Steady Hands & Growing Yields

The market, like a hardscrabble farm, offers little immediate reward. Most chase the quick bloom, the soaring price, forgetting the quiet dignity of a steady harvest. Dividend investing isn’t about striking gold; it’s about planting seeds that bear fruit year after year, a slow accumulation against the winds of fortune. It’s a different sort of patience, one born not of greed, but of a simple understanding: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, especially when the bushes are prone to fire.

There are companies, even in these unsettled times, that offer a measure of security, a promise of income beyond the meager offerings of the broader market. With a few thousand dollars, a man or woman can build a small stake in these enterprises, a little patch of ground where growth isn’t just a hope, but a likelihood. Here are two such names, weathered but resilient, offering a yield that might just ease the burden of these lean years.

Clorox

Most folks know Clorox for the bottle of bleach under the sink, a stalwart companion against grime and sickness. But a company is more than its most famous product, like a man is more than his work boots. Clorox holds a collection of brands—Pine-Sol, Hidden Valley, Burt’s Bees—familiar comforts in a world that often feels anything but.

The pandemic, of course, gave them a boost, a temporary flowering of demand. But the world moves on, and with it, new challenges arise—inflation, a cyberattack, the endless tinkering with new systems. The stock price has suffered, fallen nearly by half over the last five years. It’s a reminder that even the strongest trees bend in the storm.

But the lower price brings with it a yield of 4.4%, a generous return in these times. And the company has raised its payout for 49 consecutive years, a testament to its enduring strength. Such a streak isn’t built on whimsy; it’s built on a deep-rooted commitment to its shareholders. The brands themselves are a quiet strength, a constant in a changing world. With around $2,450, an investor could acquire 22 shares, a small but solid stake in a company that has weathered many storms.

At its current price, and with a P/E ratio of 17, Clorox appears poised to offer not just dividend growth, but perhaps, after a long wait, a rise in its stock price as well. It’s a slow growth, perhaps, but a growth nonetheless, and in a world obsessed with speed, there is a certain dignity in that.

Target

Like Clorox, Target has faced its share of troubles. It’s a large retailer, one of the nation’s most prominent, with nearly 2,000 stores and a growing online presence. But size doesn’t always equal stability. The years following the pandemic brought rising inventories, falling sales, and a series of missteps that spooked investors. Even the appointment of a new CEO, an internal candidate, brought further uncertainty.

But the stock has begun to recover, slowly, tentatively, like a plant pushing through cracked earth. And with that recovery comes a yield of 4.1%, a testament to the company’s underlying strength. It’s a Dividend King, having raised its payout for 54 years, a streak that speaks volumes about its commitment to its shareholders. The annual dividend now stands at $4.56 per share.

And the stock trades at a P/E ratio of 13, far below its peers—Walmart and Costco, which trade at 42 and 51 times earnings, respectively. It’s a bargain, a quiet opportunity in a market often blinded by hype. For around $2,525, an investor could acquire 23 shares, a small stake in a company that has the potential to deliver both rising dividends and a recovery in its stock price.

2026-01-17 12:32

Clorox

Target

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