One of the best investments that can be made is buying the S&P 500 dividend aristocrat stocks. That is a collection of 52 companies that have raised dividends each year for at least 25 years, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Not only are these outstanding companies, the aristocrats have outperformed the S&P 500 over the past 10 years.
We ran a screen of the highest yielding stocks in the aristocrats to find which were also rated Buy at Merrill Lynch. We found four that fit the bill. Not only can investors feel good about the ongoing dividends, but they have the fundamental research and Buy ratings to back up the investment.
Let's check out those 4 top stocks...
Source: 24/7 Wall St.