consumer discretionary |
2. Walgreens | WBA | Consumer staples |
3. Becton Dickinson | BDX | Health Care |
4. Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | Health Care |
5. Cummins | CMI | Industrials |
6. Emerson | EMR | Industrials |
7. Raytheon | RTX | Industrials |
8. 3M | MMM | Industrials |
9. American Electric Power | AEP | Utilities |
10. Dominion | D | Utilities |
11. Duke Energy | DUK | Utilities |
12. Chevron | CVX | Energy |
13. Aflac | AFL | Financials |
14. Realty Income | O | Real Estate |
15. Int’l Business Machines | IBM | Technology |
Next, I will highlight several critical points about each stock for December dividends.
Disclosure: At no cost to you, I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
December Dividends: Consumer Goods Stocks
1. McDonald’s
Love the company’s burgers or not, it’s tough to argue with McDonald’s impressive dividend history.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 15%
- Increased dividend annually since 1976
- Dividend status list: Dividend Aristocrat
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend – late November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
More reading: Tips for maximizing your dividend income
2. Walgreens Boots Alliance
Next, I have the retail pharmacy chain known as Walgreens.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 14%
- Increased dividend annually since 1976
- Dividend status list: Dividend Aristocrat
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
A big part of the company’s strategy is to become your local health destination. They are adding full-service doctor offices within their conveniently located stores to do so.
More reading: Top-notch dividend-paying ETFs
Stocks Paying Dividends In December: Health Care Stocks
3. Becton Dickinson
Becton Dickinson seems to fly under most dividend investors’ radar because of its lower dividend yield. However, I like the stock’s consistent dividend growth and capital appreciation.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 11%
- Increased dividend annually since 1972
- Dividend status list: Dividend King
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend: early December
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
4. Johnson & Johnson
I have owned JNJ for more than 15 years. The stock’s combination of dividend yield, dividend growth, and capital appreciation attracts me as an investor.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 8%
- Increased dividend annually since 1963
- Dividend status list: Dividend King
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
More reading: Make the most of your dividend income
Dividend Paying Stocks In December: Industrials
5. Cummins
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 19%
- Increased dividend annually since 2006
- Dividend status list: Dividend Achiever
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
Cummins designs, manufactures, and services diesel engines. Their engines power trucks and heavy equipment to keep our economy rolling.
Good dividend stocks from the industrial sector are harder to find. Thus, I like holding Cummins stock in my portfolio for diversification.
6. Emerson
Next, I have another stock from the industrial sector with dividends paid in December. It is Emerson.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 5%
- Increased dividend annually since 1957
- Dividend status list: Dividend King
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
Emerson is a long-time Dividend King with one of the longest annual dividend increase streaks. Unfortunately, dividend growth has been lower and slower than I prefer.
7. Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon is an aerospace and technology heavyweight.
- 20-year annual dividend growth rate: 9%
- Increased dividend annually since 2005
- Dividend status list: Dividend Achiever
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
The company has been busy in recent years working through its integration with United Technologies, dating back to the 2020 merger of the businesses.
8. 3M Company
3M leads through innovation and product development. The more the world changes, the faster 3M adapts by launching new products and services.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 7%
- Increased dividend annually since 1958
- Dividend status list: Dividend King
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
Companies That Pay Dividends In December: Utilities
9. American Electric Power
AEP is one of those steady dividend stocks operating in the utility sector as a regulated utility.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 4%
- Increased dividend annually since 2010
- Dividend status list: Dividend Achiever
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is early November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
The company makes money by producing, transporting, and selling electricity. Their service territory is mainly in the mid-western United States.
10. Dominion
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend – late November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December.
Dominion isn’t my favorite stock on today’s list because management reduced the dividend a few years ago. Since then, dividend growth has been slow.
I’m still holding my shares because of the relatively high dividend yield. But I wouldn’t buy the stock today if I didn’t own it.
11. Duke Energy
For more dividends in December, I’m staying in the utility sector and adding Duke Energy to today’s list.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 2%
- Increased dividend annually since 2005
- Dividend status list: Dividend Achiever
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- Investors earn dividends in March, June, September, and December
Duke’s businesses focus on electricity, natural gas, and renewable energy sources.
December Dividend Paying Stocks From Other Sectors
I will round out today’s list of December dividend stocks by highlighting companies operating in several industries.
12. Chevron – Energy
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 8%
- Increased dividend annually since 1987
- Dividend status list: Dividend Aristocrat
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December
13. Aflac – Financial Services
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 13%
- Increased dividend annually since 1983
- Dividend status list: Dividend Aristocrat
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December
14. Realty Income – Real Estate
I’m a big fan of Realty Income, the “Monthly Dividend Company.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 4%
- Increased dividend annually since 1994
- Dividend status list: Dividend Aristocrat
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend – late November
- The stock pays dividends monthly.
The company’s track record of regular and recurring dividend payments and consistent growth speak for themselves. Operating as a real estate investment trust, you can be sure most of this company’s profit will be paid to stockholders in the form of dividends!
More about – the Realty Income dividend track record.
15. International Business Machines – Technology
Good ole’ “Big Blue” pays an excellent dividend yield and has slowly begun to grow revenues again.
- 20-year average annual dividend growth rate: 13%
- Increased dividend annually since 1996
- Dividend status list: Dividend Aristocrat
- The ex-dividend date for the December dividend is mid-November
- The stock pays dividends in March, June, September, and December
Okay. That concludes my list of 15 stocks paying December dividends. But don’t go just yet; I have several more critical points to cover.
Tips For Making Monthly Dividend Income In December And Beyond
Here are some dividend investing tips and additional resources for maximizing your dividend income.
Pay Attention To The Dividend Dates
Invest before the ex-dividend date to earn December dividends.
Check your target company’s investor relations website. There, they will list the essential dividend dates for past and future payments approved by the board of directors.
Learn More About Dividend Investing
Are you ready to take your investing to another level? If yes, check out the Financial Freedom Dividend Investing Course Simply Investing offers.
I learned a ton from the course and have made a lot of dividends following the lessons that Simply Investing teaches.
Invest, think long-term, and grow your wealth. Do it right, and you can get rich off dividends.
Stay On Top Of Your Dividend Stocks With The Best Tools
Above and beyond the dividend investing course, check out the Simply Investing Report and Analysis Platform.
Simply Investing’s interactive database is an excellent resource for current stock recommendations and supporting analysis for the stocks you buy and hold.
Let Simply Investing do the stock research for you. Invest in new stocks wisely, then periodically monitor and adjust your portfolio for better long-term investment returns.
December Dividend Stocks – Wrap Up
Okay. That’s a wrap for today. For additional insights into dividend investing, here are some more of my favorite articles:
- Get ready NOW for January dividends
- How to make $2,000 off monthly dividends
- Investing for dividends vs growth
- All of our dividend-investing resources
Author Bio: Tom Scott founded the consulting and coaching firm Dividends Diversify, LLC. He leverages his expertise and decades of experience in goal setting, relocation assistance, and investing for long-term wealth to help clients reach their full potential.