Dividend growth investing focuses on companies increasing payouts to shareholders for financial security. However, these stocks have underperformed the market in the past decade. The Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index includes 397 US companies meeting specific criteria. Currently, dividend growth stocks lag the market in profitability and returns on capital due to a lack of tech-heavy companies like Nvidia and Amazon. Despite this, dividend growth investing offers a smoother ride and can be a defensive strategy for risk-averse investors. Overall, dividend growth stocks trade at lower multiples than growth stocks.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: The surprising truth about dividend growth stocks