These 4 Stocks Might Have Growing Dividends -- but What Do Their Charts Say?

I don't get it. Why are retirees always depicted in a vineyard they probably don't own or near a yacht club they aren't a member of or ready to tee off at country club?

Another thing I don't understand is why people assume that common stocks can "provide safety, current income and income growth" without checking the technical conditions of the stocks too. Safety can get tossed out the window if a stock breaks below its 200-day moving average line.

With that in mind, let's see how the charts of these four elite dividend-growing stocks for retirees stack up. These stocks are Dividend Aristocrats, meaning they have increased their dividends for 25 or more consecutive years. 

PepsiCo

In this daily chart of PepsiCo (PEP) - Get Report , we can see only a slight markup the past 12 months. Pepsi has outperformed the S&P 500 since August, but that isn't a very high bar to beat.

We can see prices crossing above and below the 50-day and the 200-day moving average. The on-balance-volume, or OBV, line tracks prices higher and lower and is not indicating much in the way of strong accumulation. The moving average convergence/divergence oscillator gave a liquidate longs sell signal, and a cross below the zero line will be an outright sell signal.

PepsiCo is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS portfolio. Cramer and Research Director Jack Mohr said recently:

"In our view, Pepsi is a strong income name, and we expect its 2.7%+ yield to grow. Beyond this, we appreciate its diversified presence, ability to adapt to a low-growth environment for consumer packaged-food companies, best-in-class cost efficiency & productivity, and robust free cash flow growth. We would be buyers on any sharp pullback and reiterate our $110 long-term price target."

ExxonMobil

In this daily chart of ExxonMobil (XOM) - Get Report , we can see an August low and a successful January retest. Prices are above the rising 50-day moving average, and we can see a "golden cross" of the 50- and 200-day moving averages. The OBV line moves up steadily from early February, but the volume of trading diminished from around mid-January. A rally that occurs on declining volume is suspect as technicians like to see volume expand in an uptrend.

The last cautionary signal is the bearish divergence between the higher prices highs and the weaker momentum readings so far this year. Momentum is a leading indicator and does not give precise buy and sell signals, but it pays to know if momentum is slipping in an uptrend.

Exxon should find support around $85 if it slips lower, but a rally in the U.S. dollar and weaker prices for crude oil could weaken the stock further.

AT&T

AT&T (T) - Get Report is probably a stock that is easy to connect with retirees. The telecom sector has been an outperforming sector this year. AT&T is above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The OBV line bottomed in November and then again in January. The only warning flags on this name is the momentum study, which made a lower high on momentum in March vs. February.  Kimberly-Clark

In this last chart, Kimberly-Clark (KMB) - Get Report gapped down below the rising 50-day moving average. The 200-day line is coming up fast. The OBV line has peaked, and the MACD oscillator is below the zero line for a liquidate longs sell signal.