Investors in the top-performing dividend-paying stocks enjoyed robust returns in the first quarter of 2026, Morningstar data journalist Bella Albrecht noted in a recent blog post.
Dividend-paying stocks that combine healthy balance sheets with strong yields can provide investors with steady incomes, cushion against market downturns and grow investments at a sound pace.
Morningstar analysts identified the best-performing income-focused stocks by screening the firm's Dividend Leaders Index, which tracks the 100 highest-yielding stocks from a broad basket of consistent dividend payers.
In the January-to-March period, the Dividend Leaders Index climbed by 15.7%, compared with just 3% for the broad Morningstar Dividend Composite Index. In the 12 months to March 31, the leaders index gained 22.6%, while the composite index gained 16.4%.
The overall U.S. stock market lost 4.2% on the quarter, as measured by the Morningstar US Market Index, and rose 17.9% on the year.
See the accompanying gallery for the 10 dividend stocks that recorded the best performance in the first quarter.
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