After a career spanning two decades at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley, I gained an institutional perspective on dividend stock investing. My tenure at these premier Wall Street firms exposed me to fundamental analysis, credit evaluation, and risk management practices that directly translate into selecting high-quality dividend-paying companies. Having witnessed firsthand the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath—including the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, from which I was fortunately spared as I had left— I developed an appreciation for balance sheet strength, sustainable payout ratios, and the importance of dividends as a stabilizing force during market turbulence.

Technological innovation adds further appeal, with breakthroughs in gene therapy, AI diagnostics, GLP-1 drugs, and personalized medicine opening entirely new revenue streams. Many leading companies in the sector have decades of dividend growth and deep economic moats built on patents and regulatory approvals. Taken together, aging populations, recession resilience, and constant innovation make healthcare one of the rare sectors where the long-term growth thesis is nearly structural rather than speculative.

We screened our 24/7 Wall St. dividend healthcare research database, looking for stocks with dependable, high yields that still offer significant upside potential and a safety net should the market dive, triggering a correction or a bear market. Five top companies with reliable, regularly increasing dividends stand out as smart choices right now.

Why do we cover healthcare dividend stocks?
Sam Edwards / OJO Images via Getty Images

Healthcare offers one of the most compelling long-term investment sectors for several fundamental reasons. The most powerful tailwind is simple demographics — the global population is aging rapidly, with the number of people over 65 set to double in the coming decades, driving sustained and largely inelastic demand for medical services, pharmaceuticals, and devices. Unlike most industries, healthcare demand doesn’t dry up in recessions, giving the sector a defensive quality that few others can match.

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and delivering transformative medicines for patients with serious diseases across oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience, and other therapeutic areas. This remains a solid pharmaceutical stock to own in the long term, offering an outstanding entry point with a reliable 4.10% dividend.

Its platforms comprise chemically synthesized or small-molecule drugs, including protein degraders, as well as biologics produced through biological processes. These platforms also encompass ADCs, CAR-T cell therapies, and radiopharmaceutical therapeutics.

Small-molecule drugs are typically administered orally in tablet or capsule form, although other drug-delivery mechanisms are also used. Biologics are usually administered by injection or intravenous infusion. CAR-T cell therapies are administered by intravenous infusion.

Its growth portfolio includes:

Opdivo
Opdivo Qvantig
Orencia
Yervoy
Reblozyl
Opdualag

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s legacy portfolio includes:

Eliquis
Revlimid
Pomalyst/Imnovid
Sprycel
Abraxane

UBS has a Buy rating with a $70 price target.

Healthpeak Properties

This leading company invests in real estate in the healthcare industry, including senior housing, life sciences facilities, and medical offices. Healthpeak Properties (NYSE: DOC) is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) with a solid 7.01% dividend. The stock is recommended by Morningstar’s chief U.S. market strategist, who rates it a five-star stock trading at a discount to fair value with a very dependable yield.

The company acquires, develops, owns, leases, and manages healthcare real estate across the United States. It owns, operates, and develops real estate focused on healthcare discovery and delivery. Its segments include:

Lab
Outpatient medical
Continuing care retirement community (CCRC)

The Outpatient medical segment owns, operates, and develops outpatient medical facilities, hospitals, and laboratory facilities.

The Lab segment properties contain laboratory and office space, and are leased primarily to:

Biotechnology
Medical device and pharmaceutical companies
Scientific research institutions
Government agencies
Organizations involved in the life science industry

Its CCRC segment comprises a retirement community offering independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing units, providing a continuum of care within an integrated campus.

Evercore ISI has an Outperform rating with a $19 target price.

Merck

Developing and producing medicines, vaccines, biological therapies, and animal health products, Merck (NYSE: MRK) is not just a healthcare company but a global force in the industry. This healthcare giant is a no-brainer, paying a solid 2.79% dividend and raising it for 15 consecutive years. The company operates through two segments.

The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in:

Oncology
Hospital acute care
Immunology
Neuroscience
Virology
Cardiovascular
Diabetes
Vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines

The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, health management solutions and services, and digitally connected identification, traceability, and monitoring products.

Merck serves:

Drug wholesalers
Retailers
Hospitals
Government agencies
Managed healthcare providers, such as health maintenance organizations
Pharmacy benefit managers and other institutions
Physicians
Physician distributors
Veterinarians
Animal producers

Merck’s growth is a result of its efforts and strategic collaborations. The company works with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Eisai, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Gilead Sciences to jointly develop and commercialize long-acting HIV treatments, demonstrating a commitment to innovation and growth.

Deutsche Bank has a Buy rating with a $150 target price.

Pfizer

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs. The company discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It pays a dependable 6.46% dividend, which has increased annually for the past 15 years.

This top pharmaceutical stock was a massive winner in the COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes, but it has been crushed as many people have not received boosters. However, Pfizer’s recovery story is gaining traction, with blockbuster non-COVID drugs delivering strong growth and a potential GLP-1 product launch on the horizon.

The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including:

Cardiovascular, metabolic, and women’s health under the Premarin family and Eliquis brands
Biologics, small molecules, immunotherapies, and biosimilars under the Ibrance, Xtandi, Sutent, Inlyta, Retacrit, Lorbrena, and Braftovi brands
Sterile injectable and anti-infective medicines and oral COVID-19 treatment under the Sulperazon, Medrol, Zavicefta, Zithromax, Vfend, Panzyga, and Paxlovid brands

Pfizer also provides medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, such as:

Pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, and tick-borne encephalitis
COVID-19 under the Comirnaty/BNT162b2, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, Trumenba, and the Prevnar family brands
Biosimilars for chronic immune and inflammatory diseases under the Xeljanz, Enbrel, Inflectra, Eucrisa/Staquis, and Cibinqo brands
Amyloidosis, hemophilia, and endocrine diseases under the Vyndaqel/Vyndamax, BeneFIX, and Genotropin brands

Pfizer anticipates full-year 2025 revenues in the range of $61 billion to $64 billion. This includes the expectation that revenues from COVID-19 products in 2025 will be broadly consistent with 2024 levels, after excluding approximately $1.2 billion of non-recurring Paxlovid revenue in 2024.

Argus has a Buy rating and a $35 target price.

Sanofi

While perhaps a lesser-known name, with a strong 4.93% dividend and solid upside potential, Sanofi (NYSE: SNY) could be a total return winner. This France-based healthcare company focuses on patient needs and engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions. Its three operating segments are:

Pharmaceuticals
Consumer Healthcare (CHC)
Vaccines

The Pharmaceuticals include:

Immunology
Multiple sclerosis/neurology
Oncology
Rare diseases
Rare blood disorders
Cardiovascular
Diabetes
Established prescription products

The Vaccines segment comprises, across all geographical territories, Sanofi Pasteur’s commercial operations, as well as research, development, and production activities dedicated to vaccines.

The CHC segment comprises the commercial operations for Sanofi’s Consumer Healthcare products, as well as research, development, and production activities dedicated to those products. The company’s products developed in collaboration or franchise include:

Dupixent
Aubagio
Lemtrada
Cerezyme
Lumizyme
Jevtana
Fabrazyme

Deutsche Bank has a Buy rating with a €100 price target, which is about $116 in U.S. dollars.

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