When looking at the entire universe of dividend growth stocks, Dividend Aristocrats are some of the best of all. These are stocks that have increased their dividends for at least the last 25 consecutive years. However, a lot of investors are looking for tomorrow’s Dividend Aristocrats. They want to know about the stocks that are on their way to becoming the Dividend Aristocrats of the future.

The first dividend growth stock to talk about? Apple (AAPL). They’ve got 15 years to go before potential Dividend Aristocrat status, but I have zero doubts that they’ll get there. Their five-year DGR is 9.7%, so you’re getting solid growth while you wait for that to unfold. And with an extremely low payout ratio of 17.2%, this dividend is about as secure as it gets. That’s before even getting into the fact that Apple has nearly $100 billion in cash on the balance sheet. This dividend is practically guaranteed to continue growing. The only thing to not like about the dividend is the fact that the stock yields 0.6%, but this is more of a long-term compounder that’ll reward patient investors.

The second dividend growth stock that is on its way to becoming a Dividend Aristocrat is Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA). Mid-America Apartment Communities is a REIT that owns and manages apartments, with a market cap of $23 billion. This real estate investment trust primarily focuses on the Southeast and Southwest regions of the United States. Also known as the Sunbelt. I love two things about this business model. Its simplicity and necessity. Not hard to understand the concept of investing in apartments. And since housing is a basic need in life, there’s a constant demand for what they offer. I can’t imagine any future in which people don’t need shelter, so they’re positioned well for an extremely long runway of growth. That bodes well for the dividend. This company has increased its dividend for 11 consecutive years, but I think they’re just getting started.

Last but not least is Pfizer (PFE). Pfizer is a multinational pharmaceutical company with a market cap of $261 billion. Pfizer has already increased its dividend for 11 consecutive years, but I fully suspect that they’ll keep it going until hitting 25 years and beyond. Pfizer also gives you a pretty impressive long-term total return story. That’s right. Sleepy ol’ Pfizer has compounded at an annual rate of almost 14% over the last 10 years, turning a single $1,000 investment into $3,700 today.You also collect that market-beating dividend along the way. And because of Pfizer’s scale, breadth, and R&D, I have no doubt that the next 14 years is paved with ever-higher dividends for shareholders, which will allow them to join the exclusive Dividend Aristocrat club alongside fellow major pharma players in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and AbbVie (ABBV).

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