Intro

When investors think about banks, they often focus on the largest national institutions. But few businesses can point to a model that has worked for more than 120 years, surviving the Great Depression, multiple financial crises, and countless interest rate cycles along the way.

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Intro

🦅 Top Dividend Growth Focused Eagles of the Week

Each week we spotlight companies accelerating their dividend growth — reliable names built to push your passive income higher, faster, year after year.

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Intro

List of Undervalued Dividend Stocks

These stocks are undervalued. By investing in strong, undervalued companies that frequently increase their dividend rates, we benefit from dividend compounding and strong price performance—getting great businesses at a discount.

List of Undervalued Dividend Stocks (July)

Welcome to this month’s Undervalued Dividend Short-List.

This is not a random collection of stocks. This is a rare moment where some of the best dividend businesses in the world are trading at prices the market won’t offer for long. You are not here to guess. You are here to build income.

With the MaxDividends Income System, you are not just buying companies — you are using a proven way to see which great businesses are mispriced, which are strong enough to survive any market cycle, and which are positioned to grow their dividends for years to come. You know what you own, why you own it, and what to do next.

That’s the difference between hoping and having control. You have a roadmap. You have real data. You have a system and the technology behind it.

This month’s list brings you a powerful triple-edge: great businesses, selling at a discount, with real dividend growth ahead — all filtered through the same system used to build long-term, dependable income.

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🦅 Top Dividend Growth Focused Eagles of the Week

Each week we spotlight companies accelerating their dividend growth — reliable names built to push your passive income higher, faster, year after year.

Intro

This series is about dividend growth first. Here we focus on companies where dividend income is already meaningful today - but the real story is how fast that income can grow over time.

These are businesses with the financial strength, earnings momentum, and capital discipline to raise dividends aggressively and consistently. Income grows first. Capital follows.

This is the part of the portfolio designed to accelerate future cash flow — so your dividend income doesn’t just grow… it compounds at speed.

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This report is part of the MaxDividends Premium Research Collection — exclusive deep-dive analyses reserved for members. Each report goes far beyond headline metrics, examining business quality, dividend durability, financial strength, valuation, and long-term income potential through the MaxDividends framework.

Learn Dividend Investing One Stock at a Time

🎓 Parker-Hannifin Corporation (PH)

Parker‑Hannifin stands out as a company associated with engineering depth, mission‑critical components, and a diversified platform built to serve repeat, long‑cycle demand. It operates across motion and control systems, filtration, fluid connectors, aerospace components, and engineered materials, with a footprint that spans industries and geographies far beyond any single end market.

It is also an established dividend company — supported by a business model tied to essential industrial applications, a structure designed to navigate economic cycles, and a capital allocation philosophy that has consistently emphasized shareholder returns across decades of changing conditions.

In this Deep Dive, Parker‑Hannifin goes through the MaxDividends Five‑Pillar Formula — the same disciplined framework we use to assess whether a company can sustain (and grow) its dividend through recessions, shifting industrial demand, and slower growth environments.

👉 Let’s break it down — step by step.

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Intro

Every month, we update the MaxDividends Buy / Hold / Sell List — our handpicked collection of elite dividend companies and the same list we rely on in our own portfolios.

The goal is simple: provide clear guidance on which dividend stocks are attractive to buy, which remain worth holding, and which may be time to sell.

Remove guesswork from dividend investing.

• Buy when opportunities are attractive.

• Hold when quality remains intact.

• Sell when the investment case breaks.

This Month’s Changes

We continue strengthening the core of the Buy list with elite dividend compounders — businesses that combine exceptional financial discipline, strong dividend growth, and long-term structural advantages.

🟢 Buy — Status Update

The Buy list now includes 111 high-quality Dividend Eagles — businesses with exceptional financial strength, consistent dividend growth, and long-term income potential.

Including names like:

Fuchs Petrolub SE 🇩🇪

✔ 24-year dividend growth streak
✔ Undervalued
✔ Dividend Safety Score: 97 / 99

The MaxDividends Research Platform: Dividend Analysis.

Lockheed Martin 🇺🇸

✔ 23-year dividend growth streak
✔ Undervalued
✔ Dividend Safety Score: 98 / 99

The MaxDividends Research Platform: Dividend Analysis.

These are just two examples from the Dividend Eagles currently rated Buy. The complete Buy list is available inside the MaxDividends Research Platform.

🟡 Hold — Status Update

43 companies currently remain on Hold.

Most status changes were driven by valuation, elevated payout ratios, or Financial Scores falling below our Buy threshold. In many cases, business quality remains intact, but current conditions do not justify additional buying.

🔴 Sell — Status Update

Microchip Technology (MCHP) → Sell

We’re downgrading Microchip Technology to a sell. The dividend payout trend looks pretty odd. The company’s been borrowing to fund dividends for a few years now, and that’s not something that can keep going forever. Levels are getting pretty stretched. Maybe things improve, but we’d rather stay on the sidelines for now.

Why This List Matters

Most investors know what to buy. Far fewer know:

• when to stop buying

• when to keep holding

• when to exit

The Buy / Hold / Sell List solves that problem.

The Full June 2026 Buy / Hold / Sell List is now available inside the MaxDividends Research Platform

Complete with all Buy, Hold, and Sell ratings, status changes, and supporting analysis.

The MaxDividends Research Platform.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

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Intro

🦅 Top Capital Growth Focused Dividend Eagles of the Week

Each week, we select the best growth-focused dividend stocks that are undervalued or fairly valued based on the MaxDividends strategy. Perfect for DGI investors, long-term dividend growth investors, and those seeking capital appreciation.

The Role of This Series Inside the MaxDividends

Inside the MaxDividends framework, every series has a job.

This series is about capital growth first. Here we focus on companies where capital appreciation leads the story, and dividends serve as a quality filter.

These are businesses that reinvest intelligently, expand earnings power, grow intrinsic value — and because of that, pay and raise dividends over time.

Capital grows first. Income follows.

📌 Today’s Table of Contents

Your Essential Dividend Investing Guide

🏆 Top 3 Gainers of the Week - These are the names that delivered the strongest price gains on the market - proof that reliable dividend payers don’t just hand out income, they can also fly high on capital growth.

🌎 Top 3 Global Capital Growth Picks of the Week - International dividend stocks with compelling long-term growth prospects and the potential to generate attractive capital gains alongside growing shareholder payouts.

🚀 Top 10 Capital Growth Dividend Stocks (USA) - This week’s most attractive U.S. dividend stocks for investors seeking capital appreciation. Companies positioned to benefit from powerful business trends, earnings growth, and long-term value creation.

📖 How We Select Capital Growth Dividend Eagles - An inside look at the MaxDividends process for identifying dividend stocks with the greatest potential for long-term capital appreciation.

🎯 The Role of This Series Inside the MaxDividends Strategy - How Capital Growth Dividend Eagles fit into the broader MaxDividends framework and why they are designed for dividend investors who put capital appreciation first and income second.

Top Gainers of the Week

Every week, some of our Dividend Eagles spread their wings a little wider. These are the names that delivered the strongest price gains on the market—proof that reliable dividend payers don’t just hand out income, they can also fly high on capital growth.

👉 Here are this week’s top 3 gainers from the Dividend Eagles list:

🥉 +13.03% AMAT — Applied Materials Inc

Applied Materials is one of the world’s leading suppliers of equipment, software, and services used to manufacture advanced semiconductors. Its technologies play a critical role throughout the chip production process, helping semiconductor companies improve performance, efficiency, and production yields across increasingly complex manufacturing environments.

As chipmakers expand capacity to meet growing demand from AI, cloud computing, and data centers, companies providing essential production equipment remain positioned at the center of one of the most important long-term technology investment cycles.

