10 Dividend Knights that Beat The Market Last 3 Years

6. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)

3-Year Share Price Gains as of  December 4: 88.2%

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is an American energy company. Its appeal as an investment lies in its diverse portfolio of top-tier assets. The company’s extensive operations, covering exploration, production, refining, marketing, and specialty chemicals, provide a competitive edge in the industry by mitigating risks and capitalizing on its global infrastructure to optimize cash flow generation. In the past three years, the stock has surged by over 88%, which makes it one of the best dividend knights.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) reported solid earnings in the third quarter of 2024, generating revenues of $90.02 billion, which surpassed analysts’ estimates by $1.66 billion. The company is at the forefront of carbon capture and storage initiatives, securing a new customer agreement that raises its contracted CO2 offtake to 6.7 million metric tons annually—an amount that surpasses the committed volumes reported by any other firm.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) has a strong cash position. In the most recent quarter, the company’s operating cash flow came in at $17.6 billion and its free cash flow amounted to $11.3 billion. Moreover, it returned $9.8 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. The company currently offers a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share, having raised it by 4% in November this year. With this increase, its dividend growth streak has reached 42 years. The stock supports a dividend yield of 3.45%, as of December 5.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) was a part of 86 hedge fund portfolios at the end of Q3 2024, compared with 92 in the previous quarter, as per Insider Monkey’s database. The stakes held by these funds have a collective value of nearly $7 billion.