Top VIG Holdings Ranked by Years Beating Inflation (2015–2025)

Introduction

A long history of dividend increases can look impressive, but the size of those increases also matters. This visualization compares annual dividend growth against calendar-year U.S. CPI inflation, showing whether each company's increase preserved or improved purchasing power over time. Rather than focusing on average dividend growth, the chart emphasizes consistency across the full period by classifying every year into growth bands, below-inflation increases, freezes, or dividend cuts. Historical consistency can provide useful context, but it does not guarantee future dividend growth.

Key insights

• Perfect inflation-beating consistency

  Broadcom (AVGO), Lam Research (LRCX), Visa (V), and Microsoft (MSFT) each recorded 10 out of 10 years with dividend growth at or above inflation. None of these companies experienced dividend cuts, freezes, or below-inflation growth during the measured period.

• Strong records with occasional below-inflation years

  Eli Lilly (LLY), Apple (AAPL), and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) each exceeded inflation in 9 of the 10 annual comparisons. Their remaining year was classified as positive dividend growth below inflation rather than a freeze or cut, illustrating that not every increase fully offset inflation.

• Consistency varies without dividend cuts

  Walmart (WMT) recorded the fewest years above inflation at 5 out of 10, while Exxon Mobil (XOM) reached 7 out of 10 and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) reached 8 out of 10. None of these companies experienced dividend cuts or freezes during the period, showing that uninterrupted dividend growth can still vary significantly in its ability to outpace inflation.

• Looking beyond average growth

  The visualization classifies every annual period individually instead of relying on a single long-term growth rate. This makes it easier to identify whether a company's dividend history consists primarily of strong inflation-beating increases or a mix of modest increases that occasionally lag inflation.

Methodology

DividendXray calculates year-over-year dividend growth using annual regular cash dividends for each company and compares each annual increase with the corresponding calendar-year U.S. CPI inflation rate. Each year is then classified as a dividend cut, freeze, below-inflation growth, or one of several inflation-beating growth bands. Companies are sorted by the number of years in which dividend growth met or exceeded inflation. Positive dividend growth below inflation is treated as a separate classification rather than being grouped with freezes or cuts.

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