Happy Monday,
It's Zach here with another weekly investing update for you!
Dividend stocks are outperforming in 2026, but not all of them. Today, I’m going to share 10 well-known dividend stocks at their 52 week low.
Plus, I’ll share some top growth companies about to report earnings.
The Key Story
10 Dividend Stocks That Just Hit 52 Week Lows
The following is based on 2 videos that I recorded this past week:
At its low: Closed Friday at $236.50, its lowest close of the past year, 1.06% above the $234.03 52-week low. Down 21.94% over the past year.
Dividend: A dividend aristocrat. The 3.15% yield is the highest of the past 5 years (100th percentile). But growth is slowing: 7.46% a year over 10 years, 4.94% over 3, and the latest raise was 3.76%.
Payout and valuation: A 67.31% FCF payout ratio (TTM). An 18.8x P/E, the lowest of the past 10 years, against a 25.5x median.
My take: I would not say the McDonald's dividend is getting any riskier, and the stock is looking cheap. But the growth is slowing down.
I think McDonald's makes more sense right now for the retired dividend investor who wants a little more yield than the S&P 500 and a reliable quarterly dividend that grows. I'm not sure the total return going forward beats the S&P 500.
Near its low: $128.63, 1.36% above the $126.90 52-week low. Its lowest close was $128.15 on Thu Sep 24. Down 15.77% over 5 years.
Dividend: A 4.51% yield, just under the 4.53% it hit on Sep 24, the highest in our data going back to 2007. Growth has slowed to 5.37% a year over 3 years, and the latest raise was 4.04%.
Payout: The FCF payout ratio was 99.56% in 2025. It is now 84.58% over the trailing 12 months as free cash flow improves.
Valuation: A 15.0x forward P/E, the lowest of the past 10 years. The median is 22.1x.
My take: I personally don't think PepsiCo is at risk of a dividend cut, and I think this is its best entry point in the past decade, certainly the past 5 years. The question is who it's right for.
I think it's the closer-to-retirement dividend investor who wants reliable income and reliable dividend increases. It's questionable whether the total return beats the overall market.
3. Nike ($NKE)
Near its low: $35.75, 1.50% above the $35.22 52-week low. Its lowest close was $35.51 on Fri Sep 18. Down 48.60% over the past year and 75.85% over 5 years.
Dividend: A 4.59% yield, just under the 4.62% it hit on Sep 18, the highest in our data going back to 2007. The dividend grew 9.87% a year over 10 years, but the latest raise was only 2.5%.
The worry: A 109.97% FCF payout ratio over the trailing 12 months, on $2.18B of free cash flow.
Valuation: A 17.1x P/E, the lowest of the past 10 years (median 31.4x). But earnings per share are declining.
My take: Nike is in the turnaround category. Typically I try to avoid those unless it's very obvious, I've done my due diligence, and the stock is trading at a stupid discount.
I think it's time to do more due diligence on Nike, because the stock is starting to get stupid cheap. But you have to do your research to make sure you're not caught in a value trap.
Near its low: $189.22, 1.11% above the $187.15 52-week low. Its lowest close was $188.49 on Thu Sep 24. Down 25.30% over the past year.
Dividend: A 2.56% yield. The dividend grew 13.58% a year over 10 years, but only 4.35% a year over the past 3.
Payout: The lowest of the five in my first video: a 38.73% FCF payout ratio and a 41.00% earnings payout ratio.
The buybacks: $14.12B of share repurchases in 2022, more than two times that year's $6.76B of free cash flow. In my opinion, it was a stupid decision. Net debt is now $38.62B.
My take: In my opinion, Lowe's doesn't look stupid cheap yet. Growth has really plateaued. Perhaps I need to do some more research into Lowe's and read some of their earnings reports.
Near its low: $23.52, 1.47% above the $23.18 52-week low. Its lowest close was $23.27 on Thu Sep 24. Down 27.76% over the past year.
Dividend: A 7.70% yield, the highest of the five in my first video and the 99th percentile of its history. The high was 10.45% in March 2020. Growth is slowing: 5.02% a year over 5 years, and the latest raise was 2.22%.
Payout: A 74.35% FCF payout ratio over the trailing 12 months. For a REIT, funds from operations (FFO) is the better measure, and I'm working on adding it to DividendData.com.
My take: I haven't really been looking at VICI that much, so I don't have that much inside information to give you. I know their latest quarter underperformed. But perhaps this one is worth a deep dive, because the valuation is starting to get interesting.
Near its low: $55.54, 0.85% above the $55.07 52-week low. Its lowest close was $55.41 on Thu Sep 24.
Dividend: A monthly payer that has paid a dividend every month since 1994. The 5.84% yield is in the 91st percentile of the past 5 years. But growth has slowed: 3.49% a year over 5 years and 1.98% over 3.
Payout: The FCF payout ratio is 138.39% over the trailing 12 months, and it was 73.12% in 2025. Neither FCF nor GAAP earnings is the right measure for a REIT. On funds from operations, 2026 guidance is $4.44 to $4.45 of AFFO per share against a $3.25 dividend.
Valuation: On a dividend discount model, it looks slightly overvalued if you want a 10% annual return, even if dividend growth went back to its 5-year rate of 3.49%.
My take: I'm not personally worried about a dividend cut at all. I am worried about the slowing growth.
