In this article, we will take a look at the 12 dividend stocks with high insider buying.
Dividend policy has taken the spotlight again among the investors’ discussions in the U.S. With one month into 2026, insider behavior might just be a reliable tool for making investment decisions. According to a Reuters report, released on February 6, 2026, a White House executive order issued on January 7, 2026, is raising significant concern among defense contractors. The order places restrictions on CEO pay, dividends, and stock buybacks for companies that fail to meet production timelines.
Though the effect of the January 7 executive order is mainly focused on the defense stocks, there is fear that these limitations could be part of a broader trend of federal intervention in the private sector. David Sowerby, managing director at Ancora Advisors, expressed concerns in the report, claiming the Fed’s attempt at micromanaging capital allocation could weigh on shareholder value.
The fear coupled with uncertainty in the U.S. market raises the question of what to look for in a dividend stock before making the investment decision. An insider buy is one of the few reliable options available for investors. Insiders, including the company’s top executives and significant investors, have access to first-hand information about the company’s moves. So, if they decide to invest in their company’s stock, a certain level of stability in the stock’s position can be expected.
Peter Lynch – American investor, mutual fund manager, author, and philanthropist – known for the buy-what-you-know retail philosophy, has this to say about insider transactions.
“Insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.”
Accordingly, we have hand-picked for you 12 dividend stocks with high insider buying that may just simplify your decision-making process.
Stay with us as we count down the entries on our list from 12 to 1. The top 5 might already be in your portfolio.
Copyright: mozakim / 123RF Stock Photo
Our Methodology
To compile our list of 12 dividend stocks with high insider buying, we first screened dividend stocks using the Finviz stock screener. From this list, we selected stocks with an insider ownership of 10% or more. This ensures that our picks have significant preferences among the insiders. We then shortlisted the top 12 stocks based on insider ownership and ranked them in ascending order accordingly. Additionally, we included data on hedge fund holdings in these companies, based on Q3 2025 data from Insider Monkey’s database, to provide further insight into investor interest. All the pricing data are current as of market close on February 15, 2026.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
12. Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX)
Dividend Yield: 4.45%
Insider Ownership: 10.32%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) is among the dividend stocks with high insider buying.
On February 5, 2026, two top executives at Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) made bold purchases. The company’s Director, Joseph Doody, acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction valued at $98,760. Meanwhile, another Director, Tom Bonadio, also purchased 1,000 shares of Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX), in a transaction worth $98,490.
Prior to these purchases, on February 2, 2026, UBS analyst Kevin McVeigh reiterated a Hold rating on Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX), with a price target set at $110. And most recently, on February 10, 2026, William Blair analyst Andrew Nicholas also maintained a Hold rating on the stock.
Additionally, earlier this year, on January 16, 2026, the company announced receiving approval from the Board of Directors to repurchase $1 billion of the company’s common stock, effectively replacing the 2024 authorization of $400 million repurchase. Alongside this announcement, the company’s Board of Directors also declared the quarterly cash dividend of $1.08 per share to shareholders of record as of January 28, 2026. The dividend is payable on February 27, 2026.
Headquartered in New York, Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) is a leading provider of human capital management solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. The company has been operating since 1971.
11. Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI)
Dividend Yield: 3.72%
Insider Ownership: 12.79%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 65
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) is one of the dividend stocks with high insider buying.
On February 3, 2026, Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) saw significant insider activity, with its Director William A. Smith purchasing 3000 shares of the company and increasing his ownership in the company by 6%. The transaction, valued at $89,236, signals confidence from the board level over the company’s long-term operations.
In contrast, John W. Schlosser, Vice President of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI), made another significant move on February 5, 2026, selling 6,166 shares of the company, for a total transaction value of $185,523. With these sales, the shares owned by the VP stand at 195,038, massively contributing to the company’s insider ownership of 12.79%.
Earlier on January 21, 2026, Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI)’s Board of Directors announced the cash dividend of $0.2925 per share for the fourth quarter of 2026 – a 2% increase over the fourth quarter dividend of 2024. The new dividend is payable on February 17, 2026, to unitholders as of February 2, 2026.
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) is a North American energy infrastructure company, specializing in the transportation and storage of natural gas and crude oil. The company, headquartered in Texas, was founded in 1997.