The Ultimate Weekly Paycheck Portfolio: 12 Dividend Stocks
Introduction
Your bills can’t wait for three months, so why should your dividends? The ultimate weekly paycheck portfolio: just 12 dividend stocks that will pay you every single week of the year.
This isn’t your average dividend strategy either. These 12 stocks pay almost four times more than the dividend on the broader market and grow that payout faster than inflation. Whether it’s for rent, groceries, or that surprise car repair, this portfolio is built to cover life’s real costs whenever they happen.
Featured Stocks: January, April, July, October Payouts
Cisco Systems (CSCO)
We’re getting started with shares of Cisco Systems, ticker CSCO. And while it’s the lowest dividend yield on the list at just 2.4%, this is still the stock to own for your dividend portfolio. First, because as a tech stock, it’s got that growth that you won’t see in some of these other traditional dividend payers in banking or energy.
At a 2.4% dividend, Cisco’s payment actually makes it a high-yield tech stock, which is like having a Diet Coke with your triple bacon cheeseburger. At least you’re heading in the right direction. But there’s more to it than that.
And what I wanted you to notice in each of these stocks first is that not only has Cisco paid that dividend yield consistently and has grown it to put more cash in your pocket, but has also increased the share price by 50% over the last 5 years.
But every one of these stocks has grown its dividend and the share price, growing both your portfolio and your income.
And while Cisco is more than 40 years old, its networking hardware and services are coming into a new era of growth with that AI data center buildup. Its integrated solutions across switching, routing, and cybersecurity are going to draw in more of that massive capital spending to build data centers over the next few years, upwards of a trillion dollars just from the five big hyperscalers.
Historical data
In the historical data tab, you can see shares of Cisco go ex-dividend in the first week of January, April, July, and October.
But right now, you’re earning 41 cents a share each time these dates come around.
For example, on that coming boom in networking revenue, I think Cisco has a hell of a lot bigger upside than to the average $71 price target among the 17 analysts covering it, even above the higher $77 target price.
Cisco is just getting us started with this dividend in the first week of January, April, July, and October. We’ve got stocks paying out six and 7% dividend yields, and the next one has grown its dividend by over 20% a year.
Diversification in Dividend Investing
I tried to pull stocks from different sectors and industries. The problem with dividend investing is if you just chase those stocks with the highest dividend yields, you’re likely to end up with stocks in just a few industries like real estate, business development corporations, and energy.
That’s going to leave your portfolio and your dividends in danger of a crash if anything happens to one of those particular industries. So, even though some of these stocks in these other industries, like traditional banks, aren’t going to pay the highest dividend yields, you want to include a few of those for that dividend safety and diversification.
EOG Resources (EOG)
EOG Resources, ticker EOG, and its 3.4% dividend, along with a giant 143% return over the last 5 years. It is one of the largest natural gas producers in the United States with production over 10,000 equivalent barrels a day, about 85% of its total volume.
I like EOG here because as we start seeing those export facilities built out, seeing that natural gas fetch higher prices around the world here, we see shares of EOG go ex-dividend in that second week of our January to October schedule.
And this stock is a cash flow machine, increasing that dividend at a 20% annual pace from just 37 cents a share five years ago. That is triple your dividend payment in just 5 years.
Analysts have an average price target just under $140 a share, about a 15% upside to EOG over the next year on top of that solid dividend yield. And the natural gas theme takes this one higher for years.
EOG goes ex-dividend on the second week in that January, April, July, and October schedule, sending you that 3.4% annual yield your way.
AbbVie (ABBV)
Shares of ABBV, ticker ABBV, have been a longtime favorite for dividend investors with a stable 3.5% yield. This company is a best-in-class pharmaceutical with a strong pipeline across every phase of trials, which keeps that revenue growing.
Skaritzia and Reinvoke both continued blockbuster growth expected to reach $27 billion in global sales by 2027 from just 16 billion last year, and the company recently raised its guidance on other indications.
ABBV overlaps a little with our EOG dividend. Both going ex-dividend in the second week of January, April, and October. So, your cash flows are going to be coming close together with these two weeks.
I like both stocks and didn’t want to sub in another stock just to separate the dividend a few days. And not only do you get that strong dividend growth here, but analysts see the stock up 12% over the next year to a target of $213 per share.
ABBV goes ex-dividend in the second and third week of the month and is growing that dividend by twice the pace of inflation. It’s going to put more money in your pocket every year.
Understanding Dividend Dates
We still have nine more dividend stocks to round out your portfolio and produce those weekly dividends, but I want to explain a little how this works, how easy it is to create a stream of passive weekly income.
You see, with dividend stocks, there are three dates you need to know about if you’re going to be investing. These are the declaration date, the ex-dividend date, and then the payment date.
Declaration Date
The declaration date is when the board of directors in a company announces its dividend. Here they’re also going to tell investors when the other two dates occur. The great thing about dividend stocks, folks, is that most of these try to stay extremely consistent with these dates, declaring a dividend in the same week, every 3 months, and every year. That gives you the opportunity to create a portfolio like this one.
