Many investors prefer dividend stocks because they offer a nice balance of capital appreciation and income. The best dividend payers, though, also boast a long history of increasing their payouts, regardless of what the broader market is doing.
Below, Motley Fool investors highlight three businesses — McCormick (NYSE: MKC), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), and Costco (NASDAQ: COST) — that have demonstrated the ability to reward shareholders through economic booms and busts.