Consistent, dividend-paying stocks are a favorite among many investors for their ability to provide passive income and, according to research, generally outperform the broader stock market. For dividend investors, it's essential to understand a company's history of raising its dividend and look at its financial metrics to see whether it can continue increasing it in the future.

With that in mind, here are three stocks that have a long history of growing dividends and are well positioned to continue.

American Express (NYSE: AXP) is a well-known global payments company that distributes a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share, equating to an annual dividend yield of 1.5%. The stock is a favorite of Warren Buffett, with Berkshire Hathaway first purchasing it in 1991. To illustrate the power of dividends, Berkshire completed its purchases in 1995 at a total cost of $1.3 billion. Today, Berkshire makes $302 million annually in dividends from American Express, and the investment, without reinvesting those dividends, is now worth $26.4 billion.

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Source Fool.com