Split $7,500 Evenly Across These 3 Dividend Stocks and Ignore Them Until 2046

There are no certainties or guarantees in the stock market. But there are some companies that have track records so solid that you could feel comfortable about investing in them and then not checking back on their performance until 2046, if you had to.

For me, that list of stocks would include Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST), which pays both regular quarterly dividends and the occasional large special dividend. It would also include reliable income stock Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), and Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT), a retailer with plenty of stock price appreciation potential. Those last two are also both Dividend Kings, a title they've earned by raising their payouts annually for at least 50 consecutive years.

Between them, they offer a unique collection of companies to split a $7,500 investment budget evenly among that can reliably boost the income generation of any portfolio over the next two decades, and anchor it during tough economic environments,

Investing $2,500 in Coca-Cola

As of this writing, Coca-Cola shares have climbed 23% so far in 2026, easily outperforming the nearly 12% return of the S&P 500. The beverage giant is also outperforming rival PepsiCo, which is down about 12% this year.

What's helping spur those gains is that Coca-Cola is finding success by coming up with new twists on its established offerings, which bodes well for its future. In the second quarter of 2026, it saw 16% volume growth in its Coca-Cola Zero Sugar line, as well as a 20% volume increase in its relaunched Mr. Pibb brand.

Its product portfolio includes far more than sodas, however, as it has expanded over the years into an array of other beverage categories. Its water, sports, coffee, and tea segment showed some of the strongest volume growth among its divisions, climbing 6%. That shows it's currently meeting consumer demand, but it's also well positioned, through the diversity of its beverage lineup, to handle shifts in consumer tastes.

What Coca-Cola offers as an income stock is reliability. It has boosted its dividend payout for 63 consecutive years, and at the current share price, the dividend currently yields 2.4%. Based on its Sept. 30 closing price of $86.08, a $2,500 investment in Coca-Cola would buy a little more than 29 shares (assuming your broker offers fractional investing, which most now do).

Investing $2,500 in Costco Wholesale

I've always found Costco to be one of the most interesting investments in the market, as it rewards its shareholders through three mechanisms: stock price appreciation, regular quarterly dividends, and intermittent special dividends.

While its quarterly dividend yields a modest 0.6% at the current share price, it adds to Costco's total return potential. Over the last five years, Costco shares have climbed by 105%, while it also paid one special dividend during that time frame -- a $15 per share distribution in January 2024.

The retailer is built to thrive amid economic downturns, as its bulk deals on essentials cater well to households trying to stretch their dollars as far as possible. That makes a Costco membership something people aren't likely to part with, and the truth of that can be seen in its renewal rates. Its worldwide renewal rate is nearly 90%, while in North America, it's an even more impressive 92.3%.

Based on its Sept. 30 closing price of $910.34, a $2,500 investment in Costco would get you a bit shy of three shares. In the context, such a buy could be made as an initial investment en route to building a larger position in the company over time. That said, considering any investment amount is always the most important first step.

Investing $2,500 in Walmart

Walmart offers a bit of a mix of the characteristics of the other two stocks discussed here. Like Coca-Cola, it is a Dividend King, having increased its payouts for 53 consecutive years. And like Costco, it has enjoyed some strong stock price appreciation: It's up 129% over the past five years.

Walmart is now focused on making its shopping experience as easy as possible, offering everything from an artificial intelligence assistant, Sparky, which answers questions and gives product recommendations online, to drone deliveries. And despite the stock price's struggles this year, the results of those innovations are showing up financially. In the second quarter of its fiscal 2027, revenue was $187.9 billion, a 5.9% increase from the prior-year period; its global online sales grew by 23%, and its membership fee revenue grew 17%.

Generating steady, growing revenue positions Walmart to continue increasing its dividend payout, and the combination of growing sales and better profit margins supported by its technology investments could help ignite investor enthusiasm and send the stock price higher. Its dividend yield is on the low side at less than 1%, but that also helps make its increases sustainable. At the Sept. 30 closing price of $103.92, investing $2,500 in Walmart would buy a little more than 24 shares.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.