10 Top-Performing US Dividend Stocks

Dividend-paying stocks that combine healthy balance sheets with hefty yields can provide investors with steady incomes, cushion against market downturns, and grow investments at a healthy clip. In the third quarter of 2026, the top-performing dividend payers included information technology services company Accenture ACN, computer hardware company HP HPQ, and oil and gas firm Chevron CVX.

To find the quarter’s 10 best-performing income-focused stocks, we screened the Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index, which tracks the 100 highest-yielding stocks from a broad basket of consistent dividend payers.

The Top-Performing Dividend Leaders of Q3

1. Accenture ACN
2. HP HPQ
3. Chevron CVX
4. Target TGT
5. Pfizer PFE
6. Chord Energy CHRD
7. Best Buy BBY
8. Lincoln Financial Group LNC
9. Murphy Oil MUR
10. Penske Automotive Group PAG

How Have Dividend Stocks Performed?

Over the past quarter, the Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index, which captures the 100 highest-yielding names with stable and sustainable payouts, rose 2.02%. The broad Morningstar Dividend Composite Index gained 1.55%. In the 12 months leading up to Sept. 30, the Dividend Leaders Index gained 18.26%, and the Dividend Composite Index gained 14.85%.

The overall US stock market, as measured by the Morningstar US Market Index, has gained 1.36% on the quarter and 15.33% on the year.

Yields and Metrics for Q3’s Best-Performing Dividend Stocks

Accenture

Information technology services company Accenture climbed 49.10% in the third quarter and fell 23.00% over the past 12 months. At $183.37, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 3.56% and an annual dividend of $6.52 per share. The stock, which has a narrow economic moat, is trading at an 18% discount to its fair value estimate of $223 per share. It has a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars.

HP

Computer hardware company HP gained 43.94% in the third quarter and climbed 19.28% over the past 12 months. The stock’s $31.28 price gives it a forward dividend yield of 3.84%. HP pays investors an annual dividend of $1.20 per share. With a fair value estimate of $28 per share and no economic moat, the stock is 12% overvalued and has a Morningstar Rating of 2 stars.

Chevron

Oil and gas firm Chevron climbed 24.27% in the third quarter and rose 36.04% over the past 12 months. At $204.21, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 3.49% and an annual dividend of $7.12 per share. The stock, which has a narrow economic moat, is trading at a 6% premium to its fair value estimate of $192 per share. It has a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars.

Target

Discount store Target gained 20.86% in the third quarter and climbed 79.79% over the past 12 months. The stock’s $156.69 price gives it a forward dividend yield of 2.96%. Target pays investors an annual dividend of $4.64 per share. With a fair value estimate of $131 per share and no economic moat, the stock is 20% overvalued and has a Morningstar Rating of 2 stars.

Pfizer

Drug manufacturer Pfizer rose 20.22% in the third quarter and gained 18.68% over the past 12 months. Trading at $28.52, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 6.03%. Pfizer pays investors an annual dividend of $1.72 per share. The stock, which has a narrow economic moat, is trading at an 11% discount to its fair value estimate of $32 per share, leaving it with a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars.

Chord Energy

Oil and gas exploration and production company Chord climbed 18.43% in the third quarter and rose 40.15% over the past 12 months. At $134.07, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 3.88% and an annual dividend of $5.20 per share. It has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Best Buy

Specialty retail firm Best Buy rose 17.55% in the third quarter and gained 21.75% over the past 12 months. Trading at $88.24, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 4.35%. Best Buy pays investors an annual dividend of $3.84 per share. The stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Lincoln Financial Group

Life insurance company Lincoln Financial gained 15.16% in the third quarter and climbed 4.29% over the past 12 months. The stock’s $40.26 price gives it a forward dividend yield of 4.47%. Lincoln Financial pays investors an annual dividend of $1.80 per share. The stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Murphy Oil

Oil and gas exploration and production company Murphy climbed 14.77% in the third quarter and rose 35.15% over the past 12 months. At $37.02, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 3.78% and an annual dividend of $1.40 per share. It has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 3 stars.

Penske Automotive Group

Auto and truck dealership Penske Automotive rose 12.76% in the third quarter and gained 18.44% over the past 12 months. Trading at $200.34, its stock has a forward dividend yield of 2.88%. Penske Automotive pays investors an annual dividend of $5.76 per share. The stock, which has a narrow economic moat, is currently trading near its fair value estimate of $210 per share, leaving it with a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars.

The Best Dividend Stock Leaders: More Ideas to Consider

Investors who would like to find more top-performing or cheap dividend stocks can do the following:

• Use the Morningstar Investor Screener tool to find the best dividend stocks according to your specific criteria. You can search for stocks based on their dividend yields, valuation measures like price/earnings ratios, and more.
• Use Morningstar Investor to build a watchlist of the best dividend stocks and easily follow those stocks’ valuations, ratings, and dividend yields.
• Watch our dividend stock video series, hosted by David Harrell, for ideas to consider.
• When it comes to buying stocks, it’s more than just dividends. Read how valuations and competitive advantages—known as economic moats—matter when it comes to a stock’s potential for outperformance.
• Read Morningstar’s Guide to Stock Investing to learn how our approach to investing can inform your stock-picking process.

Companies not formally covered by a Morningstar analyst are statistically matched to analyst-rated companies, allowing our models to calculate a quantitative star rating.