A portfolio with the right stocks that are going to schedule a dividend payment every single week.
Ex-Dividend Date
The most important date for dividend investors is called the ex-dividend date. That is the first day the stock trades without the dividend. Pay attention to that. It means you need to own the shares on the day before that to get that dividend.
So, everyone that owns that stock at the close of market on the day before the ex-dividend date is going to get paid. If you buy the stocks on that ex-dividend date or after, you’re out. So, make sure you understand this if you’re going to buy these stocks.
For example, shares of Cisco went ex-dividend last on the 3rd of April. Everyone that owned the shares had to close a business on the 2nd of April got that 41 cents per share dividend.
But if you bought on the 3rd, the ex-dividend date, you were too late.
Payment Date
And last here is the payment date, and that’s usually going to be a couple of weeks after the ex-dividend date. So, it might be a week or two before that money hits your account.
Most of the time, this isn’t going to be a big deal because you’re going to be buying these stocks and holding them for years. And those dividend dates, they’re going to come every 3 months like clockwork, and you’re going to get paid in your account. The only time it will matter is if you’re adding or selling some of your stocks.
Featured Stocks: January, April, July, October Payouts (Continued)
Ford Motor (F)
Shares of car makers have had a rough run this year, but Ford Motor, ticker F, pays a solid 6.9% dividend and is ready to go. Higher costs on steel and aluminum tariffs are weighing on the profits with earnings forecast to plunge this year on a 2% drop in revenue.
But it’s taking the stock back into deep value territory at just 0.25 times on a price-to-sales basis. The F-150 continues to be the top-selling truck and the second highest-selling vehicle in the United States.
That means a hell of a brand Ford can use to get those sales growing again. Ford’s dividends are a little less rigidly scheduled as some of these other stocks.
Sometimes coming in very late in January and sometimes early February along with that April and May, July and October payments, but you’re always going to know because the company’s going to declare that date a couple of weeks in advance.
And this one has grown the payout by over 8% a year. That said, analysts are worried here with a price target of just $9.70 a share over the next year.
Any kind of a reversal of sterile tariffs or just an uptick in car sales could send these shares higher. Shares of Ford fill out our weekly dividends for the January, April, July, and October months and with the highest yield to the group and a very strong dividend growth.
Featured Stocks: February, May, August, November Payouts
Kinder Morgan (KMI)
We have one of my favorite energy stocks, Kinder Morgan, ticker KMI, with its 4% dividend yield and shares that have almost doubled in the past 5 years. The company owns more than 80,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines across the United States and draws constant fees from oil companies to use those assets.
That is the great thing about these MLPs, or the companies like them, the companies like Kinder that own these oil pipelines. The stock might rise and fall a little bit with oil prices, but they make their money on the volume and the fees.
So, it is a great cash flow asset. This stock has always been a great performer for me, both on price and dividend here with analysts expecting further upside to almost $32 a share over the next year, which would be a 12% return on top of the yield.
Kinder Morgan gets us started in the stocks paying in February, May, August, and November. While the dividend growth hasn’t been great here, this is one that is just going to keep on paying out.
Duke Energy (DUK)
Any list of reliable dividends is going to have a few utilities, and few are better than Duke Energy, ticker DUK, with its 3.5% yield. Duke serves over 8 million customers in six states across the Southeast and another 1.6 million customers in natural gas.
Not only does it benefit from long-term growth in nuclear generation, but as that data center buildout leads to a boom in electricity demand, especially in its core markets.
You do get some dividend growth here, but the real value is in the dependability of cash flows going ex-dividend like clockwork. And here, you wouldn’t expect a stodgy old utility company to do much for return, but analysts have an average target more than 10% higher and as high as 20% over the next year.
Duke goes ex-dividend in the second week of that February, May, August, and November schedule. And while the dividend growth is lowest on the list here, we’re coming up on two stocks that have grown their payouts by 10% a year.
Finding Dividend Stocks
We’ve still got those six more dividend stocks on our list, but I want to make sure you know how I found these and how to use this strategy. Like we’ve talked about, most of these dividend stocks pay out each year on an extremely consistent schedule.
Dividend investors love that certainty and the consistency. So, directors of the companies try to declare and pay those dividends on the same week, every 3 months, some even on the same day. So, you can put together a list of your top dividend stocks and then all it takes is going to a site like Yahoo Finance or really any investing platform.
You go to the stock, and here I’m going to use the historical data tab. If I change the time period to the last 5 years and then over to show dividends only, the site is going to show me the ex-dividend date for every dividend payment over that period.
And you can see these are consistently the same time during the same month. Shares of Apple go ex-dividend generally towards the end of the first week in February, May, August, and November.
Once you have a list of when your favorite dividend stocks go ex-dividend, you can plan it out so you have stocks going ex-dividend at different weeks of the month, and you always know you’re not too far from a payment.
Prudential Financial (PRU)
A 5% dividend yield on shares of Credential Financial, ticker PRU. Credential is a $1.5 trillion giant in life insurance, annuities, and retirement planning, and why I like it above others in the space.
