Discount retail giant Target (NYSE: TGT) and consumer goods manufacturer Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) are in an exclusive club when it comes to dividends: They have outperformed most of their peers by stringing together a long track record of steadily rising payouts, even through prior market downturns. In late February, Target announced that comparable-store sales rose 1% in the most recent quarter, after jumping 9% a year earlier. Likewise, Procter & Gamble grew organic sales by a healthy 5% year over year in the most recent quarter, thanks to solid demand for consumer staples like laundry care products.