18 Best Dividend Stocks for Passive Income — Ranked for 2026

13. Medtronic plc (MDT) - The Medical Device Dividend Leader

Medtronic plc earns the fourteenth position through its leadership in medical device innovation and global market presence that generates steady cash flows from essential healthcare products with favorable demographic trends and limited economic sensitivity. With 46 consecutive years of dividend increases, Medtronic demonstrates the defensive characteristics of healthcare companies that benefit from aging populations, increased medical device utilization, and technological advancement that drives procedure volume growth and device replacement cycles. The company's diversified portfolio spans cardiac and vascular therapies, minimally invasive surgical solutions, diabetes management, and neurological treatments, providing exposure to multiple medical specialties and reducing dependence on any single product category or therapeutic area. Med