The Walt Disney Company (DIS), Apple Inc. (AAPL), NIKE, Inc. (NKE): Three Dividend Stocks Your Kids Will Love

Or consider the $12.5 billion in cash flow from operations Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) created last quarter, and its obscene cash balance of $145 billion (yes, with a “b”) with zero debt on its balance sheet.

Finally, shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) currently trade for only 9.5 times last year’s earnings and 9.1 times next year’s estimates — that is, assuming the company doesn’t boost its earnings by introducing any innovative new “game changers,” as Tim Cook teased last month. Add to that a 3% dividend and a massive share-repurchase authorization included in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s plan to return $100 billion to shareholders, and this looks like one dividend stock that’s simply too good to pass up.

The pervasive swoosh
Finally, I’m offering NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) as another great dividend stock both you and your children can love.

To be sure, few businesses enjoy a more significant global presence and greater brand visibility than NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE), which pays a 1.4% dividend while sporting a healthy 9.2% net profit margin. In addition, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) has more than $4 billion in cash and equivalents, with just $161 million in long-term debt on its balance sheet.

And, like both Apple and Disney, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) has been buying back its own stock, repurchasing 4.9 million shares for around $253 million last quarter. Better yet, that still leaves more than $7.4 billion remaining on its existing four-year share repurchase authorization.

Then again, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) does trade at a higher premium than both Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Disney at 24.2 times last year’s earnings and 20.4 times next year’s estimates, but that seems more than fair, considering the company boosted its diluted earnings per share by 20% last quarter on 9% revenue growth, an incredible feat for a company that turned in revenue of nearly $25 billion last year.

If that’s not a testament to NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)’s staying power as a stalwart dividend stock, I don’t know what is.

Foolish takeaway
In the end, all three of the dividend stocks above represent amazing long-term businesses, which can not only hold our children’s attention but also teach them the power investing in great dividend-paying businesses.

The article 3 Dividend Stocks Your Kids Will Love originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Steve Symington.

Fool contributor Steve Symington owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Apple, Nike, and Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS).

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