Every share you sell to cover a retirement expense stops working for you forever, but there is a way to collect cash every quarter without shrinking your stake at all. Three dividend payers with ex-dates clustered within days of each…
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Fastenal: Rising Payouts Behind a Modest Yield
- Stock #3: Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST | FAST Price Prediction)
- Forward Yield: 1.97%
- Shares for $10,000: 189.57
- Annual Passive Income: ~$197.16
Fastenal goes ex-dividend on October 28, and the $0.26 quarterly payment is paid November 25. The company sells fasteners and maintenance supplies through branches, Onsite locations inside customer facilities, and FMI vending and bin systems. Contract customers make up 76.5% of sales.
The yield is low mainly because the stock has climbed: shares are up 33.6% year to date. The dividend has also kept growing, moving from $0.22 in late 2025 to $0.24, then $0.26 in 2026. Third-quarter EPS of $0.35 came in ahead of estimates. Revenue rose 15.5% to $2.46 billion.
Coverage: trailing four-quarter EPS of $1.24 supports a $1.04 annual dividend, which works out to a payout ratio of about 84%. That leaves limited slack, so future increases depend on profits continuing to grow. Last quarter they did, with net income up 19.7%.
Kaiser Aluminum: Widest Coverage After an Earnings Miss
- Stock #2: Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU)
- Forward Yield: 2.15%
- Shares for $10,000: 69.93
- Annual Passive Income: ~$215.40
Kaiser Aluminum goes ex-dividend on October 23 and pays $0.77 per share on November 13. The company makes semi-fabricated specialty aluminum products for aerospace, packaging, general engineering, and automotive extrusion customers.
Kaiser has held its dividend at $0.77 since 2022, while the stock gained 83.48% over the past year. That combination pulled the yield down. Shares fell 7.12% in premarket trading to $142.99 after third-quarter EPS of $1.86 came in below the $2.08 estimate. In the same release, Kaiser declared its regular dividend, kept its full-year 2026 outlook, reported lower net debt leverage, and noted a Moody’s credit upgrade (Q3 2026 earnings release).
Coverage: trailing EPS of $12.66 covers the $3.08 annual dividend with a payout ratio near 24%, the lowest of the three. The aluminum cycle poses the biggest risk here. Kaiser’s quarterly EPS was just $0.33 at the end of 2024.
Paychex: Biggest Income Engine of the Three
- Stock #1: Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX)
- Forward Yield: 4.23%
- Shares for $10,000: 88.89
- Annual Passive Income: ~$423.11
Paychex goes ex-dividend on October 26, and the $1.19 quarterly check pays on November 25. The company sells payroll, HR, benefits, and PEO services to small and midsize businesses, and it has been using the Paycor acquisition to move toward larger clients.
The business needs little capital to run, allowing Paychex to pay out most of its profit. The yield also rose because the stock fell 7.9% over the past year, even as the quarterly dividend rose from $1.08 to $1.19. In fiscal 2026, Paychex paid $1.6B in dividends and spent $611.0M on buybacks.
Coverage: trailing adjusted EPS of $5.63 against the $4.76 annual dividend puts the payout ratio near 85%. That ratio is high, but EPS has come in above estimates for five straight quarters, and fiscal 2027 guidance calls for adjusted EPS growth of 7% to 9%.
Income Breakdown for the $30,000 Portfolio
Name
Forward Yield
Annual Dividend Income
Fastenal
1.97%
$197.16
Kaiser Aluminum
2.15%
$215.40
Paychex
4.23%
$423.11
Total
2.79%
$835.67
Combined, these 3 positions produce $835.67 of passive income per year on a $30,000 investment, a blended yield of 2.79%. Paychex contributes $423.11, Kaiser Aluminum adds $215.40, and Fastenal rounds out the group with $197.16.
Two of these three companies raised their payouts during 2026. That kind of dividend growth means the income from a fixed share count rises over time without any new money going in. Reinvesting those checks buys more shares, and compounding accelerates with each increase.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
