The Untouchable Dividend Payers

In all there's 18 companies that have been able to do this over the long haul. Actually, there's more, but there's only 18 that have been able to reduce their DPR at a 5% compound annual growth rate. Here they are in all their glory.

Remember, though, decreasing the payout ratio is only one half of the trick. Untouchables must increase their cash dividend, by a lot. By "a lot," I mean at a double-digit compound annual growth rate. Double digits might be a tad harsh on my part, since a 7% compound annual growth rate will double a long-term investor's yield in 10 years (less if they reinvest). Applying this "harsh" criteria, yields (no pun intended) the following list of Untouchables.

>>> Also see: Buying What Is Cheap, Hated and in an Uptrend

For the GMG Defensive Beta Fund (MPDAX), of which I am the co-portfolio manager, we own Monsanto (MON), Deere (DE), Caterpillar (CAT), Disney (DIS) and Exxon (XOM).

A note of caution to would-be Untouchable finders out there. Across a variety of financial databases we subscribe to, we found complete 10-year dividend data on just 133 of the 500 companies that comprise the S&P 500.

Companies with incomplete data were left out of my analysis. Many of them, probably, should have been because they missed making dividend payments. But incomplete data could also stem from mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and the like. This means looking carefully and piecing together data might lead to a larger list of Untouchable Dividend Payers.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.

Oliver Pursche is President of Gary Goldberg Financial Services, a boutique money management firm located in Suffern, NY. Additionally, Mr. Pursche is the Co-Portfolio Manager for the GMG Defensive Beta Fund, and a Founding Partner of Montebello Partners, llc. In his role as President of GGFS, and as a member of the GGFS Investment Committee, Mr. Pursche helps oversee the investment portfolio of over 2000 clients with over $500 million dollars in assets. Mr. Pursche frequently provides market and economic commentary on CNBC and Fox Business News, as well as often being interviewed by The Financial Times, US News and World Report, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Associated Press regarding his and the firms views on the latest market news and events. Mr. Pursche's views on the market and investment strategies have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Smart Money, USA Today and other national business publications. In addition to writing for TheStreet.com, he is also a weekly contributor on Forbes.com and BankRate.com. His daily market commentary can be read at www.betafundcommentary.com or you can listen to him on www.financialtalkshow.com weekdays at 10:00 AM.

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