Pentair Has a 49-Year Dividend Streak Built on Water — and a Payout of Just 26%

A Water Company With a 49-Year Dividend Habit

Pentair makes water-treatment and filtration systems, the pumps, valves, and equipment that move and clean water for homes, businesses, and industry. It is not a household name, but it has raised its dividend for 49 straight years, one short of Dividend King status. Behind that streak is a business tied to something with steady, long-term demand. The need for clean, reliable water does not swing much with the economy, and that shows up in the durability of the payout.

A Light Payout on a Near-Perfect Safety Score

Pentair pays out just 26% of earnings, far below the 68% Aristocrat average, and earns a 99 Safety Score, about as high as our scale reads. A payout that light means the dividend is barely a strain on the business, and the near-perfect safety score reflects both that coverage and the 49-year record.

A Yield Close to Its Own Norm

Pentair yields 1.34%, just 7% above its five-year average of 1.25%. That small gap is why our screen tags the stock Fair rather than cheap or expensive. On the current $1.02 payout, the price near $77 trades roughly where its own recent dividend history would put it, with no large valuation gap to close in either direction.

Why the Yield Is Small to Begin With

The 1.34% yield is modest by design. With only 26% of earnings paid out, Pentair keeps nearly three-quarters of its profit to reinvest and fund growth. That makes it a dividend-growth name rather than an income one. The current cash is minor, but the low payout leaves decades of room for the dividend to keep climbing, and a long-term tailwind, steadily rising demand for water infrastructure and efficiency, supports the earnings behind it. An investor drawn to Pentair is buying that runway, not this year's income.

The demand is also broad-based. Pentair's equipment serves residential pools and homes, commercial buildings, and industrial process water, so no single end market decides the result. That spread, layered on the non-discretionary need to move and treat water, is what makes the earnings behind the dividend as steady as they are, and steady earnings are the precondition for a 49-year streak.

The Read

So Pentair is a quiet compounder in an essential niche. The 49-year streak, 26% payout, and 99 safety score describe a dividend that is very safe and has plenty of room to grow, even if the 1.34% yield offers little today. With the stock near fair value, there is no obvious discount to capture. For an investor who wants exposure to steady, water-driven demand with a durable and growing dividend attached, the appeal is the runway rather than the yield.

Current price, yield history, and the ex-dividend schedule update daily on the Pentair (PNR) data page. The dividend record and latest figures are in the company's filings on SEC EDGAR. For how that Safety Score is calculated — streak and payout coverage each scored out of 50 — see our methodology page.

Disclaimer: This is informational only and not financial advice. Figures reflect the site snapshot dated 2026-07-06 and move with the market. Investing carries risk of loss, including loss of principal.