Consolidated Edison (ED) DIvidends Date & History

Key Takeaways

• Consolidated Edison (ED) pays a quarterly dividend of $0.8875 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.55 per share and a forward dividend yield of approximately 3.1% to 3.4%.
• The company holds the longest active dividend growth streak among all S&P 500 utilities, with 52 consecutive years of annual dividend increases, earning it Dividend King status.
• The payout ratio sits at approximately 58%, comfortably within the company's stated target range of 55% to 65% of adjusted earnings, supporting dividend sustainability.
• Dividend growth has been steady but modest, with a 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 3%, and a larger 4.4% increase in early 2026 marking one of the more substantial hikes in recent years.
• The stock is best suited for conservative, income-oriented investors who prioritize reliability and consistency over high yields or rapid dividend growth.
• ED's yield trails the broader utility sector average but the company makes up for it with an unmatched track record of dependability and a highly regulated, recession-resistant business model.

Dividend Overview

ED is one of the most established dividend payers in the American equity market. The company distributes dividends on a quarterly schedule, with payments typically made in March, June, September, and December. The most recent ex-dividend date was May 13, 2026, with the subsequent payment occurring on June 15, 2026. As of mid-2026, the quarterly rate stands at $0.8875 per share, reflecting the annualized increase announced in January 2026 that raised the yearly dividend from $3.40 to $3.55 per share.

Con Edison is not a high-yield stock by utility sector standards, nor is it an aggressive dividend growth play. Rather, it fits squarely into the category of reliable dividend growth stock — a slow-but-steady compounder that has earned its reputation as one of the safest income investments in the market. The company serves approximately 3.7 million electric customers in the New York metropolitan area, operating within a highly regulated framework that provides predictable revenue streams and supports consistent capital returns to shareholders.

Dividend History and Growth

Consolidated Edison's dividend history is one of the most impressive in corporate America. The company has raised its dividend every single year since 1974, achieving 52 consecutive years of annual dividend increases as of its most recent hike in January 2026. This places ED in the rarefied group of Dividend Kings — companies that have increased dividends for at least 50 consecutive years.

According to the company's investor relations data, the annual dividend per share has climbed from $2.42 in 2012 to $3.55 in 2026, representing a steady march higher with annual increases typically ranging between 2% and 4%. The most recent increase of 4.4% — lifting the quarterly payout from $0.85 to $0.8875 — was notably above the recent average, signaling management's confidence in the company's financial trajectory. The five-year dividend CAGR (compound annual growth rate) sits near 3%, a pace that roughly keeps up with inflation and provides real income growth over time.

Notably, Con Edison's streak is the longest of any utility in the S&P 500, a distinction the company itself highlights. This track record has been built through wars, recessions, market crashes, and the upheaval of the clean energy transition, underscoring the resilience of the underlying business model.

Dividend Sustainability and Payout Ratio

Dividend sustainability at Consolidated Edison appears strong based on current metrics. The company targets a dividend payout ratio between 55% and 65% of adjusted earnings, and the trailing payout ratio sits at roughly 58%, right in the middle of that range. This is a conservative level for a regulated utility, where stable cash flows and predictable rate structures support higher payout ratios than in most other sectors.

On the cash flow side, Con Edison generates substantial operating cash flow from its regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses. In fiscal 2025, the company paid approximately $1.17 billion in common stock dividends, supported by roughly $15 billion in annual revenues and a regulated monopoly position in one of the densest energy markets in the world. While utilities are inherently capital-intensive — requiring ongoing investment in grid infrastructure, reliability upgrades, and the clean energy transition — Con Edison's authorized rate structures allow for cost recovery and a reasonable return on equity (ROE), which helps protect the dividend.

The company's balance sheet carries meaningful debt, as is typical for utilities with heavy infrastructure assets, but the regulated nature of the business and the essential service it provides to the New York metro area support stable credit ratings and consistent access to capital markets. There are no red flags suggesting an imminent dividend cut, and the company's commitment to the 55%–65% payout range provides a clear framework for assessing future increases.

Dividend Compared to Industry Peers

Within the electric utility sector, Consolidated Edison's dividend yield of roughly 3.1% to 3.4% sits below the sector average of around 5.4%, according to TipRanks data. For comparison, peers such as DUK and SO tend to offer yields in the 3.5% to 4.5% range, while some higher-yielding utilities can exceed 5%. However, yield is only one dimension of dividend quality.

What ED lacks in yield it compensates for with unmatched consistency and lower volatility. Its 52-year growth streak is the longest among S&P 500 utilities, and its business concentration in the New York City metro area — a region with dense, stable demand and robust regulatory oversight — provides a level of revenue predictability that many peers in more sprawling or weather-dependent service territories cannot match. Investors who compare NEE or CEG to ED will notice that while those peers may offer higher growth potential tied to renewables or merchant power exposure, they also carry different risk profiles. ED represents the conservative end of the utility dividend spectrum: lower yield, slower growth, but extraordinary reliability.

AI Screener

For investors seeking to identify dividend-paying stocks like Consolidated Edison or compare opportunities across the utility sector and beyond, Tickeron's AI Screener offers a powerful AI-driven stock and ETF discovery platform. The AI Screener enables traders and investors to filter thousands of equities using customizable criteria — including industry classification, market capitalization, technical indicators, price patterns, volatility metrics, and fundamental performance data. Whether searching for dependable dividend stocks, income-focused investments, breakout candidates, or stocks exhibiting specific technical patterns, the screener streamlines the discovery process by surfacing opportunities that match user-defined parameters far more efficiently than manual screening. In a market with thousands of tickers, the AI Screener helps narrow the field to actionable ideas based on data-driven signals.

Is This Stock Attractive for Dividend Investors?

Consolidated Edison is best suited for conservative, income-oriented investors with a long-term horizon. The stock does not offer the highest yield in the utility sector, nor is it a vehicle for rapid dividend growth. What it does provide — and has provided for more than half a century — is reliability. For retirees and near-retirees who depend on a growing income stream that can withstand economic downturns, ED's track record is difficult to match.

Dividend growth investors may find the 3% annual increase rate modest relative to faster-growing companies, but the predictability of those increases — year after year, uninterrupted since 1974 — holds unique appeal for those who value certainty. The stock may be less attractive to yield-maximizing investors, who could find higher current income elsewhere in the utility space or in other dividend-heavy sectors. It may also be less compelling for total-return-focused investors, given that regulated utilities typically generate modest capital appreciation.

Overall, ED functions as a portfolio stabilizer — a low-volatility, regulated-monopoly business that has proven its ability to return cash to shareholders through every imaginable market condition. For investors who believe that the most important attribute of a dividend is that it keeps arriving, Consolidated Edison remains one of the most trusted names in the market.

Disclaimer

The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.

Disclaimers and Limitations