Highest Dividend Yield

Q: What are high dividend yield stocks?

High dividend yield stocks are companies whose annual dividend payments represent a large percentage of their stock price. A stock paying $5 annually with a $100 share price has a 5% yield. Stocks yielding above 4% are generally considered high-yield. Common high yielders include REITs, utilities, MLPs, and mature companies with stable earnings that return most profits to shareholders.

Q: What is a good dividend yield?

A "good" yield balances income with sustainability. The S&P 500 average yield is about 1.3%. Yields of 3-5% from quality companies are considered strong. Yields above 6-8% warrant careful scrutiny — they may indicate elevated risk or a recent stock price decline. The ideal yield depends on your goals: retirees may prioritize higher yields, while growth investors may prefer lower yields from companies with faster dividend growth rates.

Q: Is a high dividend yield always good?

No. An unusually high yield can be a warning sign. If a stock's price drops 50% while the dividend remains unchanged, the yield doubles — but the underlying business may be in trouble. This is called a yield trap. Always check the payout ratio (dividends as a percentage of earnings or cash flow), debt levels, and recent earnings trends to assess whether the dividend is sustainable before investing based on yield alone.

Q: What sectors have the highest dividend yields?

REITs typically offer the highest yields (4-8%) because they must distribute 90% of taxable income. Utilities yield 3-5% due to regulated earnings and stable cash flows. Energy pipelines and MLPs often yield 5-8% from fee-based revenue. Telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon offer yields around 4-7%. Financial companies, particularly BDCs, can yield above 8%.

Q: How often are dividends paid?

Most U.S. stocks pay dividends quarterly (every three months). Some pay monthly (common among REITs and funds), semi-annually, or annually. The payment schedule includes key dates: the declaration date (when the dividend is announced), ex-dividend date (you must own before this date to receive the dividend), record date, and payment date. You can build a portfolio that generates income every month by combining stocks with different payment schedules.

Q: What is the ex-dividend date?

The ex-dividend date is the cutoff for dividend eligibility. To receive an upcoming dividend, you must purchase the stock at least one business day before the ex-date. On the ex-date, the stock typically opens lower by the dividend amount to reflect the payout. Buying on or after the ex-date means you will not receive the current dividend — you must wait for the next payment cycle.

Q: Should I reinvest high dividends or take cash?

It depends on your needs. Reinvesting dividends through a DRIP compounds returns significantly over time — historically, dividend reinvestment accounts for a large portion of total stock market returns. However, if you need current income for living expenses or want flexibility to allocate capital elsewhere, taking cash makes sense. In tax-advantaged accounts like IRAs, reinvesting is generally optimal since no immediate tax is triggered.

Top income-generating stocks ranked by annual dividend yield. Only companies over $1B market cap with yields capped at 25% to exclude anomalies.

200 stocks Updated Mar 27, 2026

5.96% Avg Dividend Yield

— Avg P/E Ratio

$10.45T Total Market Cap

+0.00% Avg Daily Change

High dividend yield stocks provide above-average income relative to their share price. These stocks are favored by income investors, retirees, and anyone seeking regular cash flow from their portfolio. The stocks on this list yield significantly more than the S&P 500 average of approximately 1.3%.

High-yield stocks are concentrated in sectors with stable cash flows — REITs, utilities, energy pipelines, telecommunications, and financial services. While a high yield is attractive, it's essential to evaluate sustainability. A yield that seems too good to be true may signal a stock whose price has fallen due to deteriorating fundamentals, making the dividend at risk of being cut.

This list ranks stocks by current dividend yield, showing only companies with consistent payment histories. Data includes prices, yields, P/E ratios, and payout ratios updated daily.

