Data · Year in Review · annual
2026 in Dividends
Preliminary · Period 2026-01-01 to 2027-01-01 · Generated October 8, 2026 · updates daily until the period closes
Abstract
2026 in Dividends. SmarterDividends tracked 2,953 listed dividend payers during the year.
437 raised a regular dividend and 25 cut one, 17.5 increases per cut; 18 companies initiated a dividend and 17 paid a special.
The median increase was 7.1% and the median cut 37.2%.
As of 2026-10-08, 48% of payers with a fair-value estimate trade below it, and 471 are both undervalued and graded 75 or higher for dividend safety.
77% of the period's cuts came from companies graded C or lower beforehand.
Key figures
- Listed dividend payers
- 2,953
- Dividend increases
- 437
- Dividend cuts
- 25
- Increases per cut
- 17.5
- Initiations
- 18
- Special dividends
- 17
- Median increase
- 7.1%
- Below fair value
- 48%
- snapshot 2026-10-08
- Cheap and safe
- 471
- undervalued and safety ≥ 75
- Graded A or B for safety
- 60%
1.Dividend actions by month
| Month | Increases | Cuts | Initiations | Specials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 94 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| 2026-06 | 97 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 2026-07 | 39 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026-08 | 104 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 2026-09 | 94 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 2026-10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
2.Ten largest cuts
| Ex-date | Ticker | Company | Sector | Before | After | Change | Grade before |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | CCAP | Crescent Capital BDC, Inc. | Financial Services | $0.4200 | $0.0300 | -92.9% | D |
| 2026-05-15 | EMBJ | Embraer S.A. | Industrials | $0.0490 | $0.0090 | -81.6% | C |
| 2026-07-30 | MSB | Mesabi Trust | Basic Materials | $0.2400 | $0.0500 | -79.2% | C |
| 2026-07-02 | MSIF | MSC Income Fund, Inc. | Financial Services | $0.3600 | $0.1100 | -69.4% | — |
| 2026-06-30 | KREF | KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. | Real Estate | $0.2500 | $0.1000 | -60.0% | D |
| 2026-08-14 | SSRM | SSR Mining Inc. | Basic Materials | $0.0700 | $0.0300 | -57.1% | — |
| 2026-09-10 | TU | TELUS Corporation | Communication Services | $0.3000 | $0.1360 | -54.7% | B |
| 2026-09-01 | WEN | The Wendy's Company | Consumer Cyclical | $0.1400 | $0.0700 | -50.0% | C |
| 2026-07-30 | CAG | Conagra Brands, Inc. | Consumer Defensive | $0.3500 | $0.1750 | -50.0% | B |
| 2026-06-30 | BGS | B&G Foods, Inc. | Consumer Defensive | $0.1900 | $0.0950 | -50.0% | C |
3.Ten largest increases
| Ex-date | Ticker | Company | Sector | Before | After | Change | Streak (yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | PANL | Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd. | Industrials | $0.0500 | $0.1000 | +100.0% | 0 |
| 2026-07-20 | ILPT | Industrial Logistics Properties Trust | Real Estate | $0.0500 | $0.1000 | +100.0% | 1 |
| 2026-05-14 | NMRK | Newmark Group, Inc. | Real Estate | $0.0300 | $0.0600 | +100.0% | 5 |
| 2026-08-18 | APC | ARKO Petroleum Corp. | Energy | $0.2600 | $0.5000 | +92.3% | 0 |
| 2026-08-14 | RGR | Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. | Industrials | $0.1100 | $0.2100 | +90.9% | 0 |
| 2026-08-17 | DHT | DHT Holdings, Inc. | Energy | $0.6400 | $1.2200 | +90.6% | 0 |
| 2026-05-15 | GGB | Gerdau S.A. | Basic Materials | $0.0190 | $0.0360 | +89.5% | 0 |
| 2026-08-21 | SBLK | Star Bulk Carriers Corp. | Industrials | $0.5000 | $0.9000 | +80.0% | 0 |
| 2026-09-25 | SHIP | Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp | Industrials | $0.2000 | $0.3500 | +75.0% | 0 |
| 2026-05-22 | MCHB | Mechanics Bancorp | Financial Services | $0.4000 | $0.7000 | +75.0% | 1 |
4.Valuation and safety by sector
| Sector | Payers | Median yield | Below fair value | Median safety score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Services | 981 | 4.6% | 63% | 71 |
| Industrials | 284 | 1.5% | 27% | 83 |
| Real Estate | 213 | 5.8% | 39% | 60 |
| Consumer Cyclical | 200 | 2.6% | 41% | 74 |
| Energy | 161 | 3.5% | 49% | 62 |
| Technology | 147 | 1.4% | 30% | 82 |
| Basic Materials | 124 | 1.6% | 28% | 69 |
| Utilities | 111 | 4.0% | 28% | 85 |
| Consumer Defensive | 97 | 3.4% | 43% | 77 |
| Healthcare | 82 | 1.6% | 44% | 83 |
| Communication Services | 71 | 3.4% | 62% | 62 |
5.Dividend safety grades across the universe
| Grade | Payers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A | 920 | 35% |
| B | 668 | 25% |
| C | 810 | 31% |
| D | 228 | 9% |
| F | 7 | 0% |
Method and definitions
- Increases, cuts, initiations and specials follow the definitions used in the monthly notes: an increase is a regular payment more than 1% above the prior payment and at least equal to a year earlier; a cut is at least 3% below the prior payment and at least 10% below a year earlier. Fair value blends DCF, dividend-discount and earnings-multiple models. The safety score (0–100, graded A–F) weighs payout coverage, free cash flow, balance sheet, growth history and yield history.
- Universe: U.S.-listed dividend payers tracked by SmarterDividends; OTC and ADR duplicate listings are excluded. Valuation and safety figures are a snapshot as of 2026-10-08. Event tracking began 2026-04-01; action counts cover 2026-04-01 to 2027-01-01.
Cite this note
SmarterDividends (2026). 2026 in Dividends. https://smarterdividends.com/data/year-in-review/2026
Free to quote and reproduce with attribution and a link to this page.
For informational purposes only; not investment advice.