Buy, Sell, or Hold These 4 Dividend Kings After Earnings: BDX, ED, EMR, PH

Dividend Kings have earned their reputation by raising their payouts for at least 50 consecutive years, an accomplishment that requires navigating recessions, inflationary periods, rising interest rates, and numerous market cycles without breaking their streaks.

Still, an exceptional dividend history doesn't automatically make a stock a buy at any given price. Earnings growth, valuation, and the direction of analyst estimates remain important considerations, particularly after quarterly results give Wall Street a fresh look at a business.

Four Dividend Kings — Becton, Dickinson and Company BDX), Consolidated Edison ED), Emerson Electric EMR), and Parker-Hannifin PH) — reported earnings last week. 

Becton, Dickinson and Company – BDX

Stock Price: $183

Annual Dividend Yield: 2.29%

Medical technology giant Becton, Dickinson and Company delivered better-than-expected results for its fiscal third quarter, with adjusted earnings of $3.23 per share topping estimates of $3.14 despite dipping from Q3 EPS of $3.68 a year ago following the separation of its Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions operations. Revenue reached roughly $5 billion, down 9% from the prior-year period but topping expectations of $4.89 billion.

That said, growth from its continuing businesses was broad-based. Medical Essentials revenue increased 4%, Connected Care rose 5%, BioPharma Systems advanced 6%, and BD Interventional climbed 6% on a reported basis. Cash generation was another bright spot, with year-to-date cash flow from continuing operations increasing by 33% to $2.1 billion and free cash flow increased over 44% to $1.7 billion.

Management also tightened its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $12.62-$12.72, compared with its previous $12.52-$12.72 range, effectively raising the midpoint. The updated EPS range calls for 6-7% growth for the continuing business, although FY25 EPS came in at $14.40 last year before the separation of its Biosciences and Diagnostics operations.

When accounting for the spin-off, full-year revenue growth is expected at low single digits from a continuing revenue base of $18.54 billion last year.

The quarter wasn't flawless as gross and operating margins faced pressure while BD works through a significant portfolio transformation.

Verdict: For investors, the appeal centers on a durable medical-technology franchise, improving cash generation and a long record of dividend growth. Yet a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) suggests analysts' earnings revisions aren't currently strong enough to signal a more aggressive entry point, even with BDX shares having the cheapest forward P/E multiple on the list at 14X. 

Consolidated Edison – ED

Stock Price: $108

Annual Dividend Yield: 3.29%

Consolidated Edison provided the defensive flavor investors typically expect from a Dividend King while also delivering a sizable earnings beat.

Second-quarter adjusted earnings came in at 83 cents per share, comfortably ahead of expectations of $0.74 and up from Q2 EPS of $0.67 a year earlier. Revenue increased 13% to $4.06 billion and easily topped Q2 estimates of $3.74 billion by 8%. The growth was supported by higher electric and gas rate bases, with Con Edison’s operating income surging 55% YoY to $552 million.

Electric revenue rose 13% to $3.14 billion, gas revenue advanced 14% to $811 million, and steam revenue increased 11% to $118 million. Those gains helped offset higher purchased-power and fuel costs.

Looking ahead, Con Edison reaffirmed its FY26 adjusted EPS guidance of $6.00-$6.20 (+5% growth). The utility provider also has an enormous investment program ahead, with nearly $38 billion in planned capital expenditures from 2026 through 2030.

That spending should support rate-base growth over time, but utilities generally lack the explosive earnings potential found in more economically sensitive industrial businesses. Interest rates and valuation can also have an outsized influence on utility stocks because income-oriented investors frequently compare their yields with fixed-income alternatives.

Verdict: ED remains attractive for investors prioritizing dividend reliability and defensive exposure, and its latest earnings beat reinforces the stability of Con Edison’s underlying business. However, the current Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) suggests the near-term earnings outlook is balanced rather than signaling a particularly compelling buying opportunity, even with ED shares trading at a very reasonable 17X foward earnings multiple.

Emerson Electric – EMR

Stock Price: $161

Annual Dividend Yield: 1.36%

Among these four Dividend Kings, Emerson Electric produced one of the more impressive combinations of growth, margin expansion, and improving guidance.

Reporting results for its fiscal third quarter, Emerson’s Q3 adjusted EPS increased over 12% to $1.71 and edged expectations of $1.68, while revenue climbed 7% YoY to $4.87 billion and topped estimates of $4.79 billion. Underlying sales advanced 6%, and underlying orders rose 7%, pointing to healthy demand across the automation specialist's portfolio.