#	Symbol	Name	Price	Yield %	Annual Div	Payout %	Frequency	Market Cap
1	FSK	Fs Kkr Capital Corp	$10.19	19.45%	$3.60	172.31%	Quarterly	3.69B
2	ZIM	Zim Integrated Shipping Serv	$26.25	19.19%	$4.81	26.97%	Quarterly	3.38B
3	GSBD	Goldman Sachs Bdc Inc	$9.04	13.97%	$1.74	314.48%	Semi-annual	1.05B
4	TRIN	Trinity Capital Inc	$14.34	13.57%	$1.90	100.56%	Quarterly	1.25B
5	OCSL	Oaktree Specialty Lending Co	$11.07	13.50%	$1.74	436.91%	Quarterly	1.04B
6	OBDC	Blue Owl Capital Corp	$11.11	12.95%	$1.68	110.18%	Quarterly	5.84B
7	BXSL	Blackstone Secured Lending F	$24.01	12.88%	$2.86	84.04%	Quarterly	5.53B
8	PRGO	Perrigo Co Plc	$9.25	12.02%	$1.16	0.00%	Quarterly	1.28B
9	MFIC	Midcap Financial Investment	$11.23	11.64%	$1.76	141.29%	Quarterly	1.04B
10	HTGC	Hercules Capital Inc	$14.06	10.59%	$1.85	95.95%	Quarterly	2.78B
11	ARCC	Ares Capital Corp	$17.92	10.56%	$1.82	97.31%	Quarterly	12.97B
12	CSWC	Capital Southwest Corp	$22.04	10.53%	$2.56	177.56%	Quarterly	1.30B
13	GBDC	Golub Capital Bdc Inc	$12.54	10.52%	$1.56	97.76%	Quarterly	3.32B
14	RHI	Robert Half Inc	$25.09	10.28%	$2.34	179.13%	Quarterly	2.32B
15	FLO	Flowers Foods Inc	$8.18	10.02%	$0.96	81.83%	Quarterly	2.09B
16	TSLX	Sixth Street Specialty Lendi	$17.75	9.97%	$1.81	99.89%	Quarterly	1.75B
17	LYB	Lyondellbasell Indu-Cl A	$77.72	9.90%	$5.31	125.82%	Quarterly	17.81B
18	WU	Western Union Co	$8.97	9.70%	$0.95	61.85%	Annual	3.04B
19	FLNG	Flex Lng Ltd	$30.49	9.50%	$3.00	216.89%	Quarterly	1.60B
20	TU	Telus Corp	$12.88	9.21%	$1.07	146.27%	Quarterly	28.22B
21	CCOI	Cogent Communications Holdin	$18.05	9.07%	$3.03	3,084.94%	Quarterly	1.15B
22	BWLP	Bw Lpg Ltd	$16.93	8.56%	$2.75	109.64%	Quarterly	25.49B
23	NAT	Nordic American Tankers Ltd	$5.47	8.56%	$0.42	188.01%	Quarterly	1.11B
24	LOB	Live Oak Bancshares Inc	$32.75	8.21%	$0.12	6.98%	Quarterly	1.65B
25	TFSL	Tfs Financial Corp	$13.69	8.12%	$0.21	65.45%	Quarterly	3.88B
26	FG	F&G Annuities & Life Inc	$25.29	8.10%	$0.96	18.94%	Monthly	3.73B
27	MBIN	Merchants Bancorp/In	$41.19	8.09%	$1.15	15.97%	Quarterly	1.91B
28	TRMD	Torm Plc-A	$27.19	8.07%	$2.01	70.00%	Quarterly	17.31B
29	TDS	Telephone And Data Systems	$43.20	7.96%	$0.77	0.00%	Quarterly	4.33B
30	APAM	Artisan Partners Asset Ma -A	$36.30	7.89%	$2.77	85.45%	Quarterly	3.36B
31	OWL	Blue Owl Capital Inc	$9.02	7.77%	$0.25	336.12%	Quarterly	18.06B
32	HAFN	Hafnia Ltd	$7.55	7.74%	$1.39	90.42%	Quarterly	33.97B
33	HESM	Hess Midstream Lp - Class A	$40.04	7.70%	$1.65	99.23%	Quarterly	8.24B
34	OMF	Onemain Holdings Inc	$53.05	7.63%	$4.22	63.73%	Quarterly	6.45B
35	CAG	Conagra Brands Inc	$15.20	7.49%	$1.40	58.07%	Quarterly	8.94B
36	CPB	The Campbell'S Company	$20.95	7.42%	$1.54	76.25%	Quarterly	6.32B
37	SFL	Sfl Corp Ltd	$10.70	7.40%	$0.90	106.00%	Quarterly	1.44B
38	KHC	Kraft Heinz Co/The	$21.56	7.35%	$1.60	70.37%	Quarterly	25.76B
39	UPBD	Upbound Group Inc	$17.21	7.27%	$1.56	119.97%	Quarterly	1.23B
40	UMBF	Umb Financial Corp	$111.60	7.17%	$1.58	17.48%	Quarterly	9.52B
41	KNTK	Kinetik Holdings Inc	$48.64	7.09%	$3.13	280.52%	Quarterly	7.42B
42	WEN	Wendy'S Co/The	$7.14	7.05%	$0.66	78.50%	Quarterly	1.36B
43	ONB	Old National Bancorp	$21.73	6.95%	$0.63	35.45%	Quarterly	9.70B
44	SBGI	Sinclair Inc	$13.29	6.87%	$1.02	21.29%	Quarterly	1.01B
45	FULT	Fulton Financial Corp	$20.16	6.80%	$0.76	45.61%	Quarterly	3.93B
46	UPS	United Parcel Service-Cl B	$97.50	6.79%	$6.34	96.88%	Quarterly	82.07B
47	GSL	Global Ship Lease Inc-Cl A	$37.80	6.68%	$1.92	19.22%	Quarterly	1.33B
48	AFG	American Financial Group Inc	$128.93	6.67%	$7.24	71.97%	Quarterly	10.86B
49	FCNCA	First Citizens Bcshs -Cl A	$1,896.78	6.64%	$12.45	7.30%	Quarterly	21.98B
