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Dividend-growth stocks gain attention as investors seek defensive returns
Aflac, Caterpillar, and Texas Instruments are highlighted for long dividend increase records and diversification, alongside Aflac's 25.5% year-over-year Japanese sales growth in Q1 2026.
Investors looking for steadier exposure amid uncertainty about the AI trade, inflation concerns, and concentration risk in a handful of large market movers are increasingly turning to dividend-growth stocks and dividend-focused ETFs, which aim to deliver rising distributions even when share-price gains are modest.
MarketBeat Ratings points to examples including Aflac, where the insurer posted Q1 2026 results and credited progress in Japan. The outlet says Aflac’s Japanese business saw 25.5% year-over-year sales growth in the segment tied to third-party reinsurance, supported by new products.
The article also highlights Aflac’s U.S. performance, noting sales climbed by around 3% year-over-year in the quarter and that persistency remained high at 79.3%. It adds that the company ended Q1 2026 with about $3.4 billion of unencumbered liquidity, giving it flexibility for buybacks and dividends.
MarketBeat Ratings further frames the broader appeal of the strategy through dividend track records, citing Aflac’s decades-long dividend growth streak and, in the same defensive theme, naming Caterpillar and Texas Instruments as additional dividend-growth candidates with exposure that can differ from fast-moving tech and AI-linked areas.