Dividend paying healthcare stocks
Healthcare pays modest yields but combines defensive demand with strong free cash flow, which is the combination that funds decades of raises. Patent cliffs, not recessions, are what threaten these dividends.
63 operating companies currently paying a dividend, median yield 1.23%. Funds and ETFs are excluded on purpose — this is companies only. Prices as of Sep 3, 2026.
- 1ELVElevance Health, Inc.1.66% · payout 30%
- 2UNHUnitedHealth Group Incorporated2.34% · payout 58%
- 3CIThe Cigna Group2.21% · payout 25%
- 4GILDGilead Sciences, Inc.2.17% · payout 43%
- 5RPRXRoyalty Pharma plc Class A Ordinary Shares1.47% · payout 49%
- 6USPHU.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.2.32% · payout 11%
- 7LMATLeMaitre Vascular, Inc.1.24% · payout 32%
- 8ATRAptarGroup, Inc.1.51% · payout 34%
- 9SYKStryker Corporation1.16% · payout 36%
- 10STESTERIS PLC (Ireland)1.23% · payout 31%
- 1CIThe Cigna Group172.8%/yr
- 2HCAHCA Healthcare, Inc.46.3%/yr
- 3USPHU.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.41.3%/yr
- 4UHSUniversal Health Services, Inc.31.9%/yr
- 5EMBCEmbecta Corp.26.0%/yr
- 6RPRXRoyalty Pharma plc Class A Ordinary Shares24.0%/yr
- 7SPOKSpok Holdings, Inc.20.1%/yr
- 8ZTSZoetis Inc.20.1%/yr
- 9LMATLeMaitre Vascular, Inc.16.1%/yr
- 10LLYEli Lilly and Company15.2%/yr
No company in this sector pays monthly — the quarterly cheque is the norm here. For monthly income, look at REITs, BDCs and specialty finance.
Specialty financeAll 63 healthcare dividend payers
63 shown · click any column to sort
| Company | Industry | Yield | Annual $ | Payout | Div growth | Streak | Quality | Size | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LLYraised Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | 0.60% | $6.92 | 22% | +15.2% | 11y | 84 | $1.03T | +54.7% |
Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | 1.93% | $5.36 | 61% | +5.3% | 64y | 70 | $645.9B | +54.0% |
AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | 2.66% | $6.92 | 190% | +6.8% | 54y | 48 | $451.5B | +20.4% |
Merck & Company, Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | 2.23% | $3.40 | 269% | +5.8% | 14y | 49 | $366.0B | +78.9% |
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated | Managed Care | 2.34% | $9.28 | 58% | +12.6% | 15y | 85 | $359.9B | +27.9% |
Novartis AG | General Drug Manufacturers | 2.25% | $3.70 | 70% | +3.5% | 24y | 21 | $301.3B | +36.7% |
AZNcut AstraZeneca PLC | General Drug Manufacturers | 0.96% | $1.59 | 47% | +2.3% | — | 24 | $252.3B | -0.5% |
Amgen Inc. | Biotechnology | 2.27% | $10.08 | 61% | +8.3% | 14y | 60 | $233.8B | +56.1% |
Abbott Laboratories | Pharmaceuticals | 2.32% | $2.52 | 79% | +10.4% | 54y | 33 | $191.2B | -18.4% |
Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Biotechnology | 2.17% | $3.28 | 43% | +3.0% | 10y | 79 | $180.6B | +33.9% |
Pfizer, Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | 5.97% | $1.72 | 226% | +2.5% | 16y | 35 | $159.4B | +15.9% |
DHRraised Danaher Corporation | Industrial Instruments for Measurement, Display, and Control | 0.77% | $1.60 | 26% | +12.2% | 13y | 71 | $146.0B | +4.3% |
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | Pharmaceuticals | 3.70% | $2.52 | 55% | +1.6% | 17y | 70 | $138.2B | +43.1% |
CVS Health Corporation | Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores | 2.75% | $2.66 | 70% | +5.9% | 9y | 64 | $123.7B | +31.3% |
Medtronic PLC. | Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus | 3.09% | $2.88 | 76% | +4.4% | 49y | 62 | $116.8B | +1.4% |
