The Best Dividend Stocks to Buy in 2026 and Hold Forever -- Including Pfizer (PFE) and United Parcel Service (UPS)

Core Insights - Investing in healthy and growing dividend-paying stocks is a solid strategy, but few stocks qualify as no-brainer investments [1] Dividend Performance - Dividend growers and initiators have an average annual total return of 10.24% from 1973 to 2024, while dividend payers yield 9.20%. In contrast, non-payers return only 4.31% [5] Company Analysis - Pfizer (NYSE: PFE): Offers a dividend yield of 6.81%. The stock has faced challenges due to reduced demand for its COVID-19 products and patent expirations, but it has potential with new investments, including a GLP-1 weight-loss drug [7][9] - Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ): Provides a dividend yield of 6.93% and has increased its payout for 19 consecutive years, although the increases have been modest [10]