🥈 +17.43% JBHT — J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt is one of North America’s largest transportation and logistics providers, offering intermodal, trucking, dedicated fleet, and supply chain services. Its extensive network helps businesses move goods efficiently across the country while benefiting from long-standing customer relationships and a large-scale operating platform.

As economic activity improves, logistics providers often serve as an early indicator of growing commercial demand.

🥇 +24.87% BBY — Best Buy Co Inc

Best Buy is a leading consumer electronics retailer serving customers through both physical stores and digital channels. The company offers a broad range of technology products, appliances, services, and support solutions, creating customer relationships that extend beyond individual product purchases.

Investors appear increasingly optimistic that demand for consumer electronics, home technology, connected devices, and upgrade cycles may strengthen as economic conditions stabilize. Best Buy’s established brand, omnichannel capabilities, and customer service platform continue supporting its position within the evolving consumer technology landscape.

🔥 This Week’s Top Capital Growth Ideas Are Live

The companies above delivered some of the strongest gains among our recent Capital Growth Focused picks. Now it’s time to look ahead.

Our latest Top Capital Growth Dividend Ideas report is already available on the MaxDividends Research Platform

Featuring a new set of high-quality companies selected for long-term dividend growth and capital appreciation.

MaxDividends Research Platform. Tools → Premium Content.

MaxDividends Research Platform. Premium Insights.

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MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

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An Old-School Utility With a Surprisingly Modern Growth Story

Evergy (EVRG)

There’s a certain kind of business that does not need to be exciting to be worth a closer look.

Evergy is one of those companies. It keeps the lights on for about 1.7 million electric customers in Kansas and Missouri. That is the plain version of the story. It owns and runs the kind of utility business people depend on every day, whether the stock market is calm or acting like a washing machine on spin cycle.

The company is not chasing the newest trend. It is a regulated electric utility. That means it invests in power plants, transmission lines, and the grid, then works with regulators to recover those costs through approved rates. It is not a perfect business, but it is built around steady demand and fairly predictable cash flow.

For dividend investors, the dividend history is the first thing that stands out.

Evergy pays an annual dividend of $2.78 per share, giving the stock a forward yield of about 3.37%. The company has raised its dividend for 22 years in a row. That kind of streak does not happen by accident. It usually comes from a business where customers keep paying the bill because electricity is not optional.

The payout ratio is about 73.74%. That is not low, but for a regulated utility, it is not unusual either. Utilities often carry higher payout ratios because their earnings tend to be more stable than companies tied to fast-changing consumer demand or commodity prices.

The Newer Part of The Story Is Growth

Evergy is seeing rising demand from data centers and large industrial customers. The company has already signed power agreements with names like Google and Meta, and it is working through a larger pipeline of future demand. That matters because utilities usually grow slowly, one rate case and one project at a time. Here, Evergy may have a real growth engine tied to large customers that need a lot of electricity for many years.

To support that demand, Evergy has increased its 2026–2030 capital plan to $21.6 billion. That money is expected to go into generation, grid upgrades, and infrastructure needed to serve bigger loads. In simple terms, more big customers need more power, and Evergy plans to build the system to serve them.

The story sounds promising. A utility with a 22-year dividend-growth streak. A new wave of demand from data centers. And billions being invested to support future growth.

Is Evergy Worth Buying Right Now?

That answer depends on factors that go beyond the headline story — valuation, dividend safety, financial strength, debt levels, and whether management can actually deliver on its growth plans.

Inside the MaxDividends Research Platform, you’ll find our complete Evergy rating, fair value estimate, dividend analysis, and clear buy, hold, or sell assessment.

Get the Full MaxDividends Experience

🔓 Unlock MaxDividends Premium →

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

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Intro

In this section, we share ready-made sets of promising dividend growth stocks with strong future dividend potential — built for $300, $500, and $1,000 weekly investment plans.

Easy-Peasy Secret Formula

At MaxDividends, Easy-Peasy isn’t built on opinions or lucky picks. It’s built on a proven income system — the same principles that have created wealth and cash flow for investors for generations.

This is the MaxDividends Income System in action: a safe financial engine designed to turn capital into growing dividend income, week after week, year after year.

Every Easy-Peasy set you see is not “a list of stocks.” It’s the result of a clear, tested process that stands on three pillars:

• Dividend Intelligence — finding businesses with real cash flow, sustainable payouts, and the ability to keep raising income over time.

• Risk & Quality Control — filtering out weak balance sheets, fragile dividends, and companies that can’t survive the next cycle.

• Execution & Momentum — a system that keeps you moving forward even when you’re busy, tired, or not thinking about the market.

That’s how the Easy-Peasy formula is born. Inside the MaxDividends Income System, we use:

• The MaxDividends Research Platform — to track real portfolios, dividends, and income growth in real time.

• The MaxDividends Platform Ideas — to surface high-quality dividend opportunities and optimize yield.

• The Dividend Eagles List — pre-built universes of companies that have already proven they can grow and pay shareholders.

This isn’t theory. This is a working machine. And you’re already inside it.

You don’t have to wonder whether this works — you can see the dividends landing, month after month. Below you’ll see exactly how that system turns into real money — simple, boring, and incredibly powerful.

More importantly, you’ll see how you can put the same system to work in your own portfolio today, whether you’re just beginning your investing journey or already building wealth.

This Week’s Additions

This week, the Easy-Peasy portfolios added positions in:

• Primerica Inc (PRI)

• Badger Meter Inc (BMI)

• +4 more high-quality dividend growers

⭐️ $300 Weekly Portfolio Snapshot. Week 94

• Total invested: ~$27,029

• Dividends today: ~$778/year vs $769/year last week

• Weekly Income Growth: +$9/year

Looking Ahead

If dividend growth and contributions continue at similar rates: Projected 10-Year Income: ~$205/month. That’s over 10% yield on original capital invested.

Dividend Growth Highlights

Recent increases from portfolio holdings:

• Williams-Sonoma +15.15%

• Shoe Carnival +13.33%

• Cisco Systems +2.44%

• Bank OZK +2.17%

Each increase boosts future income without investing another dollar.

⭐️ $500 Weekly Portfolio Snapshot. Week 94

• Total invested: ~$45,835

• Dividends today: ~$1,316/year vs $1,305/year last week

• Weekly Income Growth: +$11/year

Looking Ahead

Projected 10-Year Income: ~$360/month. A portfolio that increasingly pays you while you continue building it.

Dividend Growth Highlights

• The Home Depot +1.3%

• The Hershey Company +5.99%

• L3Harris Technologies +4.17%

• Kforce +2.56%

⭐️ $1,000 Weekly Portfolio Snapshot. Week 94

• Total invested: ~$92,007

• Dividends today: ~$2,581/year vs $2,561/year last week

• Weekly Income Growth: +$20/year

Looking Ahead

Projected 10-Year Income: ~$713/month. Enough to create a meaningful stream of passive cash flow while still focusing on dividend growth.

Dividend Growth Highlights

• Mueller Industries +40.0%

• Chevron Corporation +4.09%

• Cohen & Steers +8.06%

• Brunswick Corporation +2.33%

The Dividend Snowball in Action

Every week, we invest a fixed amount into high-quality dividend growth companies and track what happens next. It’s income growth.

Across all Easy-Peasy portfolios, dividend income continues rising through:

• New weekly investments

• Dividend reinvestment

• Dividend increases from portfolio companies

That's how a few dollars per month eventually turn into hundreds and later, thousands.

Build Your Own Easy-Peasy Portfolio with the MaxDividends Research Platform

What if you could run that same Easy-Peasy engine…

• tailored to your budget,

• aligned with your goals,

• on your schedule?

That’s exactly why we built the Ideas Assistant inside the MaxDividends Research Platform.

You've already seen how Easy-Peasy works. Every week, the system identifies what to buy. Shares get added. Dividends grow. Income starts moving on its own.

Now that engine is in your hands.

