Emerson Electric owns one of the longest raise streaks in the market. See EMR's dividend history, safety outlook, honest risks, and how to earn its payout.
About $135/year at the current 1.4% yield, before any future raises or reinvestment.
Emerson Electric holds one of the longest raise streaks in the entire stock market — it has increased its dividend every single year since 1956, back when Eisenhower was president. That places it near the very top of the dividend kings list by streak length. The catch: lately those raises have been so small you need a magnifying glass to see them.
| Founded | 1890, St. Louis — originally making electric motors and fans |
| Consecutive annual raises since | 1956 |
| Status | Dividend King and Dividend Aristocrat |
| Payment months | March, June, September, December |
| Recent raise pace | Token — roughly 1% per year, announced in November |
| Payout ratio | Low — roughly 40% of earnings |
Current yield, annual dividend, and the exact streak length are shown live in the stats bar above.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1890 | Founded in St. Louis to build reliable electric motors |
| 1947 | Dividend payments become a fixture after WWII retooling |
| 1956 | Start of the unbroken streak of annual increases |
| 1973–2000 | The "Emerson management process" era — 43 straight years of earnings growth |
| 2023 | Sells its climate business (Copeland) and buys National Instruments, completing the pivot to pure-play automation |
| Today | A raise streak approaching its eighth decade |
Emerson sells the control systems, valves, sensors, and software that keep refineries, chemical plants, factories, and utilities running. Customers can defer a new plant, but they can't skip maintaining the one they have — a large installed base throws off recurring revenue through every cycle.
At roughly 40% of earnings, Emerson's payout ratio is among the lowest of any King. Even in a brutal industrial recession, earnings would have to fall by more than half before the dividend was genuinely threatened. That cushion — not spectacular growth — is what carried the streak through 2008 and 2020.
Emerson's management has repeatedly reshaped the whole company — selling its network power, tools, and climate businesses over the past decade — while never once letting the reshuffling touch the dividend. Few boards guard a streak this jealously.
The realistic downside: not a cut — the low payout makes one unlikely — but many more years of token raises that lose quietly to inflation.
The income callout above shows what a $10,000 position generates at today's yield. With Emerson, the compounding case rests on two legs:
Emerson is a cyclical ballast holding: industrial exposure with a dividend safer than its end markets suggest.
Every major broker offers EMR with fractional shares and free reinvestment — compare platforms, or browse the full dividend aristocrats list for its fellow industrials.
Yes. Emerson has increased its dividend every year since 1956 — one of the three or four longest streaks in the entire US market — making it a Dividend King roughly twice over. It is also a Dividend Aristocrat as an S&P 500 member.
Emerson pays dividends quarterly, typically in March, June, September, and December. The annual increase is usually announced in November alongside fiscal year-end results.
Emerson has prioritized reinvesting in its transformation into a pure-play automation company, so recent raises have been token — often just half a cent per quarter. The low payout ratio keeps the dividend very safe, but income growth has lagged inflation.
Every top broker we review offers EMR with $0 commissions, fractional shares, and free dividend reinvestment.