3 Top Stocks That Have Been Paying Dividends for a Combined 467 Years

Dividend stocks can offer investors recurring income and stability over the long term. But dividends are discretionary and a company's history of distributing them is never a guarantee that the payouts will continue. Every business regularly decides whether it's in a good position -- or not -- to distribute some of its earnings to shareholders.

One way investors can gauge the safety of a dividend is by looking at how long the company has been making regular payments. The longer the track record, the better. Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), and Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) have each been paying dividends annually for more than a century and could be excellent options for income investors.

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Source Fool.com