Software & Systems was particularly strong, posting an 11% sales increase, while Test & Measurement sales jumped 23%. Emerson also benefited from demand across power, aerospace and defense, liquefied natural gas and other longer-cycle markets. Backlog excluding its Aspen Tech asset manager software business increased 7% to $8.2 billion.

Profitability added another positive element. Adjusted segment EBITA margin expanded 140 basis points to 28.5%, while Q3 operating cash flow jumped 34% and free cash flow rose 36%.

Those results prompted management to raise its fiscal 2026 outlook. Net sales are now projected to grow approximately 5%, which would equate to around $19 billion, with underlying sales growth of around 3.5%. Full-year adjusted EPS is expected to be around $6.55 (9% growth), and Emerson anticipates generating approximately $3.6 billion in free cash flow. Roughly $2.2 billion is slated to be returned to shareholders through about $1 billion of repurchases and $1.2 billion of dividends.

Verdict: Hold with a Bullish lean. While EMR currently lands a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) as well, Emerson's operating trends look stronger, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a buy rating is on the way if analysts start to raise their earnings estimates in accordance with the company’s raised guidance.

Rising orders, expanding margins, and increased guidance make EMR worth watching closely at a reasonable 25X forward P/E, particularly if upward earnings estimate revisions strengthen enough to support a higher Zacks Rank.

ParkerHannifin – PH

Stock Price: $1,057

Annual Dividend Yield: 0.75%

As a global diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, Parker-Hannifin arguably posted the strongest headline numbers of the four.

PH’s fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings surged 20% to $9.27 per share, easily topping EPS expectations of $8.29 by nearly 12%. Revenue increased roughly 10% to $5.75 billion, exceeding estimates of $5.6 billion, with organic sales growing 8%. Perhaps even more encouraging for future demand, was that orders soared 19% YoY.

Strength came from both major operating businesses. Diversified Industrial sales increased 8%, while Aerospace Systems benefited from robust demand. For the full fiscal year, PH’s adjusted earnings advanced over 18% to $32.31 per share, and annual sales increased more than 8% to $21.5 billion.

The company's profitability remains another major strength. Adjusted total segment operating income increased over 14%, and the corresponding margin expanded 110 basis points to 28%. Cash generation was also robust, with FY26 operating cash flow reaching $4.36 billion. It’s also worth noting that PH’s long-term debt fell to $6.77 billion from $7.49 billion a year earlier.

For FY27, management expects both net sales and organic sales growth to be between 5.5%-8.5%, an adjusted segment operating margin of 27.5%-27.9%, and adjusted EPS of $34.25-$35.25 (+6% growth). Importantly, that guidance excludes the pending Filtration Group and CIRCOR Commercial and Defense Aerospace acquisitions.

Verdict: Hold, with a bullish lean. PH's earnings beat, 19% order growth, and impressive margins make its fundamental story difficult to ignore. The primary question isn't the quality of the business but whether its current P/E valuation of 30X and earnings revisions provide enough upside to justify chasing shares immediately after their run, with PH stock spiking 8% this month.

Conclusion & Strategic Thoughts

BDX, ED, EMR and PH stock have something very few publicly traded businesses can claim: dividend-growth records stretching across half a century or more. Their latest earnings reports also show that these mature businesses aren't relying solely on their dividend histories to attract investors.

Becton Dickinson delivered broad-based revenue growth and stronger cash generation while lifting the midpoint of its earnings outlook. Consolidated Edison topped expectations and has a massive capital-investment program supporting its long-term rate base. Emerson Electric paired higher orders with margin expansion and raised guidance. Parker-Hannifin, meanwhile, produced double-digit earnings growth, a sharp increase in orders and another year of strong cash generation.

The catch is that great businesses don't always equal great entry points for stocks. With all four stocks currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), the near-term earnings revision picture doesn't provide a clear enough catalyst to warrant an outright Buy rating and the plausibility of significant short-term upside.

That doesn't make these Dividend Kings stocks to sell, either. Their durable businesses, shareholder-friendly capital allocation and decades-long dividend records make them compelling names to keep on investors' watchlists.

For now, holding existing positions may be the most appropriate approach, while prospective buyers can watch for more favorable valuations or stronger upward earnings estimate revisions. Among the four, Emerson and Parker-Hannifin appear particularly intriguing following their strong operating results, and either could become more attractive should analyst revisions turn increasingly positive.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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