What is the definition of dividend aristocrats?

A dividend aristocrat is a publicly traded company that has increased the dividends it pays to shareholders every year for at least 25 years, according to Nasdaq. Standard & Poor's established the list in 1989, and it typically includes about 50 companies each valued at more than $3 billion.

One example of a dividend aristocrat is Procter & Gamble, Nasdaq explains. The company paid investors a dividend of 30 cents a share in 1993, and it steadily increased that payout to $2.57 a share in 2014. As of 2014, the list of dividend aristocrats also included Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark and McDonald's.