The 3 highest-yielding dividend kings in April 2026.

Dividend Kings—companies that have increased their dividends annually for at least 50 consecutive years—are often favored by income investors for their ability to sustain payouts through varying market conditions. Among the highest-yielding Dividend Kings highlighted in the source are Altria, Universal Corporation, and Kimberly-Clark.

Altria: dividend support amid cigarette demand headwinds

Altria’s dividend yield is 6.3%, compared with roughly 1.1% paid by the S&P 500 index. The company’s core business is cigarettes, with Marlboro as its industry-leading brand—an advantage and a challenge.

On the negative side, cigarette demand in Altria’s main North American market is in steady decline. On the positive side, Altria has been able to raise prices because smokers are not particularly price-sensitive. This pricing power has helped the company steadily increase its dividend even as demand falls.

The company’s cash flows are described as robust enough to support dividend growth and also fund efforts to develop new products that could eventually replace cigarettes. The source notes that some of these efforts have involved major missteps, including billion-dollar write-offs, but it points to the dividend’s resilience as evidence of the business’s durability over time.

Selected market and dividend data (from the source)

• Dividend yield: 6.23%
• Current price: $67.32
• Market cap: $113B
• Gross margin: 75.86%

Universal Corporation: tobacco exposure with a 6.1% yield

Universal Corporation offers a 6.1% dividend yield. The source emphasizes two key differences versus Altria. First, Universal operates on a global scale. Second, Universal does not sell cigarettes; it sells tobacco to companies that make cigarettes and other smokable products.

Because cigarette demand is described as still fairly strong outside North America, the source suggests Universal may be better positioned than Altria in the current environment. However, it also characterizes tobacco as a commodity, which can make revenue and earnings more volatile from year to year.

The source also frames Universal as a “sin stock,” adding that investors uncomfortable with tobacco exposure may want to avoid it even if the yield is high.

Selected market and dividend data (from the source)

• Dividend yield: 6.12%
• Current price: $53.43
• Market cap: $1.3B
• Gross margin: 18.09%

Kimberly-Clark: acquisition-driven shift toward growth

Kimberly-Clark is described as a large consumer staples company known for paper products such as toilet paper. The source notes that demand for these products tends to hold up in both good and bad economic conditions, supporting dividend growth for more than 50 years.

However, paper products are not viewed as particularly growth-oriented within consumer products. To address this, Kimberly-Clark has agreed to buy Kenvue, a company that makes healthcare and personal care products. The source lists Kenvue brands including Tylenol, Band-Aid, and Listerine.

Under the planned deal, Kimberly-Clark is expected to become more growth-oriented and compete more directly with Procter & Gamble, a major consumer staples peer. The source characterizes the acquisition as expensive and highlights material integration risks, which it says is part of the reason Kimberly-Clark’s dividend yield is 5.2%.

Selected market and dividend data (from the source)

• Dividend yield: 5.20%
• Current price: $97.28
• Market cap: $32B
• Gross margin: 35.67%

Impact and investor considerations

The source frames the three companies as higher-yield options among Dividend Kings, but also notes that their business risks vary. It suggests that while the dividend yields may be appealing, conservative investors may prefer to avoid all three regardless of the current payout levels.