3 Best Dividend Stocks in the Nasdaq Composite

There are many indexes to pick dividend-paying stocks from. Among the most established indexes is the Nasdaq Composite, and if you look carefully, you’ll find a handful of ultra-reliable dividend payers.

Not to be confused with the narrower Nasdaq 100, the Nasdaq Composite includes more than 3,000 stocks. You’ll find some non-technology stocks on the list, but in terms of highest weightings, the Nasdaq Composite is dominated by famous tech names.

You deserve the best of the best, so I handpicked three financially stable Nasdaq Composite companies that pay decent dividends. As long as we focus on solid businesses first and then look for good yields, we’ll be ready to accumulate shares of top-notch dividend stocks for 2025.

Qualcomm (QCOM)

Wireless technology hardware manufacturer Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) probably isn’t the first company that comes to mind when you think about dividend-paying businesses. Yet, you’ll find that QCOM’s dividend yield is fairly high among large-cap technology stocks.

As it turns out, Qualcomm offers a forward annual dividend yield of 2.35%. This is competitive when we compare it to the other top-weighted names in the Nasdaq Composite.

The more important issue, though, is whether Qualcomm is a financially dependable business. After all, if a company doesn’t have enough cash available, then its dividend payments will be at risk.

Fortunately, Qualcomm is in firm financial shape.  Qualcomm is a revenue grower, having generated $10.979 billion in first-quarter 2025 revenue versus only $9.389 billion in the year-earlier quarter.

Furthermore, during that same time frame, Qualcomm increased its net income from $2.326 billion to $2.812 billion. The point here is that Qualcomm’s bottom line is impressive and improving.

Finally, I’ll add that Qualcomm had $55.372 billion worth of total assets as of March 30, 2025, and just $27.644 worth of total liabilities. Hence, it looks like Qualcomm has more than enough capital to continue paying dividends well into the future. All in all, QCOM stock is a high-confidence holding for 2025 hidden within the 3,000+ members of the Nasdaq Composite.

Texas Instruments (TXN)

Here’s a huge tech firm that you probably don’t think about very often. Previously known for handheld calculators, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) has evolved into a formidable semiconductor supplier.

Truly, TXN stock can be a secret weapon for your passive-income portfolio. Texas Instruments doesn’t get a lot of press coverage, but this company is one of the top components by weighting in the Nasdaq Composite.

If you’re skeptical, just take a glance at Texas Instruments’ first-quarter 2025 earnings report. The company’s revenue grew 11% year over year to $4.069 billion, and Texas Instruments’ net income improved by 7%, reaching $1.179 billion.

Will Texas Instruments have any problem paying its cash distributions to the shareholders? There shouldn’t be any issues as Texas Instruments had a whopping $2.763 billion worth of cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2025.

Additionally, as of that same date, Texas Instruments had $33.757 billion in total assets and only $17.351 billion in total liabilities. Consequently, Texas Instruments is capital-rich and fully prepared to reward the shareholders with quarterly dividend payments.

As far as Nasdaq Composite members go, Texas Instruments offers a dividend that won’t disappoint income collectors. Currently, Texas Instruments’ forward annual dividend yield is 2.74%, and you can capture the magic of compounding if you reinvest your cash distributions with TXN stock.

PepsiCo (PEP)

Hey, wait a minute! Is soda purveyor PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) actually a member of the tech-dominated Nasdaq Composite? Believe it or not, PepsiCo is a high-ranking member of the index by weighting, and you’ll be glad to discover this company’s hefty dividend yield. 

I’ll admit, Pepsico’s first-quarter 2025 net revenue of $17.919 billion and net income of $1.843 billion decreased slightly on a year-over-year basis. Nonetheless, PepsiCo maintains a rock-solid capital position and isn’t likely in any jeopardy of slashing its dividend payments.

Here’s the evidence. As of March 22, 2025, PepsiCo’s assets totaled $101.737 billion while the company’s liabilities totaled $83.208 billion. Besides, as of that same date, PepsiCo reported having cash and cash equivalents of $8.268 billion.

This just goes to show that a capital-rich Nasdaq Composite member doesn’t necessarily have to be a Big Tech business. In any case, PepsiCo boasts a 4.41% forward annual dividend yield, and that’s a real attention-grabber for income-obsessed investors. So, feel free to grab a few shares of QCOM, TXN, and PEP stock and you’ll have three delightful dividend-paying picks to buy and hold in 2025.

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