Credential is a market leader in Japan and has a strong presence in Brazil with half of its earnings overseas. So, you’ve got some strong international diversification with this stock.
Here again, the dividends for Credential and our second-week stock are closer at times, usually in February, but you’re always going to know that that payment is coming mid-month.
Your dividend in this one is probably going to be most of the return, but I do think this one surprises higher than that $111 price target set by analysts. I’m not sure it makes it to the high target of $134 a share in the next year.
I really like Credential here for an all-around solid investment with its high 5% dividend yield and growing at a 4% pace. This is one that won’t let you down.
NextEra Energy (NE)
We’re adding another utility company here, but with a twist in Next Era Energy, ticker NE, and its 3.3% dividend. Next Era is probably my favorite utility because it combines the scale advantage of being the largest electric utility in the United States with the growth in a leading clean energy company.
And while that wind and solar segments have weighed on growth this year, the company has 28 gigawatts of backlog infrastructure orders and is set to grow with that demand for energy.
5 years ago, the dividend payment was just 35 cents a share. Now 60% higher to 56 cents each for a strong 10% annualized growth. More money every year.
It’s another utility company here, but I think the price returns are better here than that $78 average price target implies. Nuclear and some of the alt sources take longer to develop, but are going to add solid cash flows.
Next Era wraps up our February, May, August, and November dividends. And while that yield isn’t the highest, if the stock keeps growing in the dividends at that 10% pace, you’re going to see cash return jump.
Featured Stocks: March, June, September, December Payouts
Regions Financial (RF)
Region’s Financial, ticker RF, is one of the largest regional banks, and that size helps it secure its solid 4.2% dividend. And here’s another one with 10% dividend growth, growing that payment from just 15 cents a share 5 years ago, always hitting in that first week of the March to December schedule.
Regions is another one where I think the analyst community hasn’t caught up with the news yet. Deregulation and a better rate environment should push this one up higher than that $24 share price target.
Regions starts us off in the fourth schedule for dividend payments: the March, June, September, and December payments, and another stock that has grown that dividend by 10% a year.
We’re building out our list of 12 dividend stocks for rock-solid cash flow. The mega-cap companies that maybe while they don’t pay the highest dividends, you know they’re always going to make those payments.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, ticker HPE, might not offer the highest yield at just 2.5%, but this one has upside potential that is going to surprise the market.
I’ve been loading up on HPE lately, pointing out the likelihood of an approved merger with Juniper that would create a force in data center networking along with the company’s strength in that AI server space.
Because of a cyclical slowdown in PC sales, revenue is only forecast to grow 8% this year and 5% next. But once PC and laptop sales do start higher again, likely a turnaround later this year, you’re going to see these estimates jump.
Dividend growth has been slower here at just 1.6% a year as HPE ramps up that spending ahead of the AI server boom. But cash flows are coming. This is one you can depend on in that March, June, September, and December payment.
And while HP has outrun the analyst forecast, combine that server and the network in demand with a rebound in PC sales later this year, you’re going to see this stock jump past that $21 share price.
With the Juniper deal, I think we see stronger sales and earnings growth, which means that dividend growth speeds up as well. That should take not just the dividend higher, but also the share price.
Altria Group (MO)
This next stock, Altria Group, Ticker MO, is a controversial one, but hard to ignore with that 7% dividend yield and a good price return history.
The owner of the Marlboro brand in the United States is driving hard to a smoke-free future with heated tobacco and pouch products, has been able to keep revenue consistent despite a year-long trend in lower cigarette volume.
You see here, even against a 23% drop in cigarette volumes over the last 5 years, the company has been able to grow total volume by 2% a year on growth in that e-vapor and oral products.
Altria also owns nearly a 10% stake in beer maker Anheuser-Busch, worth an $8 billion in serious cash flow. Shares have done really well lately, and analysts don’t think it has much left.
This one isn’t going to make you rich, but I think it surprises above that $56 price target. And who can complain when you’re collecting 7% while you wait? You’re going to get that 7% yield in the third week.
But remember, you can always switch out any of these stocks just by finding another one that you like that goes ex-dividend in that same week and the same months.
Medtronic (MDT)
Medtronic, Ticker MDT, has struggled along with the medical device industry, but has never failed to pay that dividend, now at a 3.2% yield. It dominates its industry with a number one or two market position in all three of its core segments and a constantly evolving pipeline of products.
But then the company isn’t stopping there. With six AI-enabled products already FDA approved, from its intelligent endoscopy tool to systems for surgery, imaging, and neurosurgery.
Medical device stocks are still rebounding. Analysts see another 8% upside to the shares here over the next year on top of that cash payment. But this one is just going to keep on growing every year.
Conclusion
And here is that entire list of dividend stocks: 12 stocks that are going to produce a dividend check every week of the year. This dividend portfolio will produce an average 4.1% cash payment from some of the safest stocks in the market.
Cash flow you can count on. That’s almost four times the dividend yield you’re going to get from the overall market. Better still, these stocks are growing their dividends by over 6% a year.