If you're trying to beat the S&P 500, I don't think Realty Income is the one, even at its 52-week low. If you just want reliable monthly dividend income, it's a pretty good option, and if you're retired, it's worth considering for part of your portfolio.
Near its low: $293.20, 1.42% above the $289.10 52-week low. Its lowest close was $292.18 on Thu Sep 24. Down 27.93% over the past year.
Dividend: The 3.17% yield is in the 100th percentile of the past 5 years. But the dividend growth machine has slowed: 12.94% a year over 10 years, 3.69% over the past 3, and the latest raise was 1.3%.
Payout: A 60.95% FCF payout ratio and a 64.80% earnings payout ratio (TTM). I'm not super worried about a dividend cut at Home Depot.
The red flag: $14.81B of buybacks in 2021, some of it with debt. Net debt is now $60.48B. The same exact playbook as Lowe's.
Valuation: A 19.8x P/E against a 22.9x five-year median.
My take: My big thing is just: where's the growth? If the company's not growing, you've got to get the stock cheap.
It's definitely the cheapest it's been in a while, but it all comes down to growth.
At its low: Closed Friday at $21.91, its lowest close of the past year, but only by $0.01 (it closed at $21.92 on Jul 23). That is 2.96% above the $21.28 52-week low. Down 61.08% over 5 years.
Dividend: A 6.02% yield, the highest in our data going back to 2007. The 10-year median is 1.99%. Comcast has kept the dividend flat for nearly 2 years.
Payout: A 23.05% FCF payout ratio and a 42.72% earnings payout ratio (TTM). This is not a dividend cut risk unless they just want to cut it for management reasons.
Valuation: $20.44B of free cash flow over the trailing 12 months against a $77.75B market cap. That's 3.8x free cash flow, against a 10-year median of 14.1x. Net debt is down to $82.72B. But EPS has been shrinking over the past year, and you want to make sure this is not a long-term decline.
My take: This stock is so cheap it has you wondering what you're missing. I get that the cable TV assets are declining, and they're getting rid of those.
I don't think Comcast's broadband business is going to go away. It might not be a growth thing for the company, but it will generate a lot of cash flow and reliable subscription revenue for years to come.
Near its low: $83.80, 2.70% above the $81.60 52-week low. Its lowest close was $81.80 on Thu Sep 24, then it rose 2.44% on Friday. Down 49.17% over 5 years and 31.86% over the past year.
Dividend: The yield hit 6.08% on Sep 24, the highest in our data going back to 2007, and was 5.93% after Friday's bounce. Growth has slowed: 4.56% a year over 10 years and 1.37% over the past 3.
Payout: A 149.14% FCF payout ratio and a 103.12% earnings payout ratio over the trailing 12 months.
My take: I'm not sure you're going to get a dividend cut, because of its history of payments. Management is going to want to hold on to this as long as they can.
But this business is not growing, and that's why I don't want to be in these kinds of stocks long-term. For Clorox to do well, you need earnings per share growth.
10. Rollins ($ROL)
At its low: Closed Friday at $30.03, its lowest close of the past year, 0.98% above the $29.74 52-week low. Down 48.68% over the past year. This one is for the people in our community who wanted to see it.
Dividend: A 2.43% yield, the highest in our data going back to 2007. The dividend grew 15.17% a year over 10 years.
Payout: A 55.39% FCF payout ratio and a 64.77% earnings payout ratio. I would say they're not at risk of a dividend cut.
Valuation: EPS grew 13.40% a year over 10 years, but they missed the latest quarter by 4.68%. A 25.9x P/E is the lowest of the past 10 years, against a 52.9x median.
My take: I'm not in this space, so I'm not necessarily a Rollins guy. It's cheap compared to how it's historically traded, but did it really deserve that premium in the past?
Maybe it's just closer to fair value right now, which is not bad for a quality company. I'm not in the pest control business, and I don't have any insight into this. Perhaps I could do some research if it keeps getting cheaper.
Earnings News
Earnings This Week ($MU, $ACN, $NKE, $CCL, $MKC, $CAG)
Top Dividend Stocks: McCormick (MKC), Nike (NKE), Conagra Brands (CAG), etc.
Top Growth Stocks: Micron (MU), Accenture (ACN), Carnival (CCL), etc.
Here's the full list to watch:
Monday (09/28):
JEF - Jefferies Financial Group
Tuesday (09/29):
Wednesday (09/30):
Thursday (10/01):
Use our Earnings Calendar Tool: https://www.dividenddata.com/earnings-calendar
Earnings and Dividend News Links:
How did you like today’s newsletter?
📅 Keep Investing. Stay informed.
Zach
Founder, Dividend Data
P.S. Questions or suggestions? Reply to this email. I'd love your feedback!
P.P.S. Reply with one word: are you adding, holding, or sitting out on the names I covered?
Follow on YouTube | Listen on Spotify | Visit DividendData.com
Disclaimer: Dividend Data (Dividend Data LLC) is not a professional financial service. All materials released from Dividend Data (Dividend Data LLC) are for educational and entertainment purposes. Dividend Data (Dividend Data LLC) is not a replacement for a professional's opinion. Contributors to the Dividend Data (Dividend Data LLC) might have equities mentioned in the newsletter