What are some highly-rated companies that pay dividends to shareholders?

Companies that are part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, or simply the Dow 30, are some of the highest-rated companies that pay dividends shareholders. These companies are among the most popular in the world and are considered as "blue chip" stocks. Among the Dow 30 companies are Pfizer, AT&T, Microsoft, Chevron and Wal-Mart Stores, as listed by Dividend.com as of June 2015.

Established by Charles Dow in 1896, the Dow 30 serves as an index to give investors a means to gauge how the stock market is performing. It must be noted that the Dow 30 companies are often changed. Other notable companies in the index include IBM, General Electric and American Express, as listed by CNN Money. The Dow 30 companies come from different industries, including energy, telecommunications, technology and health care.