With the Ideas Assistant inside the MaxDividends Research Platform, you can build your own personalized Easy-Peasy portfolio based on:

• how much you want to invest — $200, $800, $2,000, or any amount

• your goal — capital growth, dividend growth, or income today

• your pace — weekly, monthly, or whenever you’re ready

The Ideas Assistant then tells you exactly what to buy right now, using the same rules, the same filters, and the same income-first logic behind the Easy-Peasy portfolios.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Done 🚀

No guessing. No “what should I buy today?” Just the system, working for your life.

Already running your own portfolio?

The Ideas Assistant becomes your quiet co-pilot — checking your ideas, filling gaps, and keeping you inside the MaxDividends Income System while your income keeps compounding.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

💧 York Water (YORW): Two Centuries of Clean Water and Growing Dividends

Success Stories - A New Episode

🔹 In Short

Most companies measure success in years. York Water measures it in centuries.

The company provides water and wastewater services across Pennsylvania, supplying homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and local communities with one of life’s most essential resources. Every day, customers rely on York Water for something they simply cannot live without: clean, reliable water.

At first glance, it may seem like a small utility company. But behind that simple business model sits one of the most remarkable dividend stories in American history. York Water has been paying dividends continuously since 1816, making it one of the longest-running income-generating businesses available to public investors today.

This is the kind of company that quietly turns an essential service into generations of growing shareholder income.

📜 History & Path to Success

York Water traces its roots back to 1816, making it the oldest investor-owned utility in the United States.

For more than two centuries, the company has focused on a straightforward mission: providing reliable water service to local communities while steadily expanding its customer base and infrastructure footprint. Unlike many businesses that must constantly reinvent themselves, York Water has benefited from offering a service that remains essential regardless of economic cycles, technological change, or consumer trends.

Over time, the company built its success by expanding water and wastewater operations, acquiring nearby utility systems, investing in critical infrastructure, and operating within a regulated framework that supports long-term stability.

Today, York Water serves thousands of residential, commercial, and industrial customers across Pennsylvania and continues to expand through organic growth and acquisitions.

💡 Did you know?

York Water has paid dividends continuously since 1816.

That means shareholders received dividend payments through the Civil War, the Great Depression, both World Wars, multiple recessions, financial crises, and even the COVID pandemic. Very few companies in the world can point to a dividend record measured in centuries rather than decades.

🏆 What Makes York Water Unique

York Water benefits from something incredibly simple: people can delay buying a new car, postpone a vacation, or put off a home renovation, but they cannot stop using water.

The company’s business model is built around one of the most predictable forms of demand in the economy. Homes need water. Businesses need water. Hospitals need water. Schools need water. That demand exists regardless of whether the economy is booming or slowing down.

York Water also benefits from the characteristics that make many utility businesses attractive long-term investments. Building and maintaining water infrastructure requires significant capital, creating natural barriers to entry and limiting competition. Once systems are in place, customers tend to remain connected for decades.

Key advantages include:

✔ Essential service with constant demand

✔ Highly predictable cash flows

✔ Regulated utility business model

✔ Long-lived infrastructure assets

✔ Strong barriers to entry

✔ Proven ability to grow through acquisitions

That’s durability.

💰 The Dividend Reality (No Stories, Just Math)

This is where the story stops being interesting and starts becoming extraordinary.

Facts:

• Dividend payments without interruption since 1816

• More than 200 consecutive years of shareholder distributions

• More than 25 consecutive years of dividend increases

• One of the longest dividend payment records in American corporate history

Let’s look at what that really means.

York Water has paid dividends through the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, multiple recessions, financial crises, inflationary periods, and global pandemics.

Thousands of companies have come and gone during that time. York Water kept paying.

🧭 The System Behind the Choice

York Water didn’t end up in this story by accident. And it’s not about catching the perfect moment or trying to time the market.

It’s about owning businesses that are built to pay — and to keep paying. Real companies really do distribute cash to shareholders for decades. They pay. They grow. And over time, they turn patience into income.

👉 But only if you consistently own the right ones.

That’s exactly why the MaxDividends Research Platform exists.

The goal isn’t to chase headlines, predictions, or the market’s latest obsession. The goal is to systematically identify businesses with durable cash flows, strong financial health, reliable dividend growth, and the ability to keep creating shareholder value year after year.

The platform helps investors separate truly exceptional dividend companies from the thousands of ordinary stocks in the market.

It helps identify businesses that are financially strong, confirms whether dividends remain sustainable, highlights when quality companies become reasonably valued or undervalued, and makes it easier to build positions when the odds are quietly in your favor.

This is how investing stops being a hope and becomes a plan.

Companies that really pay. Companies that pay and grow. And a research process that helps you find them — and hold them long enough for compounding to do its job.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

Intro

A selection of ultra-high dividend stocks with ~10% annual yield. This list features the most sustainable ultra-high yield dividend stocks and funds — and are selected using the MaxDividends Income System. Updated monthly, along with a model portfolio to track real-time performance.

The Max Income Insider — June 2026 edition

Where the MaxDividends Income System Fits in Ultra-High Yield

Results like 8–10% annual income don’t come from chasing yield. They come from following a clear, proven system.

Inside MaxDividends, ultra-high yield is treated as a structured income module — with strict filters, repeatable rules, and zero guesswork. That’s how high income becomes sustainable, predictable, and actually usable — through the MaxDividends Income System, powered by our dividend intelligence platform.

📌 Today’s Table of Contents

• Top 3 Dividend Stocks Paying ~10%+ Right Now - these names are on fire — strong payouts, high scores, real income.

• Top 5 Monthly Dividend Funds Paying ~10% Annually - the easiest way to lock in double-digit cash flow every month.

• Full Updated Watchlist of the Month: Top 10 Ultra-High Yield Stocks - all the best current picks in one place — refreshed monthly.

• How to Build a Portfolio Targeting 10%+ Annual Dividend Income Monthly - learn how to build a portfolio targeting up to 10% annual dividend income monthly with the proven MaxDividends Income System and MaxDividends Research Platform.

🎯 Spotlight: Last Month’s 3 Dividend Cash Machines

Ambra (AMB) — Consumer Defensive

Yield: 5.79% | Consistent Payer: 17 years

A Central European producer and distributor of wines, ciders, and alcoholic beverages.

Rubis (RUI) — Energy

Yield: 5.89% | Consistent Payer: 31 years

A French energy distribution company supplying fuel, gas, and renewable electricity across Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Teleperformance (TEP) — Industrials

Yield: 7.82% | Consistent Payer: 16 years

A global provider of outsourced customer support, digital services, and trust & safety solutions.

Today’s Edition

These were some of the dividend ideas featured in last month’s issue. A lot has changed since then, and today’s top dividend picks are different.

Inside the newly published Income Insider, you’ll find:

• Top 3 dividend income stocks for today

• The full list of high-yield dividend stocks targeting ~10% annual income

• Top 5 monthly-paying funds yielding 10%+ annually

• The complete strategy and research behind our selections

🔥 The New Issue Is Now Live And Available

On The MaxDividends Research Platform For All Subscribers

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

⭐ Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

The #1 Platform for Dividend Investors

Top Dividend Stocks & ETFs • Buy/Hold/Sell Ratings • Income Strategies • Member Insights • Dividend Tracker

💬 Questions? Ask the Community →

A Medical Device Business Built Around Everyday Healthcare

Stryker (SYK)

When most people think about healthcare companies, they often think about drugmakers. Stryker is different.

The company makes many of the products hospitals and surgeons use every day. Its business includes orthopedic implants, surgical equipment, medical tools, neurotechnology products, and a wide range of devices used in operating rooms across the country.

What makes the business interesting is that it doesn’t rely on a single blockbuster product. Instead, Stryker is woven into many parts of the healthcare system. Hospitals continue performing surgeries, replacing equipment, and purchasing medical devices regardless of what happens in the broader economy. That creates a steady stream of demand that tends to repeat year after year.