50	KMPR	Kemper Corp	$29.69	6.59%	$1.30	55.55%	Annual	1.73B
51	NOMD	Nomad Foods Ltd	$9.60	6.58%	$0.56	39.28%	Quarterly	1.47B
52	AGM	Federal Agric Mtg Corp-Cl C	$140.24	6.58%	$8.19	42.93%	Semi-annual	1.73B
53	HPQ	Hp Inc	$19.32	6.54%	$1.17	43.02%	Quarterly	16.84B
54	MTN	Vail Resorts Inc	$130.13	6.54%	$8.95	117.20%	Quarterly	4.77B
55	FHN	First Horizon Corp	$22.55	6.53%	$0.67	34.59%	Annual	11.32B
56	NWBI	Northwest Bancshares Inc	$12.44	6.53%	$0.80	87.22%	Quarterly	1.81B
57	COF	Capital One Financial Corp	$182.12	6.52%	$3.51	72.08%	Quarterly	112.82B
58	MO	Altria Group Inc	$64.62	6.52%	$4.14	100.19%	Quarterly	107.79B
59	CRBG	Corebridge Financial Inc	$24.41	6.49%	$0.97	24.39%	Quarterly	14.48B
60	BRSL	Brightstar Lottery Plc	$12.88	6.47%	$0.80	46.13%	Quarterly	2.58B
61	NOG	Northern Oil And Gas Inc	$29.61	6.46%	$1.62	31.13%	Quarterly	2.71B
62	CNO	Cno Financial Group Inc	$40.96	6.41%	$0.68	28.87%	Quarterly	3.90B
63	FSUGY	Fortescue Ltd	$27.92	6.41%	$0.93	84.52%	Quarterly	58.59B
64	VZ	Verizon Communications	$50.74	6.36%	$2.72	66.85%	Quarterly	212.30B
65	PFE	Pfizer Inc.	$27.57	6.28%	$1.72	125.75%	Quarterly	153.36B
66	CVI	Cvr Energy Inc	$34.35	6.26%	$1.50	2,157.14%	Quarterly	2.11B
67	EFSC	Enterprise Financial Service	$54.31	6.21%	$1.32	24.25%	Monthly	1.95B
68	FITB	Fifth Third Bancorp	$45.41	6.20%	$1.74	50.82%	Quarterly	48.06B
69	UVV	Universal Corp/Va	$51.95	6.16%	$3.23	83.84%	Quarterly	1.29B
70	CFR	Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc	$136.38	6.10%	$4.11	40.40%	Monthly	9.14B
71	KEY	Keycorp	$19.88	6.09%	$0.95	57.63%	Quarterly	21.64B
72	PRU	Prudential Financial Inc	$95.27	6.05%	$5.48	53.86%	Quarterly	32.45B
73	BBY	Best Buy Co Inc	$63.21	5.98%	$3.81	74.93%	Quarterly	13.09B
74	KEN	Kenon Holdings Ltd	$81.20	5.97%	$3.82	33.56%	Quarterly	4.22B
75	DHT	Dht Holdings Inc	$17.82	5.80%	$0.74	56.33%	Quarterly	2.67B
76	VAC	Marriott Vacations World	$70.16	5.69%	$3.19	49.08%	Quarterly	2.32B
77	NP	Neptune Insurance Holdi-Cl A	$23.72	5.68%	$1.89	0.00%	Quarterly	3.06B
78	ING	ING Groep N.V.	$25.22	5.66%	$1.29	61.38%	Quarterly	62.97B
79	PZZA	Papa John'S Intl Inc	$33.40	5.65%	$1.86	72.54%	Quarterly	1.06B
80	BLX	Banco Latinoamericano Come-E	$50.90	5.62%	$1.98	35.35%	Quarterly	1.73B
81	GIS	General Mills Inc	$36.02	5.60%	$2.43	58.33%	Quarterly	23.63B
82	VNOM	Viper Energy Inc-Cl A	$47.82	5.56%	$2.52	131.85%	Quarterly	17.19B
83	BEN	Franklin Resources Inc	$23.59	5.53%	$1.31	130.25%	Monthly	12.36B
84	BTI	British American Tobacco p.l.c.	$58.36	5.52%	$2.39	67.47%	Quarterly	94.38B
85	TROW	T Rowe Price Group Inc	$90.23	5.51%	$5.08	54.07%	Quarterly	20.47B
86	EMA	Emera Inc	$51.57	5.40%	$2.11	107.76%	Quarterly	21.06B
87	MAIN	Main Street Capital Corp	$52.92	5.39%	$3.70	63.07%	Quarterly	5.18B
88	ENR	Energizer Holdings Inc	$17.24	5.37%	$1.24	36.44%	Quarterly	1.53B
89	LNC	Lincoln National Corp	$35.83	5.36%	$2.31	35.34%	Quarterly	6.43B
90	HRB	H&R Block Inc	$31.28	5.30%	$1.44	32.57%	Quarterly	4.13B
91	SNY	Sanofi	$44.60	5.27%	$3.79	85.29%	Quarterly	94.09B
92	AMCR	Amcor Plc	$39.87	5.25%	$2.25	165.36%	Quarterly	22.89B
93	ENB	Enbridge Inc	$54.50	5.23%	$3.96	115.33%	Quarterly	161.85B
94	HRL	Hormel Foods Corp	$22.85	5.23%	$1.15	132.41%	Quarterly	12.36B
95	KMB	Kimberly-Clark Corp	$98.85	5.19%	$5.00	82.14%	Quarterly	32.59B
96	IMBBY	Imperial Brands PLC	$40.87	5.19%	$1.88	75.23%	Quarterly	24.12B
97	XRAY	Dentsply Sirona Inc	$11.67	5.17%	$0.62	0.00%	Quarterly	2.73B
98	PEBO	Peoples Bancorp Inc	$31.45	5.07%	$1.64	54.45%	Quarterly	1.15B
99	FIBK	First Interstate Bancsys-A	$33.50	5.06%	$1.88	86.68%	Quarterly	3.82B
100	DBSDY	DBS Group Holdings Ltd	$178.47	5.06%	$2.87	74.55%	Quarterly	163.30B

