They keep going and going and going …and have nothing to do Energizer batteries.
Zacks.com helpfully points to four companies that have consistently paid dividends for decades, including one that's rewarded shareholders for well over a century. In the rough-and-tumble markets of late, a solid, staid (dare we say boring) company that rests on its conservative laurels might be exactly what certain clients are looking for. And dividends are a great indicator of a company's overall health.
"The thinking goes that if a company pays a dividend, that is real cash that has to be sent out to shareholders," the website notes. "A company can't fake that. Either it has the money or it doesn't. It's not that easy to pay a dividend every quarter, year after year, for decades. Things happen."
1) DuPont Co. (DD)
So when a company like chemical giant DuPont can do it every single quarter since 1904 (434 consecutive quarters), it's impressive.
And the other three? Not only are they doing it once again, they've already announced dividend increases in 2013.
2) Coca-Cola Co. (KO)
The soft drink behemoth has a good reason for its "Coke and a smile" slogan; it's paid a dividend in each of the last 51 years, according to Zacks.
"On Feb 21, the world's largest beverage maker announced it was raising its dividend 10% to 28 cents a quarter," the website reports. "The dividend is payable on April 1 to shareholders of record as of March 15. Coke has raised its dividend every year since 1963. It currently yields 2.9%. 
3) Sherwin Williams Co. (SHW)
