My 3 Favorite Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now

By Reuben Gregg Brewer – Dec 15, 2025 at 4:32AM ESTKey PointsConsumer staples companies sell products that are purchased regularly, in both good and bad economies.Consumer staples companies tend to be reliable dividend payers.Clorox, Hershey, and General Mills are all offering historically attractive yields.These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›NYSE: CLXCloroxMarket Cap$13BToday's Changeangle-down(1.15%) $1.18Current Price$104.01Price as of December 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM ETI recently reviewed my portfolio, and a few of my consumer staples favorites stand out.I'm a big fan of boring businesses that pay reliable dividends. Which is why I own a significant number of consumer staples companies. A recent review of my portfolio, as I made year-end tax moves, has me thinking about Clorox (CLX +1.15%), Hershey (HSY +0.14%), and General Mills (GIS +1.00%). Why consumer staples makers are so attractive Consumer staples companies produce goods that are generally low-cost and are typically purchased on a regular basis. Even during a deep recession, consumers will still purchase food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. They are either necessities or very close to it (you could clean a spill with a rag, but a paper towel will probably be easier and more effective). As such, consumer staples makers tend to be resilient businesses throughout economic cycles. Image source: Getty Images. There are also material brand loyalty issues involved, as customers often prefer a certain brand. Coke versus Pepsi is one example, but the trend extends across the consumer staples space. Brand management is a crucial factor in the sector, as it helps increase a company's resilience when faced with headwinds. As a dividend investor, I also like that consumer staples makers tend to have attractive dividend histories. That's not true across all consumer staples companies, but it is easy enough to pick out the reliable dividend stocks. Which is why I own Clorox, Hershey, and General Mills. ExpandNYSE: CLXCloroxToday's Change(1.15%) $1.18Current Price$104.01Key Data PointsMarket Cap$13BDay's Range$103.25 - $104.8652wk Range$98.20 - $166.35Volume172Avg Vol2MGross Margin44.14%Dividend Yield4.73% 3 industry-leading brand managers Of the trio, Clorox has the best dividend history, boasting 48 consecutive annual dividend increases. That's just two shy of Dividend King status. Hershey and General Mills don't have similarly strong histories of annual dividend increases. However, both of these food makers have dividends that have generally trended higher over time.Advertisement ExpandNYSE: HSYHersheyToday's Change(0.14%) $0.25Current Price$181.83Key Data PointsMarket Cap$37BDay's Range$180.97 - $183.6952wk Range$140.13 - $199.00Volume643Avg Vol1.7MGross Margin35.90%Dividend Yield3.01% Clorox's dividend yield is currently around 4.8%, which is toward the high end of its historical range. Hershey's yield is 3%, also near the high end of its historical range.

And General Mills' yield is 5.3%, which is, one more time, near the high end of the historical yield range. In this way, each of these reliable, dividend-paying consumer staples companies looks attractively priced today. In fairness, all three have headwinds to deal with. Clorox is facing inflationary price pressures, the fallout from a data breach, and the impact of a computer system overhaul. Hershey is facing inflationary pressures, particularly from the skyrocketing price of cocoa.

And General Mills is feeling the pressure as consumers shift away from packaged food products and toward healthier alternatives. ExpandNYSE: GISGeneral MillsToday's Change(1.00%) $0.46Current Price$46.69Key Data PointsMarket Cap$25BDay's Range$46.30 - $46.8852wk Range$45.15 - $67.35Volume120Avg Vol6.2MGross Margin34.47%Dividend Yield5.18% The backdrop today is difficult for all three, which is why investors have soured on the stocks. However, given the strong history of each company, it seems highly likely that they will not only survive this period but also thrive over the long term. In fact, they are each strong brand managers who focus heavily on product innovation. They are each leaning into innovation right now, as they look to navigate their way through to better days. The problem with these companies is that they are out of favor with investors. So you need to have a bit of a contrarian streak to jump aboard. However, if you are worried about the risk of AI stocks collapsing, well, this trio of consumer staples companies are at the opposite side of the pendulum swing. They have already felt the sting of negative investor sentiment. I'm not selling; you might want to buy I'm confident that Clorox, Hershey, and General Mills are worth holding onto. In fact, if I didn't already own them, I would probably add them to my portfolio given their current valuations. Using yield as a rough gauge of what price investors are assigning each company, they just look too cheap to ignore. If you don't own these reliable dividend stocks, now might be a good time for you to get to know them.About the AuthorReuben Gregg Brewer is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering energy, utilities, REITs, and consumer staples. He is the former director of research at Value Line Publishing, where he rose from mutual fund analyst to equity analyst before leading all research operations. Reuben holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Purchase, a master’s in social work from Columbia University, and an MBA from Regis University. He has been featured as a financial expert on CNBC and in the Financial Times, Barron’s, and InvestmentNews.TMFReubenGBrewerRead NextNov 13, 2025 •By Reuben Gregg Brewer3 Growth Stocks Wall Street Might Be Sleeping On, but I'm NotOct 19, 2025 •By Daniel FoelberIf I Could Buy Only 1 High-Yield Dividend Stock in October for Passive Income, This Would Be ItSep 21, 2025 •By Josh Kohn-Lindquist1 Magnificent S&P 500 Dividend Stock Down 47% to Buy Right Now for a Lifetime of Passive IncomeAug 26, 2025 •By Parkev Tatevosian, CFA3 Undervalued Dividend Stocks to Buy as U.S.

Federal Reserve Cuts Interest RatesJun 5, 2025 •By Daniel Foelber1 High-Yield Dividend Stock Near a 52-Week Low to Buy in June for Passive IncomeMay 11, 2025 •By Parkev Tatevosian, CFA1 Ridiculously Cheap Dividend Stock Investors Can Buy Now in May 2025