Johnson & Johnson has raised its dividend for 60+ straight years. See JNJ's dividend history, safety outlook, and what $10,000 of JNJ pays you today.
About $195/year at the current 1.9% yield, before any future raises or reinvestment.
Johnson & Johnson has raised its dividend every single year since 1963 — through eleven recessions, a product-tampering crisis, and the spinoff of its most famous consumer brands. Among the companies on the dividend kings list, few pair a streak this long with a balance sheet this strong: J&J is one of only two US companies still rated AAA, a credit grade the US government itself no longer holds.
| First dividend paid | 1944, the year it listed on the NYSE |
| Consecutive annual raises since | 1963 |
| Status | Dividend King and Dividend Aristocrat |
| Payment months | March, June, September, December |
| Recent raise pace | Steady — roughly 5% per year |
| Payout ratio | Roughly half of adjusted earnings |
Current yield, annual dividend, and the exact streak length are shown live in the stats bar above — they update as the data changes.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1886 | Founded by the three Johnson brothers in New Brunswick, New Jersey |
| 1944 | Lists on the NYSE and pays its first dividend |
| 1963 | Start of the unbroken streak of annual increases |
| 1982 | The Tylenol tampering crisis — J&J's recall becomes the textbook case of crisis management, and the raise streak never blinks |
| 2023 | Spins off Kenvue (Tylenol, Band-Aid, Listerine) while keeping the dividend and streak intact |
| Today | One of the longest dividend-growth streaks in the S&P 500 |
People don't postpone cancer treatment or hip replacements because GDP dipped. J&J's two segments — innovative medicine and medical technology — sell into demand that is driven by demographics, not the business cycle. That's why the streak sailed through 2008 and 2020 without strain.
Only two US companies carry a AAA credit rating, and J&J is one of them. That rating is more than a trophy: it means the company can borrow more cheaply than almost anyone on earth, fund research and acquisitions without touching the dividend, and absorb legal or clinical setbacks that would force weaker companies to choose between growth and the payout.
J&J has repeatedly shed businesses rather than let them dilute the model — most recently spinning off its entire consumer-health division as Kenvue in 2023. What remains is a higher-margin pharmaceutical and medtech company that still generates enough cash to cover the dividend roughly twice over.
No honest profile skips this part. J&J's risks are real, even if none look imminent:
The realistic downside: not a cut, but raises that stay in the modest mid-single digits while litigation and patent expirations work themselves out.
The income callout above shows exactly what a $10,000 position generates at today's yield — paid quarterly and growing with each April raise. Two things make that number better than it looks:
J&J is a defensive cornerstone: the healthcare anchor in a diversified income portfolio.
Every major broker offers JNJ with fractional shares and free dividend reinvestment — see our platform comparison to pick one, or browse the full dividend aristocrats list to see how J&J's streak stacks up.
Yes. Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend every year for more than six consecutive decades, well past the 50-year mark required for Dividend King status. As an S&P 500 member with over 25 years of increases, it is also a Dividend Aristocrat.
No. When Johnson & Johnson spun off its consumer-health business as Kenvue in 2023, it maintained its dividend and kept the annual increase streak intact. Shareholders who received Kenvue shares also began collecting a separate Kenvue dividend.
JNJ's dividend is considered one of the safest available. The company pays out roughly half of its adjusted earnings, generates consistent cash flow from medicines and medical devices, and holds a AAA credit rating — a rating higher than that of the US government.
Every top broker we review offers JNJ with $0 commissions, fractional shares, and free dividend reinvestment.