I Want to Create the Ultimate Dividend Stock List – Can You Help Me Build It?

Investing in high-quality dividend stocks can be a great way to ensure you’re paid to ride out a tariff-troubled roller-coaster ride that has no end in sight. Of course, the bluest blue-chip stocks are prime targets for investors who are looking for the perfect mix of quality, relative stability, and reliability. And while it’s impossible not to feel the potholes in the road ahead, it is possible to steer clear of the deepest bumps by playing a bit of defense and not rushing to play the role of hero in a market environment that could punish excessive bravery in the early stages of a bear market.

A Reddit user recently took to r/dividends, searching for some high-quality dividend stock ideas to help them produce an “ultimate” portfolio build to last. In this piece, we’ll look at three blue-chip titans that I think could make for the bedrock of any such dividend-focused portfolio built to not only survive a Trumpcession but thrive.

Of course, the following dividend payers probably won’t have the most bounce-back potential if we’re in for more days like April 7, 2025, when the Nasdaq 100 popped double-digits while the S&P 500 surged by a high single-digit percentage amount. However, if you’re not looking to be a hero and would rather take a slow and steady approach to ride out this Trump tariff-fuelled slump (and a recession that could follow), the following blue chips could help keep your portfolio in good standing.

So, if you’re ready to prepare for a storm, rather than braving the dip as record numbers of retail investors, many of whom are rookies with no experience in riding out bear markets, have been, consider the following two names.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) is off to a decent start to 2025, rising by just over 6% year to date. With shares just 3% away from hitting new all-time highs, investors seeking robust dividends and relative stability may wish to keep buying, even as shares go for a rather rich 25.3 times forward price-to-earnings (P/E). The dividend yield, currently at 2.27%, isn’t gargantuan by any stretch of the imagination. However, it’s a payout that can grow steadily, even if Trump tariffs send the world economy into something a bit worse than a recession (think a depression or prolonged stagflation).

The company also has a margin expansion opportunity as it seeks to incorporate more tech into its kitchens. Sure, it’ll take some time before a robot makes your Big Mac with no lettuce and extra cheese, but for shareholders, it’ll be worth the wait, as embodied AI works its way into our everyday lives. For now, it’s AI-driven equipment across tens of thousands of locations that could enhance operating efficiencies.

Given that such tech is rapidly advancing and is highly scalable, I’d not dare discount McDonald’s margin growth prospects, even as investors drive the multiple higher because of their view that the Golden Arches can act as a shelter for their cash ahead of a potential hurricane as a result of the impact of draconian Trump tariffs.

Kroger

Kroger (NYSE:KR) is another resilient performer that could make for a great defensive buy as tariff troubles weigh heavily on the economy. Undoubtedly, the low-cost grocer has been hot of late, gaining 15% year to date as the market fell into a violent correction. As the company tests the ground with its new test-checking robot, Barney, the firm may have the means to take operating efficiencies to the next level.

At 15.1 times forward P/E, with a 1.8% dividend yield, KR stock stands out as a low-cost defensive dividend stock that could round out any blue-chip dividend portfolio ahead of almost any sort of environment. Even though shares are at new all-time highs, I’d not hesitate to buy more at north of $70. The grocer has done a lot of things right, and with innovations like Barney, the firm stands out as an underrated way to play the robotic AI boom.

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