Stryker Corporation | Medical Devices | 1.16% | $3.52 | 36% | +7.6% | 33y | 72 | $116.3B | -23.1% |
HCA Healthcare, Inc. | General Medical & Surgical Hospitals | 0.76% | $3.12 | 10% | +46.3% | — | 35 | $90.5B | -1.6% |
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | 0.45% | $3.76 | 9% | +40.1%† | 1y | 55 | $85.2B | +45.9% |
Elevance Health, Inc. | Managed Care | 1.66% | $6.88 | 30% | +12.5% | 14y | 85 | $85.1B | +32.3% |
The Cigna Group | Managed Care | 2.21% | $6.24 | 25% | +172.8% | 13y | 79 | $74.7B | -7.1% |
Cencora, Inc. | Drug Distribution | 0.71% | $2.40 | 17% | +5.8% | 16y | 73 | $61.5B | +13.1% |
Cardinal Health, Inc. | Drug Distribution | 0.83% | $2.06 | 28% | +0.9% | 29y | 76 | $54.6B | +65.5% |
Becton, Dickinson and Company | Medical Devices | 2.24% | $4.20 | 73% | +5.4% | 54y | 39 | $51.1B | -3.4% |
Humana Inc. | Managed Care | 0.87% | $3.54 | 34% | +7.2% | — | 27 | $46.3B | +28.7% |
Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 0.68% | $1.02 | 20% | +6.6% | 11y | 74 | $42.5B | +17.4% |
Alcon Inc. | Medical Instruments & Supplies | 0.40% | $0.28 | 27% | +11.9%* | 4y | 21 | $34.1B | -10.7% |
RMDraised ResMed Inc. | Medical Devices | 1.15% | $2.64 | 23% | +7.7% | 13y | 66 | $33.4B | -16.6% |
Zoetis Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | 2.78% | $2.12 | 33% | +20.1% | 13y | 42 | $31.5B | -50.5% |
GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. Common Stock | X-ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus | 0.20% | $0.14 | 3% | +3.7%† | 2y | 21 | $31.1B | -7.1% |
Royalty Pharma plc Class A Ordinary Shares | Pharmaceuticals | 1.47% | $0.94 | 49% | +24.0% | 6y | 78 | $28.1B | +73.3% |
Labcorp Holdings Inc. | Medical Laboratories | 0.87% | $2.88 | 24% | +10.1%* | 2y | 51 | $26.9B | +18.8% |
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | Medical Laboratories | 1.44% | $3.44 | 26% | +7.3% | 14y | 67 | $26.6B | +31.7% |
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. | Medical Devices | 0.26% | $0.88 | 11% | +5.5% | 25y | 81 | $24.1B | +37.3% |
STERIS PLC (Ireland) | Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 1.23% | $2.76 | 31% | +9.3% | 21y | 71 | $21.9B | -7.7% |
Viatris Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | 2.83% | $0.48 | 960% | 0.0%* | 1y | 3 | $19.6B | +63.4% |
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 0.97% | $0.96 | 23% | 0.0% | 14y | 57 | $19.2B | -6.4% |
Revvity, Inc. | Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 0.22% | $0.28 | 14% | 0.0% | — | 61 | $14.5B | +52.0% |
BAXcut Baxter International Inc. | Medical Devices | 0.16% | $0.04 | 308% | -11.4% | 0y | 40 | $13.2B | +9.5% |
Encompass Health Corporation Common Stock | Hospitals | 0.69% | $0.84 | 13% | +11.8%† | — | 21 | $12.0B | -2.2% |
Bio-Techne Corporation | Biotechnology | 3.59% | $2.60 | 28% | — | 4y | 64 | $11.3B | +36.9% |
Universal Health Services, Inc. | General Medical & Surgical Hospitals | 0.47% | $0.80 | 3% | +31.9% | — | 65 | $10.1B | -8.6% |
The Ensign Group, Inc. | Skilled Nursing Care Facilities | 0.15% | $0.26 | 4% | +4.5% | 19y | 73 | $10.1B | -1.3% |
Bruker Corporation | Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 0.34% | $0.20 | 39% | +4.6% | 1y | 27 | $8.5B | +96.4% |
AptarGroup, Inc. | Plastics | 1.51% | $1.92 | 34% | +4.9% | 32y | 73 | $8.2B | -8.0% |
CHEraised Chemed Corporation | Home Health Care Services | 0.54% | $2.80 | 12% | +10.8% | 17y | 72 | $6.8B | +13.1% |
Teleflex Incorporated | Medical Devices | 0.97% | $1.36 | 23% | 0.0% | — | 53 | $6.0B | +7.2% |
Stevanato Group S.p.A. | Medical Instruments & Supplies | 0.26% | $0.05 | 11% | +1.9%* | — | 21 | $5.6B | -11.0% |