For dividend investors, Stryker is not a high-yield stock. The current dividend yield sits at 1.17%, and the company pays $3.52 per share annually. However, the story here is not today’s income level. It’s the growth of that income over time.

Stryker has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years. Even more notable, the dividend has grown by roughly 44% over the last five years.

The payout ratio remains around 41%, which means the company is still using less than half of its earnings to fund the dividend while retaining plenty of capital for new products, acquisitions, and business expansion.

The latest quarter showed that the business continues moving forward. First-quarter 2026 revenue reached $6.0 billion, while adjusted earnings came in at $2.60 per share. A cybersecurity incident during the quarter created some temporary disruption and affected the timing of certain sales, but management maintained its full-year outlook, suggesting that underlying demand remains intact.

Looking ahead, much of Stryker’s growth continues to come from areas where hospitals already spend significant amounts of money. New orthopedic products, surgical tools, medical equipment upgrades, and increasing procedure volumes all contribute to the company’s long-term growth strategy.

One of the advantages of this business is that hospitals typically don’t switch suppliers frequently. Surgeons become familiar with specific instruments and implant systems, staff are trained on certain equipment, and healthcare providers often prefer consistency. That creates long-term customer relationships and makes the business somewhat more predictable than many industries.

The business story is important. But for investors, the bigger question is whether the stock is worth buying today.

Is it attractively valued? How strong are the finances? Can dividend growth continue for years to come? And what signals should you watch if the story starts to change?

These are the questions we answer inside the MaxDividends Research Platform with simple ratings, dividend analysis, valuation tools, and clear buy, hold, and sell guidance.

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

Intro

Each week we spotlight companies accelerating their dividend growth — reliable names built to push your passive income higher, faster, year after year.

📌 Today’s Table of Contents

Here’s what made this week’s Capital Growth radar.

🏆 Top 3 Fastest-Growing Dividend Companies

These companies are leading the pack when it comes to dividend growth. With the strongest recent payout increases, they’re rapidly boosting the future income potential of their shareholders and setting the pace for dividend growth investors.

⭐️ Top 10 USA Dividend Growth Stocks of the Week

+Full Model Portfolio and commentary on this week’s fastest-growing dividend names

🌍 Top 3 International Dividend Growth Picks

Global gems fueling the worldwide wave of dividend acceleration

💼 My Weekly Moves

What I’m buying, adding, or holding as the income snowball speeds up

📖 How Do We Select Capital Growth Dividend Eagles

An inside look at the MaxDividends process for identifying dividend stocks with the greatest potential for long-term capital appreciation.

🎯 The Role of This Series Inside the MaxDividends Strategy

How Capital Growth Dividend Eagles fit into the broader MaxDividends framework and why they are designed for dividend investors who put capital appreciation first and income second.

Top 3 Fastest-Growing Dividend Companies of the Week

These companies are leading the pack when it comes to dividend growth. With the strongest recent payout increases, they’re rapidly boosting the future income potential of their shareholders and setting the pace for dividend growth investors.

🥉 Houlihan Lokey (HLI)

Recent Dividend Growth: +16.67%

Houlihan Lokey is a global investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring, valuation services, and corporate financial advisory. The firm serves corporations, private equity sponsors, institutions, and government clients across a wide range of industries.

The company continues to rank among the fastest-growing dividend payers in the financial sector. Supported by its asset-light business model and strong cash generation, Houlihan Lokey has built an impressive dividend growth record that continues to enhance its long-term income potential.

🥈 Shore Bancshares (SHBI)

Recent Dividend Growth: +16.67%

Shore Bancshares is a community-focused banking company providing commercial banking, consumer banking, wealth management, and financial services throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

The bank delivered one of the strongest dividend increases of the period, reflecting improving profitability and confidence in its capital position. For dividend growth investors, Shore Bancshares stands out as a smaller financial institution that is rapidly expanding shareholder income.

🥇 Watts Water Technologies (WTS)

Recent Dividend Growth: +21.15%

Watts Water Technologies develops water quality, flow control, plumbing, and infrastructure solutions used across residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial markets worldwide. Its products play a critical role in improving water safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

The company delivered the largest dividend increase among this period’s dividend growers. Backed by strong free cash flow generation and long-term exposure to global water infrastructure investment, Watts continues to demonstrate its ability to compound shareholder income at an impressive pace while maintaining exceptional business quality.

🔥 This Week’s Top 10 Dividend Growth Ideas Are Live

The full edition of this week’s Top Dividend Growth Ideas report is already available on the MaxDividends Research Platform for all subscribers.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Every month, we update the MaxDividends Buy / Hold / Sell List — our handpicked collection of elite dividend companies and the same list we rely on in our own portfolios.

The goal is simple: provide clear guidance on which dividend stocks are attractive to buy, which remain worth holding, and which may be time to sell.

Remove guesswork from dividend investing.

• Buy when opportunities are attractive.

• Hold when quality remains intact.

• Sell when the investment case breaks.

The June 2026 Buy / Hold / Sell List is now available inside the MaxDividends Research Platform

Complete with all Buy, Hold, and Sell ratings, status changes, and supporting analysis.

This Month’s Changes

We continue strengthening the core of the Buy list with elite dividend compounders — businesses that combine exceptional financial discipline, strong dividend growth, and long-term structural advantages.

✅ Recently Added New Companies

35 international dividend opportunities were added this month.

Including:

• Novo Nordisk (NVO)

• Yokogawa Bridge Holdings (5911)

And 33 more companies that earned a place on the list after passing our review process.

🟢 Buy — Status Update

35 international companies have been added.

🟡 Hold — Status Update

The Hold list has been updated. Most changes are valuation-driven.

Several companies moved to Hold due to Overvalued status. Business quality remains intact — we simply respect price discipline inside the MaxDividends Income System.

🔴 Sell — Status Update

Microchip Technology (MCHP) → Sell

We’re downgrading Microchip Technology to a sell. The dividend payout trend looks pretty odd. The company’s been borrowing to fund dividends for a few years now, and that’s not something that can keep going forever. Levels are getting pretty stretched. Maybe things improve, but we’d rather stay on the sidelines for now.

Why This List Matters

Most investors know what to buy. Far fewer know:

• when to stop buying

• when to keep holding

• when to exit

The Buy / Hold / Sell List solves that problem.

👉 The complete Buy / Hold / Sell List — including all Buy, Hold, and Sell ratings, status changes, and company-by-company explanations — is available inside the MaxDividends Research Platform.

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Intro

In this section, we share ready-made sets of promising dividend growth stocks with strong future dividend potential — built for $300, $500, and $1,000 weekly investment plans.

Easy-Peasy Secret Formula

At MaxDividends, Easy-Peasy isn’t built on opinions or lucky picks. It’s built on a proven income system — the same principles that have created wealth and cash flow for investors for generations.

This is the MaxDividends Income System in action: a safe financial engine designed to turn capital into growing dividend income, week after week, year after year.

Every Easy-Peasy set you see is not “a list of stocks.” It’s the result of a clear, tested process that stands on three pillars:

• Dividend Intelligence — finding businesses with real cash flow, sustainable payouts, and the ability to keep raising income over time.

• Risk & Quality Control — filtering out weak balance sheets, fragile dividends, and companies that can’t survive the next cycle.

• Execution & Momentum — a system that keeps you moving forward even when you’re busy, tired, or not thinking about the market.

That’s how the Easy-Peasy formula is born. Inside the MaxDividends Income System, we use:

• The MaxDividends Research Platform — to track real portfolios, dividends, and income growth in real time.

• The MaxDividends Platform Ideas — to surface high-quality dividend opportunities and optimize yield.

• The Dividend Eagles List — pre-built universes of companies that have already proven they can grow and pay shareholders.

This isn’t theory. This is a working machine. And you’re already inside it.

