10 Small-Cap Dividend Stocks Drive Year-to-Date Gains

6. Danaos Corporation (NYSE:DAC)

Dividend yield: 4.01%

Dividend payout ratio: 11.08%

Ex-Dividend Date: February 24, 2025

Number of Hedge Funds: 12

Danaos Corporation (NYSE:DAC) has achieved a 5.81% gain this year, bringing its market capitalization to $1.64 billion as of February 24, 2025. The stock was also a part of last week’s 10 best dividend stocks.

One of the world’s largest owners of containerships, Danaos Corporation (NYSE:DAC), ordered two new container vessels to be delivered in 2026 and 2028, enhancing its fleet to capture the rising demand in the market. Additionally, the company has secured an $850 million syndicated loan facility to fund its remaining new building container vessels, including the two newly ordered and the previously ordered. All new builds are chartered for five years, gaining a positive outlook from analysts. Danaos also repurchased an additional $45.6 million in shares since the last earnings release. The total repurchases are $168.8 million out of the $200 million authorized, bringing the current share count to just below 19 million.

Danaos Corporation (NYSE:DAC) offers a dividend yield of 4.01% with a payout ratio of 11.08%, indicating that it keeps most of its earnings for expansion or debt clearance purposes. Institutional investors remain bullish, with 12 hedge funds from a database of Insider Monkey onboard the stocks, as of Q4 2024. Income-focused investors may benefit from the dividend payout on March 5, 2025, if they purchase the stocks of Danaos Corporation on or before February 24, 2025.