Frequently Asked Questions

What are high dividend yield stocks?

High dividend yield stocks are companies whose annual dividend payments represent a large percentage of their stock price. A stock paying $5 annually with a $100 share price has a 5% yield. Stocks yielding above 4% are generally considered high-yield. Common high yielders include REITs, utilities, MLPs, and mature companies with stable earnings that return most profits to shareholders.

What is a good dividend yield?

A "good" yield balances income with sustainability. The S&P 500 average yield is about 1.3%. Yields of 3-5% from quality companies are considered strong. Yields above 6-8% warrant careful scrutiny — they may indicate elevated risk or a recent stock price decline. The ideal yield depends on your goals: retirees may prioritize higher yields, while growth investors may prefer lower yields from companies with faster dividend growth rates.

Is a high dividend yield always good?

No. An unusually high yield can be a warning sign. If a stock's price drops 50% while the dividend remains unchanged, the yield doubles — but the underlying business may be in trouble. This is called a yield trap. Always check the payout ratio (dividends as a percentage of earnings or cash flow), debt levels, and recent earnings trends to assess whether the dividend is sustainable before investing based on yield alone.

What sectors have the highest dividend yields?

REITs typically offer the highest yields (4-8%) because they must distribute 90% of taxable income. Utilities yield 3-5% due to regulated earnings and stable cash flows. Energy pipelines and MLPs often yield 5-8% from fee-based revenue. Telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon offer yields around 4-7%. Financial companies, particularly BDCs, can yield above 8%.

How often are dividends paid?

Most U.S. stocks pay dividends quarterly (every three months). Some pay monthly (common among REITs and funds), semi-annually, or annually. The payment schedule includes key dates: the declaration date (when the dividend is announced), ex-dividend date (you must own before this date to receive the dividend), record date, and payment date. You can build a portfolio that generates income every month by combining stocks with different payment schedules.

What is the ex-dividend date?

The ex-dividend date is the cutoff for dividend eligibility. To receive an upcoming dividend, you must purchase the stock at least one business day before the ex-date. On the ex-date, the stock typically opens lower by the dividend amount to reflect the payout. Buying on or after the ex-date means you will not receive the current dividend — you must wait for the next payment cycle.

Should I reinvest high dividends or take cash?

It depends on your needs. Reinvesting dividends through a DRIP compounds returns significantly over time — historically, dividend reinvestment accounts for a large portion of total stock market returns. However, if you need current income for living expenses or want flexibility to allocate capital elsewhere, taking cash makes sense. In tax-advantaged accounts like IRAs, reinvesting is generally optimal since no immediate tax is triggered.