You don’t have to wonder whether this works — you can see the dividends landing, month after month. Below you’ll see exactly how that system turns into real money — simple, boring, and incredibly powerful.

More importantly, you’ll see how you can put the same system to work in your own portfolio today, whether you’re just beginning your investing journey or already building wealth.

This Week’s Additions

This week, the Easy-Peasy portfolios added positions in:

• Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR)

• Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

• +3 more high-quality dividend growers

⭐️ $300 Weekly Portfolio Snapshot. Week 93

• Total invested: ~$26,7241

• Dividends today: ~$769/year vs $759/year last week

• Weekly Income Growth: +$10/year

Looking Ahead

If dividend growth and contributions continue at similar rates: Projected 10-Year Income: ~$204/month. That’s over 10% yield on original capital invested.

Dividend Growth Highlights

Recent increases from portfolio holdings:

• Williams-Sonoma +15.15%

• Shoe Carnival +13.33%

• Cisco Systems +2.44%

• Bank OZK +2.17%

Each increase boosts future income without investing another dollar.

⭐️ $500 Weekly Portfolio Snapshot. Week 93

• Total invested: ~$45,387

• Dividends today: ~$1,305/year vs $1,296/year last week

• Weekly Income Growth: +$9/year

Looking Ahead

Projected 10-Year Income: ~$358/month. A portfolio that increasingly pays you while you continue building it.

Dividend Growth Highlights

• The Home Depot +1.3%

• The Hershey Company +5.99%

• L3Harris Technologies +4.17%

• Kforce +2.56%

⭐️ $1,000 Weekly Portfolio Snapshot. Week 93

• Total invested: ~$91,015

• Dividends today: ~$2,561/year vs $2,534/year last week

• Weekly Income Growth: +$27/year

Looking Ahead

Projected 10-Year Income: ~$706/month. Enough to create a meaningful stream of passive cash flow while still focusing on dividend growth.

Dividend Growth Highlights

• Mueller Industries +40.0%

• Chevron Corporation +4.09%

• Cohen & Steers +8.06%

• Brunswick Corporation +2.33%

The Dividend Snowball in Action

Every week, we invest a fixed amount into high-quality dividend growth companies and track what happens next. It’s income growth.

Across all Easy-Peasy portfolios, dividend income continues rising through:

• New weekly investments

• Dividend reinvestment

• Dividend increases from portfolio companies

That's how a few dollars per month eventually turn into hundreds and later, thousands.

Build Your Own Easy-Peasy Portfolio with the MaxDividends Research Platform

What if you could run that same Easy-Peasy engine…

• tailored to your budget,

• aligned with your goals,

• on your schedule?

That’s exactly why we built the Ideas Assistant inside the MaxDividends Research Platform.

You've already seen how Easy-Peasy works. Every week, the system identifies what to buy. Shares get added. Dividends grow. Income starts moving on its own.

Now that engine is in your hands.

With the Ideas Assistant inside the MaxDividends Research Platform, you can build your own personalized Easy-Peasy portfolio based on:

• how much you want to invest — $200, $800, $2,000, or any amount

• your goal — capital growth, dividend growth, or income today

• your pace — weekly, monthly, or whenever you’re ready

The Ideas Assistant then tells you exactly what to buy right now, using the same rules, the same filters, and the same income-first logic behind the Easy-Peasy portfolios.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Done 🚀

No guessing. No “what should I buy today?” Just the system, working for your life.

Already running your own portfolio?

The Ideas Assistant becomes your quiet co-pilot — checking your ideas, filling gaps, and keeping you inside the MaxDividends Income System while your income keeps compounding.

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

The #1 Platform for Dividend Investors

Top Dividend Stocks & ETFs • Buy/Hold/Sell Ratings • Income Strategies • Member Insights • Dividend Tracker

💬 Questions? Ask the Community →

Intro

Each week, we select the best growth-focused dividend stocks that are undervalued or fairly valued based on the MaxDividends strategy. Perfect for DGI investors, long-term dividend growth investors, and those seeking capital appreciation.

📌 Today’s Table of Contents

Here’s what made this week’s Capital Growth radar.

🏆 Top 3 Gainers of the Week

These are the names that delivered the strongest price gains on the market - proof that reliable dividend payers don’t just hand out income, they can also fly high on capital growth.

🌎 Top 3 Global Capital Growth Picks of the Week

International dividend stocks with compelling long-term growth prospects and the potential to generate attractive capital gains alongside growing shareholder payouts.

🚀 Top 10 Capital Growth Dividend Stocks (USA)

This week’s most attractive U.S. dividend stocks for investors seeking capital appreciation. Companies positioned to benefit from powerful business trends, earnings growth, and long-term value creation.

📖 How We Select Capital Growth Dividend Eagles

An inside look at the MaxDividends process for identifying dividend stocks with the greatest potential for long-term capital appreciation.

🎯 The Role of This Series Inside the MaxDividends Strategy

How Capital Growth Dividend Eagles fit into the broader MaxDividends framework and why they are designed for dividend investors who put capital appreciation first and income second.

Top 3 Gainers of the Week

These are the names that delivered the strongest price gains on the market—proof that reliable dividend payers don’t just hand out income, they can also fly high on capital growth.

🥉 +17.64% AMAT — Applied Materials Inc

Applied Materials is one of the world’s leading suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, materials engineering solutions, and advanced process technologies. Its systems are used by chipmakers around the globe to produce increasingly complex semiconductors that power everything from smartphones and data centers to artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Recent strength continues reflecting growing optimism around long-term semiconductor capital spending and expanding AI-related investment. As chip manufacturers race to increase production capacity and develop next-generation technologies, investors continue recognizing Applied Materials’ critical role in enabling the future of advanced computing.

🥈 +32.73% BBY — Best Buy Co

Best Buy is the largest consumer electronics retailer in North America, offering a broad range of technology products, appliances, services, and support solutions through both physical stores and digital channels. The company has built a strong position by combining product expertise, customer service, and an extensive omnichannel platform.

Recent momentum appears to be supported by improving consumer spending expectations and renewed interest in technology upgrades across several product categories. Investors also continue focusing on the company’s strong cash generation, disciplined capital returns, and ability to adapt to evolving consumer purchasing trends.

🥇 +60.91% QCOM — Qualcomm Inc

Qualcomm develops semiconductor and wireless communication technologies used across smartphones, AI-enabled devices, automotive systems, connected infrastructure, and next-generation computing platforms. The company remains one of the most important technology providers behind global mobile connectivity and intelligent edge computing.

Recent momentum has been fueled by accelerating enthusiasm around AI-enabled devices, improving semiconductor market sentiment, and expanding growth opportunities beyond traditional smartphone markets. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded across consumer and industrial technologies, investors continue placing greater value on Qualcomm’s long-term position within the global technology ecosystem.

🔥 This Week’s Top Capital Growth Ideas Are Live

The full edition of this week’s Top Capital Growth Dividend Ideas report is already available on the MaxDividends Research Platform for all subscribers.

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

⭐ Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

Top Dividend Stocks & ETFs • Buy/Hold/Sell Ratings • Income Strategies • Dividend Tracker • Community

42 Years of Dividend Growth From a Utility Most People Never Think About

Most people never think about natural gas pipelines.

They wake up, make coffee, cook breakfast, heat their homes, and go about their day without giving a second thought to how that energy gets there. That’s exactly what makes Atmos Energy interesting.

This isn’t a company built around exciting headlines. It isn’t chasing the latest technology trend or trying to reinvent itself every few years. Its business is much simpler: keep the gas flowing, keep the system safe, and keep customers connected.

For more than a century, that’s exactly what it has done.

Atmos Energy serves approximately 3.3 million customers across eight states. The company owns and operates an extensive network of natural gas distribution systems, pipelines, and storage facilities.

