To earn the title of Dividend Aristocrat, a company must build a streak of at least 25 straight years of annual payout increases. While that kind of track record is no guarantee that a company will keep the hikes coming, it does show a commitment to do so. However, when conditions change -- and the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made for some changes -- companies may have to reevaluate their financial priorities and abilities.
Both Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) and Clorox (NYSE: CLX) have been struggling of late. And while each has raised its dividend payouts for more than 30 years in a row, investors may now be worried about the future of those streaks.
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Could These 2 Dividend Aristocrats Break Their Payout-Hiking Streaks Next Year?