The Dow Is Outperforming the S&P 500 and Nasdaq in 2026. 3 Unstoppable Dow Stocks to Buy in August.

The Dow is outperforming the S&P 500 and Nasdaq in 2026 due to large consumer-facing companies delivering steady earnings and dividends. Three recommended Dow stocks for August are Procter & Gamble, McDonald's, and Home Depot—all established companies with resilient business models, strong cash generation, and consistent shareholder returns despite economic headwinds.

08/11/2026, 5:30 AM • The Motley Fool

1 Reason Lowe's May Be a Smarter Buy Than Home Depot Before Aug. 19

Both Lowe's and Home Depot have underperformed the market due to macroeconomic headwinds including elevated interest rates and inflation. However, Lowe's presents a better buying opportunity as it trades at a 26% valuation discount to Home Depot (forward P/E of 16.5 vs 22.3), despite demonstrating faster earnings growth from fiscal 2020-2025 and comparable future growth expectations.

08/10/2026, 6:30 AM • The Motley Fool

3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Load Up On Before 2026 Ends

The article recommends three consumer dividend stocks trading at low valuations with strong dividend yields: Realty Income (5.2% yield), Clorox (4.7% yield), and Campbell's (6.8% yield). All three have faced recent challenges but show signs of recovery, offering potential for market-beating returns for income investors.

08/09/2026, 9:32 AM • The Motley Fool

Home Depot Has Raised Its Dividend for 17 Consecutive Years and Reports Earnings Aug. 18. Is It the Smarter Dow Stock to Buy Over Walmart?

Home Depot and Walmart are compared as investment options. Home Depot has underperformed over five years (5% gain) due to cyclical pressures from higher interest rates and inflation, but maintains a strong dividend history with 157 consecutive quarters of payments and a higher yield of 2.67%. Walmart has outperformed significantly (130% gain over five years) with stronger fundamentals, diversified revenue streams from e-commerce and advertising, and a Dividend King status with 53 consecutive years of increases. Home Depot trades at a cheaper valuation (P/E of 24.8 vs. Walmart's 39.3), making it the better choice for dividend-focused investors despite Walmart's superior overall performance.

08/08/2026, 5:20 PM • The Motley Fool

Realty Income Reports Earnings Aug. 5. Here's How Much $15,000 Invested Pays Annually.

Realty Income, a REIT focused on brick-and-mortar retail properties, is set to report Q2 earnings on Aug. 5 with expected 7% revenue growth. The company is known for its consistent monthly dividend payments (nearly $750 annually on a $15,000 investment at current 5% yield) and 31 consecutive years of dividend increases. The company is also expanding into data centers, which could accelerate future dividend growth.

07/31/2026, 5:20 AM • The Motley Fool

Scosche Brings Everyday Charging and Mounting Solutions to Home Depot

Scosche Industries announced the availability of 20 of its charging cables, car chargers, phone mounts, and wall chargers at 500 Home Depot stores nationwide and online. The expansion aims to provide Home Depot customers with reliable mobile device accessories for home, work, and travel use.

07/23/2026, 4:57 PM • GlobeNewswire

1 Brilliant Dividend ETF to Build Long-Term Passive Income

The Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) is highlighted as an excellent choice for building passive income, offering a 2.6% dividend yield and 13.3% annualized returns since 2016. The fund combines high-yield blue-chip stocks like Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble with growth-oriented megacap tech holdings, while maintaining a low 0.15% expense ratio and affordable $62 share price.

07/23/2026, 8:30 AM • The Motley Fool

This Dividend ETF Yields 3.2% and Is Beating the Nasdaq-100 This Year

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) has returned approximately 20% in 2026, outperforming both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. The $95 billion fund focuses on companies with at least 10 consecutive years of dividend payments and screens for quality fundamentals. Its concentration in healthcare and consumer staples has benefited from a market rotation away from expensive AI and software stocks, though the fund's long-term job is delivering growing income from durable businesses rather than outrunning growth indexes.

07/18/2026, 8:23 AM • The Motley Fool

Home Depot vs. Lowe's: A Look at Recent Revenue Trends for These Home Improvement Giants

Home Depot maintains roughly double the revenue of Lowe's in the home improvement retail sector. Both companies display stable seasonal patterns, though recent interest rate headwinds and a soft housing market pressured stock prices. Home Depot's P/S ratio dipped below 2.0 in May before recovering, while Lowe's offers a compelling valuation at 1.3 P/S and recently raised its dividend 4%.

07/11/2026, 5:30 PM • The Motley Fool

Home Depot vs. Lowe's: Which Big Box Home Improvement Giant Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Home Depot and Lowe's dominate the home improvement retail market with different growth strategies. Home Depot leads in the professional contractor segment with a $357B market cap, higher margins, and strong free cash flow, but trades at a premium valuation (P/E 25.41). Lowe's, with a $128B market cap, appears cheaper (P/E 19.24) and is aggressively expanding into the professional market while maintaining its DIY homeowner base. Analysts project Lowe's will grow faster in 2026 with 8% sales growth versus Home Depot's 4%, making Lowe's the potentially better value despite Home Depot's market dominance.

07/06/2026, 1:29 PM • The Motley Fool

3 Dividend ETF Picks That Could Build Serious Long-Term Wealth

The article examines three dividend-focused ETFs as wealth-building alternatives to growth stocks. SCHD offers higher yields through value-oriented dividend stocks, VIG combines growth potential with rising dividends, and DGRO provides a balanced hybrid approach. All three can build serious long-term wealth through dividend reinvestment if held patiently.

07/05/2026, 5:20 PM • The Motley Fool

Want Decades of Passive Income? Buy This ETF and Hold It Forever.

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is recommended as a long-term holding for passive income, offering a 3.25% dividend yield—more than three times the S&P 500's 1.07%. The ETF tracks 100 dividend-paying companies with at least 10 years of consecutive dividend payments and has seen its payout rise 211% over the past decade. Year-to-date performance shows 18.9% total return versus the S&P 500's 8.1%.

07/03/2026, 7:27 AM • The Motley Fool

Want a Lifetime of Passive Income? Buy Realty Income Stock in July and Never Sell.

Realty Income (O), a REIT specializing in brick-and-mortar retail properties, is presented as a long-term dividend investment opportunity. Despite retail sector challenges, the company maintains 98%+ occupancy rates with strong tenants like Walmart and Home Depot, has paid monthly dividends since 1969 with quarterly increases since 1998, and is exploring new markets including AI data center infrastructure.

07/02/2026, 3:20 AM • The Motley Fool

124 New Permanent Supportive Homes for Veterans Made Possible in Part by The Home Depot Foundation

Swords to Plowshares announced a $750,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation to support the rehabilitation of 1035 Van Ness Avenue, which will provide 124 permanent supportive homes for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in San Francisco. The $44 million project strengthens Swords to Plowshares' position as the city's largest affordable housing provider for veterans and includes comprehensive support services.

07/01/2026, 11:00 AM • GlobeNewswire

Alphabet Stock Investors: Here's the Most Important Metric to Follow

Alphabet shares have doubled in 12 months despite a recent 15% pullback. The key metric investors should monitor is Google Cloud's backlog, which nearly doubled to $462 billion in Q1 2026—nearly 6x the segment's annualized revenue. With 63% YoY revenue growth and expanding enterprise customer base, Google Cloud's backlog trajectory will signal whether Alphabet's massive $185 billion capital expenditure is justified.

06/29/2026, 3:15 PM • The Motley Fool