Better Dividend Stock: 3M vs. Whole Foods Market

Shares of 3M and Whole Foods Market are a great starting point for income-seeking investors that are on the hunt for quality dividend stocks. Both sport generous yields, are backed by rock-solid business models, and have increased their quarterly distributions consistently over the years.

When it comes to stocks like 3M and Whole Foods Market's, in other words, the more difficult task is to choose between the two. I drew up the following slideshow with this in mind. It compares shares of 3M and Whole Foods Market based on three different dividend metrics: dividend yield, 10-year dividend growth, and the dividend payout ratio.

To learn more about these metrics, and to see how these companies stack up with respect to them, simply scroll through the brief slideshow.

The article Better Dividend Stock: 3M vs. Whole Foods Market originally appeared on Fool.com.

John Mackey, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Maxfield has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Whole Foods Market. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.