10/11/25 – The Best Dividend Reads This Week 📚

💡 MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

This week, we’ve gathered some of the most compelling dividend stories every investor should know.

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Intro

Consistent dividend growth turns a portfolio into a reliable cash flow generator, paving the way to financial freedom.

By sticking to the MaxDividends Investment Concept, I focus on reliable dividend growth stocks.

And this is where MaxDividends truly proves its value.

Dividend Hike of the Week: Bank OZK (NASDAQ: OZK)

Dividend Increase: +2.30%. 25+ consecutive years of dividends.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ: OZK) is a high‑return regional bank with a national footprint in commercial real estate lending through its Real Estate Specialties Group, alongside community banking, business banking, and treasury services across nine states — a not flashy but steady lender with disciplined underwriting and deposit‑gathering that travels well through cycles.

For Q2 2025, total revenue printed at $392.8 million, up 6.8% year over year, while net income available to common stockholders hit a record $178.9 million, up 3.1% YoY; diluted EPS was $1.58 as net interest income set a quarterly record and loan and deposit growth stayed solid — a margin play with credit costs contained and asset quality steady. Management also raised loan growth expectations on the back of healthy production pipelines, reinforcing operating momentum into the second half.

Dividend yield is 3.41% on an annual dividend of $1.76, backed by a 25‑year dividend increase track record — not flashy but steady cash returns. The bank has already raised the dividend twice in 2025, including an October move to $0.45 per share (61st consecutive quarterly increase), reflecting robust earnings power and conservative payout discipline.

Five‑year dividend growth is +68.00%, and the dividend payout ratio is 28.57%, leaving ample room for organic growth, credit reserves, and buybacks without stressing capital — a solid setup as the rate and credit cycle evolves.

This Week’s Best Reads 💡

Dividend Deep Dives & Investing Gold

It’s been a week full of investment color — a reminder that patience and discipline still win in the long run. We’re starting with Lottie and Howard Marcus, the quiet pair who turned a lifetime of saving into a masterclass in compounding.

Then it’s on to a natural gas infrastructure powerhouse with 55 years of dividend hikes and a biotech player quietly building tomorrow’s therapies. Nike’s rebound is picking up speed, though tariffs might tug at its laces, and PepsiCo not only crushed earnings but brought in Walmart’s finance chief to sharpen its playbook.

Pour a cup, get comfortable, and enjoy the stories behind the numbers.

• Lottie and Howard Marcus: The Quiet Architects of Compounding
• 2.48% Dividend Yield, 55 Years of Dividend Hikes – The Natural Gas Infrastructure Powerhouse
• Nike’s Bounce Is Real — Tariffs Could Slow the Sprint
• 3.23% Dividend Yield, 14 Years of Dividend Hikes – Biotech Powering Tomorrow’s Therapies
• PepsiCo Beats the Street and Brings in Walmart’s Finance Chief to Tighten the Game

Premium Partner Spotlight: Exclusive Dividend Ideas Just for You

• High-Yield Dividend Weekly: U.S. Leaders & Global Gems
• Weekly Watchlist – 10 Capital Growth Dividend Stocks in Focus

Max Dividends: How My Dividend Week Went

I don’t wait for perfect weather, a tailwind, or the “right” market cycle. Every week, I sit down with a cup of coffee, open my Dividend Eagles list, sort by MaxRatio, and see which names rise to the top.

Then I buy the ones I like. Simple as that.

No hype, no noise — just great businesses, tested by time and filtered through the MaxDividends formula. They go into my basket and start working for me immediately. That’s how the snowball keeps rolling.

From zero to nearly $10,000 in annual dividend income in year one — and about $1,000 of that came purely from dividend hikes. These businesses keep rewarding their owners more every single year. They’re steady workers. Like a good bottle of bourbon, they just get better with age. 🥃

My top three dividend payers today have all raised payouts for more than 30 years straight — through the dot-com crash, through 2008, through 2020. Quietly, reliably, paying more and more. That’s the kind of consistency you can lean on.

This isn’t a fad, a meme, or a hot take. It’s just growing income, week after week.

This week stayed right on plan — I added three solid names: Shoe Carnival, Novo Nordisk, and OZK Bank. All three are dependable dividend payers with room to grow. And OZK Bank dropped a nice bonus — its second dividend hike this year, on top of a +31% stock gain. That’s what we call a true Dividend Eagle. 🦅

Now, here’s where the magic shows up:

The $6,845 in dividends I’ve collected so far has already snowballed into $7,200. That pile alone now pays me $304 a year — without me lifting a finger.

Let that ride for 20 years and it’ll throw off about $300 a month. Stretch to 25 years and you’re looking at $400+ a month, all from cash that once just sat there doing nothing.

That’s the wonder of dividends — one small seed that keeps growing, keeps paying, keeps multiplying. No hustle, no trading, no guessing. Just time, patience, and compounding doing their quiet magic.

On the app side, the team’s been on fire. We’re constantly refreshing company data, verifying every single dividend payout, and making sure accuracy stays top-tier.

We also redesigned the Company Analytics Page — it’s now cleaner, simpler, and fully aligned with the MaxDividends concept. Plus, we’ve added CAD currency support so Canadian investors get the same precision as everyone else.

And yes — there’s another big update coming before month-end. No hype, no shortcuts — just progress. The snowball’s only getting stronger.

Want to Do the Same?

At MaxDividends, we focus on a dividend growth strategy. It’s a great fit for investors who want capital appreciation, a decent level of safety, and growing income.

Dividend strategy has been proven to beat the broader market over time, provided the stocks selected can withstand threats from competition and economic recessions.

MaxDividends Community

MaxDividends Mission: Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

We follow our time-tested strategy for tapping into overlooked dividend plays that can make your portfolio more resistant to recessions and other market panics and pack on consistent gains for years to come.

MaxDividends Idea

“Retire early and live on dividends. Because no one wants to work forever.”

👉 My Own High Yield Dividend Growth Story

With MaxDividends Community you’ll always be part of a winning team and stop viewing the future as an uncertainty. Worry will fade, replaced by confidence and peace of mind. You’ll focus on doing what you love while your passive income continues to grow.

Choosing a strong environment is the key to achieving outstanding results. If you surround yourself with people who dream bigger than you, you increase your chances of reaching greater heights. Surround yourself only with those who will support you on your path to success.

📚 Knowledge Base & Premium Guides

Start Here

• Your Premium Hub
• What is the MaxDividends Strategy
• 📖 What is the MaxDividends Idea & Concept | E-Book

Guides & Step-by-Step

• Getting Started: Your Step-by-Step Dividend Plan
• How Do We Select MaxDividends Stocks

Deep Insights

• 📖 I ❤️ Dividends: Why I Believe Dividend Investing Is the Best Strategy | E-Book
• How Effective is the MaxDividends Strategy for Building Growing Passive Income
• One More Secret Ingredient for the MaxDividends Strategy

Help & Support

• Got a question about dividends? Ask Max, your AI Dividend Assistant!
• Didn’t get the answer you need? Reach out: max@maxdividends.appor team@maxdividends.app — we’ll help you out.

MaxDividends Mission

Helping people build growing passive income, retire early, and live off dividends.

Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. ― Warren Buffett.

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*Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s personal opinions and is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice in any form. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor. The author may hold positions in some of the stocks mentioned, in line with the views expressed. This is a disclosure, not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities.

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