Every year, it invests heavily in maintaining and upgrading that infrastructure, improving safety, replacing aging equipment, and expanding its network where needed.

For dividend investors, this is the kind of business model that often deserves attention.

The company currently pays an annual dividend of $4.00 per share, providing a dividend yield of about 2.31%. More importantly, Atmos has increased its dividend for 42 consecutive years.

That streak tells an important story.

The company continued raising its dividend through recessions, inflationary periods, energy market disruptions, and financial crises. Businesses don’t usually build records like that unless they have a durable business model and management teams that think beyond the next quarter.

Another encouraging sign is that the dividend remains well covered. Atmos currently pays out less than half of its earnings as dividends, giving the company room to continue investing in growth while still rewarding shareholders.

The latest quarter showed that the business continues to perform as expected. Revenue approached $2 billion, earnings remained strong, and management noted that more than 85% of capital spending was directed toward safety and reliability projects.

That may not sound exciting, but for long-term investors, it is often exactly what you want to hear.

Utilities create value differently than many other businesses. Growth often comes from steadily investing in infrastructure, improving the system, and earning approved returns on those investments over time. Atmos has invested more than $15 billion into its network over the past decade, helping modernize and strengthen the system that serves its customers every day.

Management expects earnings and dividend growth of roughly 6% to 8% annually through fiscal 2027. Those numbers may not grab headlines, but they represent the kind of steady progress many dividend investors appreciate.

No dramatic promises. No need for constant excitement.

Just a business that continues doing its job, year after year, while increasing the income it sends back to shareholders.

Atmos Energy may never be the most talked-about stock in the market. Most people outside the utility industry probably don’t spend much time thinking about it.

But sometimes the businesses that quietly perform essential services and steadily grow their dividends are the ones that help investors sleep well at night.

And for many long-term dividend investors, that’s worth paying attention to.

“The big money is not in the buying and selling, but in the waiting.” — Charlie Munger

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

⭐ Try the MaxDividends Research Platform →

Top Dividend Stocks & ETFs • Buy/Hold/Sell Ratings • Income Strategies • Dividend Tracker • Community

Learn Dividend Investing One Stock at a Time

🎓 Pool Corporation (POOL)

Hey — Max here 💪

When investors think about the infrastructure behind backyards, resorts, and commercial facilities — and the supply chains that keep pools operating year after year — Pool Corporation stands out as a name associated with scale, steady replacement demand, and a distribution network built for repeat purchasing.

It is a company positioned across pool and outdoor living products, maintenance and repair supplies, and equipment that supports both new builds and the recurring service cycle, with an operating footprint that extends well beyond any single region or channel.

It is also a proven dividend company — supported by a business model tied to ongoing maintenance demand, a structure designed for resilience through cycles, and a shareholder‑minded capital allocation approach that has rewarded investors through multiple economic environments.

In this Deep Dive, Pool Corporation runs through the MaxDividends Five‑Pillar Formula — the same clear framework we use to evaluate whether a company can keep paying (and raising) dividends through downturns, shifting priorities, and slower growth periods.

👉 Let’s break it down — step by step.

How This Company Makes Money?

Do I clearly understand how Pool Corporation earns its money — and does the business make sense?

Pool Corporation generates revenue in a fairly straightforward way: by distributing pool, spa, and outdoor living products and supplying the equipment, chemicals, and parts that keep residential and commercial pools operating, serving contractors, service professionals, and other trade customers across its network. The core drivers:

1️⃣ Distribution to the Pool Trade

This segment supplies the “everyday needs” of pool ownership through professionals who build, renovate, and service pools. Demand is supported by routine water care, seasonal opening and closing activity, and a large installed base that requires constant upkeep, creating repeat purchasing that extends far beyond any one construction cycle.

2️⃣ Maintenance, Repair, and Replacement

A major portion of the business is tied to equipment and parts that wear out over time, including pumps, filters, heaters, cleaners, and related components. Because these products have predictable replacement cycles and failures can’t be ignored for long, the category tends to generate recurring demand even when new pool starts slow.

3️⃣ Remodeling and Outdoor Living

Beyond basic upkeep, Pool benefits when homeowners and property managers invest in renovations, upgrades, and adjacent outdoor categories. These purchases are more discretionary than chemicals and critical parts, but they’re supported by the long life of the asset and the tendency for owners to reinvest over time as systems age and preferences change.

4️⃣ Commercial and Higher‑Complexity Customers

Pool also serves commercial facilities and more demanding applications where reliability, availability, and knowledgeable support matter. In these settings, product selection, speed of delivery, and consistent inventory access strengthen customer relationships and help reinforce repeat business through service cycles.

The key strength is that Pool Corporation sits at the intersection of a large installed base and recurring upkeep needs that don’t disappear when conditions soften, supplying the products and availability that keep pools running across residential and commercial settings.

This isn’t a hype‑driven growth narrative — it’s a scaled distributor built around repeat purchasing, service‑driven demand, and an installed‑base tailwind that can remain durable through a wide range of economic environments.

👉 And yes — this business model is simple, understandable, and makes perfect sense.

Is This a Good Stock to Buy Long Term?

Has the company shown the kind of consistency and resilience a long‑term dividend strategy needs?

The MaxDividends approach is built around dependable businesses that can raise their dividends year after year. The longer you own them, the more cash they steadily feed into your portfolio — without you having to constantly trade or tinker.

The MaxDividends Strategy Checklist – Simple Steps to Pick the Right Stocks

Step 1: Dividend History

Our filter: Companies with 15+ years of consistent dividend growth.

Pool Corporation doesn’t just clear the bar on dividend consistency — it shows the kind of steady, compounding upward pattern long‑term dividend investors look for, and it does so in a business shaped more by installed‑base maintenance demand and distribution discipline than by one‑off product cycles.

POOL’s annual dividend per share rose from roughly $0.55 in the early 2010s to about $4.95 most recently. That progression matters because it points to a payout backed by recurring cash generation and a management mindset that treats the dividend as an ongoing obligation.

For a pool‑focused distributor exposed to weather variability, housing and discretionary-spend cycles, swings in new pool construction, and periodic inventory and pricing resets across the channel, that kind of consistency is not something investors should assume by default.

It suggests Pool has been able to produce sufficient free cash flow across very different environments and manage capital allocation with enough discipline to keep raising the dividend even when demand normalizes, the mix shifts, or the broader consumer backdrop cools.

✅ Step 1 passed — Pool Corporation (POOL) behaves like a Dividend Eagle, with a resilient record of dividend growth that has held up across housing-driven cycles and supports the case for POOL as a credible dividend‑growth holding.

Step 2: The Five-Pillar Secret Formula

1️⃣ Sales Growth – The Foundation of a Strong Business

On the 10‑year view, Pool Corporation’s revenue moved from roughly the mid‑$2B range in the mid‑2010s to about $5.2B most recently. The path is not perfectly linear — and that is exactly what investors should expect. POOL is influenced by weather and seasonality, discretionary spending and housing conditions, the pace of new pool construction and remodel activity, channel inventory adjustments, and pricing and product‑mix shifts across equipment, chemicals, and parts. But even with those moving parts, the long‑term revenue base has expanded meaningfully.

That pattern fits the reality of Pool’s model. POOL does not grow because of short‑lived hype or a single product fad. It grows by deepening relationships with contractors and service pros, expanding its distribution reach, capturing more of the ongoing maintenance-and-repair spend tied to a large installed base, and benefiting from the long life of pools that require continuous chemicals, replacement parts, and periodic upgrades. Across a full cycle, that embedded role can support revenue durability even when individual years are affected by demand normalization, a slower housing backdrop, or a temporary reset in big‑ticket outdoor projects.

✅ Sales Growth passed — Pool Corporation’s resilient long‑term revenue base supports the view of POOL as a durable distribution platform with a credible foundation for dividend continuity.

