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

4. CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL)

Dividend yield: 5.11%

Dividend payout ratio: 85.56%

Ex-Dividend Date: March 13, 2025

Number of Hedge Funds: 20

With a year-to-date increase of 6.46%, CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) currently boasts a market cap of $961.57 million as of February 24, 2025.

The American real estate investment trust company sold the Imperial Valley Mall in El Centro, CA, for $38.1 million, and the transaction was completed in all cash. CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) applied the net proceeds from the sales to the term loan principal balance, reducing it to $630.8 million. With reduced debt, the company will meet the non-recourse term loan principal balance extension test in November 2025 without raising further capital. The decline in debt value reduced the risk of default, contributing to the recent increase in the company’s value. The company was also part of last week’s 10 best dividend stocks.

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) maintains a healthy 5.11% yield but a high payout ratio of 85.56%. Though it ensures the complete support of dividends by earnings, it reduces the fund-at-hand for the company to reinvest in business opportunities or restructure its debt. However, hedge fund confidence is evident, with 20 hedge funds in the Insider Monkey database holding positions. Investors purchasing the stock on or before March 13, 2025, will benefit from the dividend payment on March 31, 2025.