Concentra Group Holdings Parent, Inc. | Specialty Outpatient Facilities | 0.73% | $0.25 | 16% | 0.0%† | 1y | 61 | $4.4B | +46.4% |
Organon & Co. | Pharmaceuticals | 0.58% | $0.08 | 10% | -32.8%* | — | 64 | $3.6B | +42.4% |
NHCREIT National HealthCare Corporation | Skilled Nursing Care Facilities | 1.23% | $2.68 | 29% | +4.0% | 10y | 64 | $3.4B | +89.9% |
DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. | Dental Equipment & Supplies | 6.20% | $0.64 | 29% | +9.9% | 12y | 56 | $2.3B | -20.6% |
Select Medical Holdings Corporation | Hospitals | 1.51% | $0.25 | 23% | -20.6%* | — | 27 | $2.0B | +11.2% |
Perrigo Company PLC | Pharmaceuticals | 7.77% | $1.16 | 110% | +5.2% | 23y | 23 | $2.0B | -35.9% |
LMATraised LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. | Medical Devices | 1.24% | $1.00 | 32% | +16.1% | 14y | 74 | $1.8B | -16.9% |
Phibro Animal Health Corporation | Pharmaceuticals | 1.25% | $0.48 | 20% | 0.0% | 3y | 21 | $1.6B | -2.1% |
U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. | Health Services | 2.32% | $1.84 | 11% | +41.3% | — | 75 | $1.2B | -7.5% |
IRMDcut IRadimed Corporation | Medical Devices | 0.96% | $0.80 | 41% | +5.7%* | — | 48 | $1.1B | +15.7% |
HSTMraised HealthStream, Inc. | IT Services | 0.48% | $0.14 | 18% | +12.4%† | — | 61 | $870M | +3.5% |
KMDAcut Kamada Ltd. | Specialty & Generic Drug Manufacturers | 1.99% | $0.17 | 66% | — | 1y | 18 | $493M | +21.0% |
EMBCcut Embecta Corp. | Medical Devices | 0.69% | $0.04 | 31% | +26.0%* | — | 61 | $322M | -60.0% |
Utah Medical Products, Inc. | Medical Devices | 1.75% | $1.24 | 38% | +1.7% | — | 60 | $228M | +13.3% |
Spok Holdings, Inc. | Wireless Telecom | 11.67% | $1.25 | 219% | +20.1% | — | 36 | $224M | -40.9% |
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Common Stock | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Operating companies only — ETFs, closed-end funds, ADRs and preferred shares or baby bonds are excluded. Payout ratio and raise-streak data isn't published for every company; blanks mean we don't have it rather than zero. * marks a 3-year growth rate where 5 years isn't available; † marks a 12-month growth rate shown because the longer rate is distorted by a stock split.
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Frequently asked
How many healthcare stocks pay a dividend?
We currently track 63 healthcare operating companies paying a dividend, with a median yield of 1.23%. ETFs, closed-end funds and ADRs are excluded from this count — those are funds, not companies.
Which healthcare stock has the highest dividend yield?
SPOK shows the highest trailing yield in the sector at 11.67%. Treat the very top of any yield list with suspicion: an unusually high figure is often a special or one-off payment sitting in the trailing rate, or a share price that has collapsed.
Are high-yield healthcare dividends safe?
Yield alone tells you nothing about safety. In this sector 47 of 63 companies pay out 60% or less of earnings, which is the group with genuine room to keep raising. 5 have cut their dividend recently, and 6 have raised.
Do any healthcare companies pay monthly dividends?
No. Every dividend payer in this sector pays quarterly, semi-annually or annually. Monthly dividends are concentrated in REITs, BDCs and specialty finance.
How often is this list updated?
Nightly. Prices, yields, payout ratios and performance come from our own data pipeline, and this page reflects prices as of Sep 3, 2026. New dividend initiations and cuts are picked up automatically.
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