2️⃣ Profit Growth – The Fuel for Dividend Growth

Pool Corporation’s profit growth trend sends a message that is slightly different from the revenue line, but just as important for dividend investors: profitability has stayed solid over time even without a perfectly smooth upward climb. Over the last decade, profit growth generally moved from roughly $0.7B in the mid‑2010s to a peak near $1.8B, before easing back toward about $1.5B.

For a pool‑industry distributor, it suggests POOL is not dependent on one unusually strong year to justify its earnings power, but instead operates from a profit base that can reassert itself across changing demand conditions, shifting product mix, and the normal volatility that comes with seasonality and channel dynamics.

Profit durability here is driven by scale and distribution efficiency, repeat purchasing tied to maintenance and repair, and the stickiness that comes from being a reliable supplier to service professionals who value availability, speed, and breadth of inventory.

A meaningful share of demand is tied to keeping existing pools operating rather than purely discretionary “nice‑to‑have” upgrades, which tends to support earnings quality even when new pool builds slow or when big‑ticket projects pause.

✅ Profit Growth passed — Pool Corporation’s durable profit base strengthens dividend reliability.

3️⃣ Net Income – True Measure of Strength

Pool Corporation’s net income trend offers a picture dividend investors should appreciate: a consistently profitable business with enough variation to test the thesis, but not enough to break it. Over the 10‑year view, net income starts around roughly $0.15B, climbs into the $0.6B–$0.75B area in stronger years, and finishes near about $0.40B most recently.

That is exactly why we focus on resilience, not perfection. Pool operates in a market shaped by seasonality and weather, consumer and housing-cycle sensitivity, swings in new pool starts and discretionary remodels, and periodic inventory and pricing normalization across the channel.

What matters for dividend investors is whether the company can stay solidly profitable through those shifts and then stabilize as conditions normalize, rather than suffering a lasting earnings collapse. In POOL’s case, the answer appears to be yes: net income stays positive throughout the period, and the company demonstrates an ability to absorb weaker stretches instead of sliding into a sustained decline.

✅ Net Income passed — Pool Corporation shows a resilient earnings profile over the decade, reinforcing that its dividend growth is supported by real operating durability rather than a temporary upswing.

4️⃣ Dividend Payout Safety – Protecting Passive Income

Pool Corporation’s payout ratio sits in a reasonable band for a mature distributor that has steadily returned cash to shareholders, generally moving from around the low‑30% area into the low‑to‑mid‑40% range. There are fluctuations, of course, but nothing that suggests the dividend has drifted away from the company’s underlying earnings power.

That context matters, because this is not the profile of a business forcing the dividend to “look safe” on paper. It is what a payout ratio looks like when management grows the dividend while navigating the realities of a seasonal, housing‑sensitive end market, shifts in demand between discretionary projects and non‑discretionary maintenance, and occasional normalization after unusually strong years.

In POOL’s case, the move higher in the later years appears tied more to temporary pressure on the earnings base than to any dramatic change in the dividend itself. In simple terms, the ratio rises when profits cool and stabilizes when profitability firms up.

✅ Dividend Payout Safety passed — Pool Corporation’s payout ratio has remained within a sustainable range, supporting the view that the dividend is well covered under normal conditions and positioned to keep growing without putting unnecessary strain on the business.

5️⃣ Debt Burden – Avoiding Financial Traps

Pool Corporation does use debt, and that alone should not alarm dividend investors. The key issue is not whether debt exists, but whether it stays manageable or not. On the 10‑year debt ratio view, POOL’s leverage looks generally controlled throughout the period, with the ratio spending much of the decade around roughly the low‑0.6 to low‑0.8 range and finishing near about 0.67 most recently.

That picture suggests a balance sheet that has remained inside a workable zone for a scaled distributor managing inventory, working‑capital seasonality, and acquisitions, and it points more to normal operating leverage than creeping financial stress.

A distribution business can see swings in working capital, pricing, and demand timing that temporarily distort leverage optics, especially in periods of channel restocking or normalization.

But the broader pattern here does not resemble a company quietly boxing itself in. Instead, it indicates Pool has generally maintained room to fund operations, support growth initiatives, and still keep a shareholder‑return policy intact.

✅ Debt burden passed — Pool Corporation’s leverage trend appears controlled, supporting the view that the dividend has been backed by balance‑sheet discipline rather than financed at the expense of future flexibility.

Bottom Line: The Company Financial Condition?

Financial Score 90+ ✅

Treat this as a fast snapshot of overall business strength. The higher the rating, the more robust and reliable the company tends to be through different environments.

A score above 90 typically points to a high‑quality operation built to endure — and with Pool Corporation at 99, the takeaway is straightforward: POOL shows excellent underlying fundamentals, strong staying power, and the kind of resilience dividend investors prioritize.

MaxDividends Five-Pillar Secret Formula. Step 2 - ✅

Through the lens of our Five‑Pillar Secret Formula, Pool Corporation comes across as a strong dividend‑growth candidate for long‑term income investors — a business that has built a larger revenue base across housing and seasonal swings, maintained solid profitability through normalization periods, managed its payout with restraint, and still ranks extremely well on overall financial strength.

The MaxDividends Financial Score is simply the “quick read” version of that same five‑pillar work, letting you assess any company at a glance while the full rigor of the process runs underneath the surface.

✅ Passed: Pool Corporation — Proven Dividend Eagle 🦅

Does It Fit My Plan?

Finding the Right Role for Every Dividend Stock – MaxRatio

Dividend stocks aren’t interchangeable, and treating them that way is how investors end up disappointed. The same “dividend” label can describe very different tools: some names are best held for decades as slow-and-steady compounders, others earn a spot as core holdings because they blend income with dependable growth, and a smaller group is mainly about maximizing cash flow today.

These three dimensions together tell you whether a stock should function as your growth accelerator, a steady value creator that compounds both gains and income, or your primary cash machine.

• 🚀 Growth Eagles (MaxRatio below 4) — These prioritize appreciation. Current yields may look modest, but they signal a healthy, durable business. You’re building serious long-term wealth while your dividend quietly compounds into tomorrow’s income stream.

• ⚖️ Balanced Eagles (MaxRatio 4–8) — The middle path. You earn meaningful dividends right now while watching those payments climb steadily, creating compounding on both your capital and your cash receipts.

• 💵 Income Eagles (MaxRatio 8+) — Pure income generators. These deliver fat yields today while adding steady, predictable growth — the perfect choice if your priority is hassle-free, dependable cash production.

MaxRatio exists for one reason: it lets you place each dividend holding into its proper role and assemble a portfolio that mirrors your personal objectives — whether you’re chasing explosive growth, seeking balanced gains plus regular payments, or maximizing today’s passive income stream.

Let’s Take Pool Corporation (POOL)

Inside the MaxDividends Research Platform, head to Company Analytics. From there, you can scan any name on your watchlist and see both the Financial Score and MaxRatio side by side, without digging through separate screens.

With a MaxRatio of 10.47, a 2.20% dividend yield, and 116.00% cumulative dividend growth over the past 5 years, Pool Corporation lands in the Income Eagles 💵 bucket.

That tells you POOL is better viewed as a cash‑flow‑oriented dividend name rather than a pure “growth-first” dividend compounder. The yield is still moderate, but the higher MaxRatio points to a profile where current income plays a larger role in the total return equation.

This is the kind of dividend stock that can fit investors who want a dependable payout backed by a financially strong business, without relying on a very high headline yield.

Pool isn’t designed to be a bond substitute, but it can serve as a steady income contributor where ongoing pool maintenance demand, replacement cycles, and a scaled distribution network help support dividends.

💵 Is the Stock Undervalued Today?

Cheaper than competitors?

✅ In the MaxDividends Research Platform, Pool Corporation currently screens as Undervalued versus its peer group.
The implication is that, at today’s price, the market is assigning POOL a lower relative value than its earnings strength suggests.

