2 S&P 500 Dividend Growth Stocks on Sale

One time-tested way to improve your odds of outperforming the market is to focus on investing in high-quality businesses with long track records of dividend increases and sustainable payout ratios. A great place to start looking for companies that fit that description is among the Dividend Aristocrats -- companies in the S&P 500 that have increased their dividends for 25 consecutive years or more.

By narrowing your search to this group of stocks, you are essentially fishing in a stocked pond, as these battle-tested companies have already proven themselves consistently profitable and focused on shareholder returns. But one can find similarly strong choices among companies that don't quite qualify as Dividend Aristocrats yet. Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Nike (NYSE: NKE) are well on their way to achieving that lofty status, and their recent 10%-plus drops in share price offer an excellent opportunity for new investors to buy in.

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Source Fool.com