3 Dividend Aristocrats to Buy and Hold Forever

Everything is relative in the investment world, and sometimes long-term dividend investors need to consider lower-yielding names that are trading at attractive yields compared to their own histories. That's exactly the case today with 3M (NYSE: MMM), Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL), and Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT). Each of these Dividend Aristocrats deserves a very close look from the buy-and-hold crowd right now. 

Formerly known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, 3M has increased its dividend every single year for over six decades. That not only makes it a Dividend Aristocrat, but some would call it a Dividend King (meaning it has 50-plus years of annual hikes). Here's the thing: The yield is "only" 3.3% today. But that's toward the high end of the company's historical yield range. In fact, the yield hasn't been this high since the 2007-to-2009 recession. 

Image source: Getty Images.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com