Put plainly: you’re potentially buying more business performance and profit-producing capacity per dollar invested than you’d get from many comparable names in the space. When a financially strong dividend payer shows up at a relative discount, it often belongs on the “actively consider” list, not just the “keep watching” list.

Cheaper than its own history?

✅ Cheaper vs. its own 10-year average.

Over the past decade, Pool Corporation has typically traded around an average P/E of about 28.45. Today, it sits closer to 20.96, which means the stock is priced below its own long‑term valuation norm.

In plain English: investors are currently paying less than usual for each dollar of POOL’s earnings, even though this remains a mature, installed‑base-driven business where results usually progress in a steady, cycle-aware way rather than through sudden “hypergrowth” bursts.

That doesn’t automatically make Pool a must‑buy dividend stock — but it does shift the conversation toward “quality at a better price.”

Better Yield Than Usual?

✅ Yield above its long-term average.

Today Pool Corporation’s dividend yield sits at 2.20%, compared to its 15‑year average of about 1.30%. That means investors are currently collecting more income than the long‑run norm at today’s price.

In plain English: you’re locking in a yield that’s meaningfully above what POOL has typically offered over time — which often happens when the stock price is softer relative to the dividend level, or when the dividend has grown faster than the market’s willingness to pay up for the shares.

The chart shows POOL’s yield spending long stretches around the low‑1% area, dipping even lower during periods when the stock was priced richly, and then lifting sharply toward the 2% range, with today’s reading around 2.2%.

This is a common setup for high‑quality dividend growers: the payout keeps climbing, but when the valuation multiple compresses, the current yield expands.

Analyst Consensus

✅ Analysts do see short-term upside for Pool Corporation (POOL).

The average 12‑month price target for Pool Corporation is about $262.91, implying roughly +15.50% upside from current levels. The target range is still fairly wide — from around $215.00 on the low end to about $340.00.

For dividend investors, that combination is useful. POOL is not only a “collect the dividend and forget it” name; it also has a plausible path to share-price appreciation if conditions stabilize, maintenance and replacement demand stays firm, and the market becomes willing to assign a higher multiple to the predictability of its cash flows.

Is This One for Me?

Here’s how Pool Corporation stacks up under the MaxDividends lens:

• POOL acts as a scaled distributor to the pool and outdoor-living industry, supplying chemicals, equipment, parts, and related products primarily to pool builders and service professionals. In investor terms, the model is easy to grasp — it sits in the middle of a large installed base that must be maintained, repaired, and periodically upgraded.

• The business benefits from repeat purchasing tied to routine water care, predictable replacement cycles for equipment, and sticky relationships built on convenience, inventory availability, and reliable fulfillment that smaller competitors struggle to match.

• 15 consecutive years of dividend increases and a shareholder‑return mindset that has persisted through very different housing and consumer backdrops. Pool Corporation has worked through seasonal volatility, swings in new pool construction, and post‑surge normalization in discretionary demand while still lifting the dividend, which points to disciplined capital allocation and an earnings base anchored by recurring main

• According to the MaxDividends Research Platform, Pool Corporation is showing up as Undervalued versus peers, while also trading below its own 10‑year average valuation, and its current dividend yield of 2.20% sits above its historical 15‑year average of about 1.30%.

That makes POOL a solid option for dividend investors who want a steadier income contributor backed by quality, rather than a pure low‑yield compounder.

The yield isn’t extreme, but paired with a long streak of raises, reasonable payout coverage, and a business model supported by recurring maintenance and replacement demand from a large installed base, it can be a disciplined way to build dependable income across a wide range of market conditions.

***

The same formula we just used for Pool Corporation works for any stock. No hype, no noise — just clear steps that let you see whether a company truly fits your plan.

And the best part? This isn’t theory. It’s all already built into the MaxDividends Research Platform: the Financial Score, the MaxRatio, the Top Dividend Eagles list, and even my own personal shortlist. Everything in one place, ready whenever you are.

MaxDividends is a treasure chest for dividend investors of any size and focus. Whether you’re after growth, balance, or pure income, you’ll find the tools and the community to back you up.

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

This is one of the breakdowns we shared with Premium members

⭐ For Premium Partners Only

🦅 Top Capital Growth Focused Dividend Eagles of the Week

Each week, we select the best growth-focused dividend stocks that are undervalued or fairly valued based on the MaxDividends strategy. Perfect for DGI investors, long-term dividend growth investors, and those seeking capital appreciation.

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

The Role of This Series Inside the MaxDividends

Inside the MaxDividends framework, every series has a job.

This series is about capital growth first. Here we focus on companies where capital appreciation leads the story, and dividends serve as a quality filter.

These are businesses that reinvest intelligently, expand earnings power, grow intrinsic value — and because of that, pay and raise dividends over time.

Capital grows first. Income follows.

📌 Today’s Table of Contents

Your Essential Dividend Investing Guide

• Top 10 Capital Growth Dividend Stocks (USA) - This week’s strongest names: steady dividend payers with serious capital growth power. I’ll share my portfolio highlights, fresh recommendations, and why these stocks stand out. Don’t just watch—these are the kinds of picks that can quietly compound into real wealth.

• Top 3 U.S. Capital Growth Dividend Ideas - Three new opportunities with the perfect mix of growth, financial strength, and rising payouts. If you’ve been waiting for your next buy signal—this is it.

• Top 3 Global Capital Growth Picks of the Week - Dividend payers outside the U.S. with the rare combo of stability and capital appreciation. A chance to diversify globally—before the crowd catches on.

• Dividend News, Market Updates & My Portfolios – The key headlines, big payout moves, and exactly how I’m shifting my own capital. Real-world insights you can act on.

• My Watchlist & Weekly Strategy – The names I’m stalking right now and the plan I’m setting up for the week ahead. Don’t miss what could be your next entry point.

Weekly Watchlist – This Week’s Top 10 Capital Growth Dividend Leaders

Let’s break it down — step by step.

👉 Read the full breakdown here

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A subscription gives you full access to everything you see, plus:

• A printed copy of The 5 Timeless Rules of Dividend Investing — a $69 Amazon bestseller, included as a gift 🎁 (with annual subscription)

• Top Dividend Insights — access high-quality dividend investment ideas and carefully selected opportunities to support a dividend-focused lifestyle.

• Full access to the MaxDividends Research Platform (App) — your navigator, with no limits

• The full MaxDividends Income System (stock ideas, breakdowns, Buy/Hold/Sell lists, my watchlist)

• The environment — a group of like-minded investors, many already living off dividends

• Private webinars, AMA sessions, deep-dives, and Premium community access

2.26% Dividend Yield, 17 Years of Dividend Hikes

This is the kind of business that quietly lives inside payroll systems, HR departments, and employee benefit packages that companies rarely rush to replace.

It earns money from disability, life, dental, and voluntary insurance products, but the real advantage comes from its workplace relationships.

Once benefits become embedded inside an employer ecosystem, customer turnover tends to stay low and premium streams become far more durable than they may appear at first glance.

That combination of recurring premiums, disciplined underwriting, and long-term employer relationships has helped turn the company into a steadier and more predictable insurance business than many investors assume.

Q1 2026: earnings were strong where it counts

A subscription gives you full access to everything you see, plus:

• A printed copy of The 5 Timeless Rules of Dividend Investing — a $69 Amazon bestseller, included as a gift 🎁 (with annual subscription)

• Top Dividend Insights — access high-quality dividend investment ideas and carefully selected opportunities to support a dividend-focused lifestyle.

• Full access to the MaxDividends Research Platform (App) — your navigator, with no limits

• The full MaxDividends Income System (stock ideas, breakdowns, Buy/Hold/Sell lists, my watchlist)

• The environment — a group of like-minded investors, many already living off dividends

• Private webinars, AMA sessions, deep-dives, and Premium community access