Best Retirement Portfolio for a 65-Year-Old

2. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 166

Number of Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth: 13

Average 5-Year Share Price Returns: 280.86%

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the top dividend stocks for the best retirement portfolio. On February 24, the company announced its biggest investment yet in the United States, amounting to more than $500 billion, spread out over the next four years. This massive push will support AI development, silicon engineering, manufacturing, and job training. As part of the plan, the company is opening a new manufacturing facility in Houston, doubling its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, and expanding research and development. It will also invest in its suppliers across all 50 states and boost infrastructure for Apple Intelligence.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2025, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported $124.3 billion in revenue, a 4% increase from last year, and earnings per share of $2.40, up 10% year-over-year. CEO Tim Cook credited the record-breaking quarter to Apple’s best-ever lineup of products and services, along with advancements in Apple Intelligence, which will roll out in more languages this April. The company recorded an all-time high of 2.35 billion active devices. Apple also returned over $30 billion to shareholders, including $23.3 billion in stock buybacks, while generating $29.9 billion in operating cash flow.

AAPL’s last quarterly dividend payment of $0.25 per share was made on February 13. The company has consistently increased its dividend for 13 years. Over the past five years, its stock has delivered an impressive 280% return on average.

Among the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey, 166 funds were bullish on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) at the end of Q4 2024, compared to 158 funds in the prior quarter. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway was the leading stakeholder of the company, with 300 million shares valued at over $75 billion.