There aren't many retailers that can consistently deliver steadily rising dividends through the ups and downs of the economic cycle. That success requires sufficient scale, prime market positioning, and a management team that's committed to efficiently allocating capital. But even with these factors present, some retailers struggle to keep up with those annual dividend hikes.

(NYSE: WMT) and Home Depot (NYSE: HD) aren't in that category of struggling retailers. Even though parts of their business saw demand pressures in recent quarters, they've maintained impressive profitability and cash flow while continuing to attack their growth initiatives.

Income investors will find a lot to like about both businesses, but let's compare the two to see which would make the better dividend stock to buy right now.

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Source Fool.com