Picture Licensed from DepositPhotos. License #344403588Key Factors
The most effective performing inventory within the S&P 500 this yr simply introduced a whopping 25% dividend enhance.
Kinross Gold is up effectively greater than 100% and is boosting its dividend considerably.
An unlikely oil inventory has a prime return for its trade. Its dividend simply rose by 10%.

A number of market-beating shares simply introduced important dividend will increase. These shares are all outperforming the 16% return of the S&P 500 Index by a minimum of two to 1 in 2025. A number of are up greater than 100%. Beneath, we’ll dive into these shares which can be boosting their dividends by 10% to 25% after making large runs in 2025. All knowledge is as of the November 7 shut except in any other case indicated.
Western Digital: The S&P 500’s Prime Performer Points Big Dividend Enhance
First up is without doubt one of the best-performing large-cap shares in the complete market, Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC). Shares have delivered a complete return of 263% in 2025. This offers Western Digital the excellence of the best-performing inventory within the S&P 500 Index for the yr. Its enterprise of offering storage gadgets to cloud knowledge facilities has resulted in a staggering ascent.
The corporate’s comparable revenues elevated by 27% final quarter, and its gross margin rose by 660 foundation factors from the identical interval a yr in the past.
Western Digital’s income could look like down in 2024, in keeping with third-party knowledge sources. It’s because it spun off SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) earlier this yr, leading to a big discount in its whole income. Nonetheless, as a standalone entity, Western Digital is experiencing robust progress.
On October 30, Western Digital introduced a 25% enhance to its quarterly dividend. It’ll pay its subsequent 12.5-cent dividend on Dec. 18 to stockholders of document as of the shut of enterprise on December 4. Western Digital’s indicated yield now stands at roughly 0.3%. Though small, it’s encouraging to see the agency resume dividend funds. It stopped paying a dividend altogether in 2020 earlier than reinstating it earlier this yr.
Kinross Is Flying Excessive Amongst Gold Shares, Lifts Dividend 17%
Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC) has been a standout performer in 2025. General, shares have delivered a complete return of roughly 164%. Certainly, the over 50% rise in gold costs has been of big profit to Kinross. Nonetheless, Kinross has been an outperformer amongst outperformers. Shares have outperformed many gold mining shares, which have collectively surged. 
For instance, Kinross’s return bests each the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: GDX) and the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: GDXJ). These funds have delivered whole returns of round 114% and 118%, respectively.
Kinross not too long ago elevated its dividend considerably. The corporate’s annual dividend will transfer up by 17% to 14 cents per share. Pursuant to this, the corporate’s subsequent 3.5-cent dividend is payable on Dec. 10 to shareholders of document as of the shut of enterprise on Nov. 26.
General, the inventory’s indicated dividend yield now sits at slightly below 0.6%. Though not excessive, this determine is roughly equal to the yield at present supplied by GDX.
Marathon Petroleum Boosts Yield Above 2% After Spectacular Rally
Shares of Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC) have discovered success this yr, offering a complete return of over 41%. Amongst U.S. large-cap oil, fuel, and consumable fuels shares, Marathon’s return ranks within the prime 5 for 2025.
Marathon has been in a positive place, primarily as a downstream oil firm. It doesn’t interact in oil manufacturing or exploration. It buys and refines oil, after which sells the ensuing gasoline merchandise. The worth of West Texas Intermediate crude oil has decreased by round 17% this yr. This tends to be appropriate for Marathon, as decrease oil costs cut back its prices.
On October 29, Marathon declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00, a ten% enhance over its earlier payout. The brand new dividend is payable on December 10 to shareholders of document as of the shut of enterprise on November 19. This offers the inventory a stable indicated dividend yield of roughly 2.1%.
That is significantly increased than the 1.1% yield of the S&P 500 Index. The corporate additionally believes that if refining profitability stays at present ranges, will probably be well-positioned to boost its dividend by 10% over the subsequent couple of years.
WDC, KGC, MPC: Sweetening the Pot for Revenue Traders
Western Digital, Kinross Gold, and Marathon Petroleum have all carried out exceptionally effectively this yr. Whereas their substantial inventory worth good points are spectacular, it is usually good to see they’re working to return capital to shareholders via increased dividends.

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Firms Talked about in This Article:CompanyCurrent PricePrice ChangeDividend YieldP/E RatioConsensus RatingConsensus Worth TargetWestern Digital (WDC)$167.74-1.3percent0.30percent32.54Moderate Purchase$160.74Kinross Gold (KGC)$26.25+3.5percent0.53percent21.16Buy$27.56Marathon Petroleum (MPC)$199.03-0.5percent1.83percent21.21Moderate Purchase$200.00

About Leo MillerExperienceLeo Miller has been a contributing author for DividendStocks.com since 2024.
Skilled Background: Leo Miller is a monetary author with a background in funding analysis and market evaluation. He has held roles as an funding analysis affiliate at Laird Norton Wetherby and as a analysis analyst at Sungarden Funding Publishing, the place he gained hands-on expertise evaluating equities and portfolio methods.
Credentials: He holds a Bachelor of Enterprise Administration in Finance from the College of Washington’s Foster College of Enterprise, a top-ranked public enterprise faculty. He has handed the CFA Degree II examination.
Finance Expertise: Leo started researching and investing in gold mining shares in 2019 and began writing about finance and investing in 2021. He joined DividendStocks.com as a contributing author in 2024, the place he covers each shares and ETFs. A robust analysis basis and direct publicity to monetary markets form his views.
Writing Focus: He makes a speciality of tech shares, dividend-paying corporations, ETFs, and value-oriented alternatives. His work emphasizes readability, actionable insights, and training for traders in any respect ranges.
Funding Strategy: Leo follows a disciplined, long-term investing technique rooted in basic evaluation, with a robust concentrate on economics, sector and trade analysis, and passive investing ideas.
Inspiration: Leo finds the inventory market endlessly compelling and enjoys the problem of separating significant knowledge from noise. He’s enthusiastic about analyzing what makes companies stand out—and sharing these insights to information knowledgeable funding selections. As he places it, “Performing robust evaluation requires separating the wheat from the chaff.”
Enjoyable Truth: Leo credit his grandfather for sparking his curiosity in investing and is a lifelong animal lover.
Areas of Experience: Basic evaluation, economics, trade and sector evaluation

 EducationBachelor in Enterprise Administration, Finance, Foster College of Enterprise at College of Washington