In the not-too-distant past, you would be hard-pressed to find any technology company that paid a dividend. But in the modern market, many of the more mature tech companies have begun focusing more on direct returns to shareholders in the form of dividends.
Apple, the beloved tech company that is currently the 2nd-largest in the S&P 500, pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share as of November 2025. That means if you own 100 shares of Apple, the company will pay you $104 in cash every year.
While that works out to a relatively meager 0.39% dividend yield, there’s lots of room for Apple to raise that payout over time thanks to its immense cash hoard. But keeping its yield relatively low also allows Apple to deploy its cash into more productive, growth-oriented areas like research and development.
If you’re on the hunt for companies matching Apple’s profile — top-tier businesses with predictable cash flow, solid track records and room for both capital appreciation and dividend growth — here’s a list of stocks that might fit the bill, with stock data sourced from Yahoo! Finance.
Broadcom (AVGO)
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Annual dividend: $2.36
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Dividend yield: 0.66%
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Market cap: $1.687 trillion
Broadcom is a tech/semiconductor name that may not be as much of a household name as Apple, but it’s still the 6th-largest company in the S&P 500. The company pays a dividend yield about 50% higher than Apple while still offering tech-level growth.
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Meta Platforms (META)
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Annual dividend: $2.10
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Dividend yield: 0.33%
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Market cap: $1.573 trillion
Meta Platforms is probably best known as the parent company of Facebook. Now the 8th-largest company in the S&P 500, Meta didn’t begin paying dividends until 2024, and its current yield is even lower than Apple’s 0.39%. But the company generates prodigious amounts of cash and is likely to follow the Apple model of starting slow and increasing dividends over time.
Cisco Systems (CSCO)
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Annual dividend: $1.64
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Dividend yield: 2.27%
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Market cap: $238.397 billion
When it comes to tech stocks, Cisco Systems is one of the dividend leaders. Its yield is head-and-shoulders above that paid by most other tech stocks, including Apple. As the company now generates about 56% of its income on a subscription basis, its cash flow is more stable, allowing it to easily cover its higher dividend. Cisco’s solid 2.27% yield appeals to both income and growth investors alike.
Microsoft (MSFT)
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Annual dividend: $3.64
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Dividend yield: 0.72%
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Market cap: $3.754 trillion
Microsoft, currently the 3rd-largest company in the S&P 500, has been a tech giant for decades. If you ever use a computer, you likely use at least one Microsoft product. The company generates immense amounts of revenue and has raised its dividend for 24 consecutive years, according to Dividend.com, in line with its increasing cash flow.
Texas Instruments (TXN)
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Annual dividend: $5.68
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Dividend yield: 3.54%
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Market cap: $145.371 billion
If you’re looking for a tech stock that pays a hefty dividend, Texas Instruments may be the answer. The chip maker may not be as flashy as consumer-oriented stocks like Apple, but its product is essential, providing it with stable cash flow and the ability to cover a high dividend yield. According to Morningstar, Texas Instruments was one of the first tech stocks to pay a dividend, starting way back in 1985.
Comparison: Dividend Aristocrats
While it’s admirable that the big tech companies listed above pay cash dividends, these stocks are typically screened out by traditional dividend investors. The S&P 500 as a whole has a dividend yield of 1.17%, meaning the most well-known tech stocks on this list, like Apple and Microsoft, pay sub-market yields. For “big-game” dividend hunters, solid companies that pay yields of 2.5% or more, like Texas Instruments, are usually the target.
The so-called “dividend aristocrats” are companies that have not only paid but also increased their dividends annually for at least 25 years. Names on this list tend to be in the consumer and industrial sectors, according to SureDividend. Many are companies that provide products that you may use on a daily basis, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson. By way of comparison, those stocks currently pay dividend yields of 2.89%, 3.99%, 2.91% and 2.76%, respectively. Other well-known companies, such as Target and Hormel Foods, pay significantly higher dividends of 5.03% and 5.24%, respectively.
The Bottom Line
Building a portfolio involves more than just picking stocks by their dividend yield. You have to consider the overall balance of your portfolio in terms of growth and income, and risk and reward. For most investors, simply picking the stocks on this list and owning them all isn’t a sound strategy.
Pure dividend investors, for example, will likely prefer companies like Target, PepsiCo or Procter & Gamble, which offer slow growth but high dividends. But others may prefer companies like Apple and Microsoft, which focus on higher growth but still pay dividends that are likely to grow over time. Either way, this list should serve as a starting point for your research, not a sample portfolio.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Stocks That Pay Out Dividends Like Apple