First up is none other than dividend stalwart British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS). British American has one of the best dividend records for any FTSE 100 company and this is unlikely to change any time soon.
At present levels, the company’s shares support a dividend yield of 4.2% and the payout is covered one-and-a-half times by earnings per share. British American currently trades at a forward P/E of 17.8 and a 2016 P/E of 16.6. The company’s dividend yield is set to hit 4.3% next year.Â
Sweet payout
Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE) is the next contender. Tate is the FTSE 100’s oldest constituent — the company has been in the index since it was first conceived in 1935. The company’s shares currently support a dividend yield of 4.4% and the payout is set to rise in line with inflation for the next two years.
At present, Tate is trading at a forward P/E of 17.5 and 2016 P/E of 16.3. The payout is covered twice by earnings per share. Tate’s earnings are set to expand at a high single-digit percentage for the next three years as the company benefits from an increasing demand for its Stevia sweetener.
Winning dividendÂ
Gaming company GVC (LSE: GVC) has a reputation for rewarding shareholders. The company’s shares have supported an annual yield of between 16% and 8% per annum over the past five years. On a total return basis, if you had invested ÂŁ100 in GVC five years ago, you would now be sitting on a return of 70% from dividends alone. Over the same period, GVC’s share price has tripled.Â
At present, GVC is trading at a forward P/E of 9 and analysts believe that the company’s shares will support a dividend yield of 8.6% this year. What’s more, the company’s yield is set to hit 9.9% during 2016.Â
Management guarantee
Miner Vedanta (LSE: VED) isn’t what you’d usually call a ‘great income stock’. The company’s share price has collapsed by more than 80% over the past five years, as falling commodity prices have taken their toll on the company.Â
However, Vedanta’s management recently came out and told investors that maintaining the company’s dividend payout at its present level is a top priority for the group.
 Vedanta currently supports a yield of 7.5%, although as the company is expected to report a loss for the next two years, the payout will be made from the company’s cash balance. Vedanta’s yield is set to hit 8.1% during 2016.Â
Defensive pick
Utilities are famous for their defensive nature and SSE (LSE: SSE) is no different. One of the biggest utility companies in the UK, SSE isn’t going to go out of business any time soon and the same can be said for the company’s dividend.
SSE’s management has sated its commitment to the company’s dividend and will increase the payout in line with inflation for the next three years. SSE currently yields 5.7% and the payout is covered one-and-a-half times by earnings per share.
Next year, SSE’s yield is projected to hit 5.9%, although the payout cover will drop slightly to 1.2. The company currently trades at a forward P/E of 12.8.Â