12 Best High Dividend Stocks Under $100

9. Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 23

Dividend Yield as of January 24: 5.83%

Share Price as of January 24: $54.34

Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O) ranks ninth on our list of the best dividend stocks under $100. The American real estate investment trust company invests in single-tenant commercial properties in the country. The company has been grabbing investors’ attention because of its stellar performance historically. Over the past three decades, the company has demonstrated remarkable resilience, successfully navigating significant challenges such as the dot-com crash, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic, all while steadily increasing its dividend. Even at the height of the Great Recession, the company’s occupancy rates never fell below 96.6%, and they currently stand at approximately 98.7%. This consistent performance underscores its stability, even in tough economic times.

Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O) focuses on acquiring commercial properties, leasing them out, and distributing the rental income to its investors. By the close of Q3 2024, it owned 15,457 properties across all 50 U.S. states, the U.K., and six European nations, marking an increase from 13,458 properties at the end of 2023. This expansion was largely fueled by its acquisition of Spirit Realty in January 2024. The company primarily rents its properties to retail businesses that tend to perform well even during economic slowdowns.

A major contributor to this reliability is Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O)’s solid financial foundation, supported by an investment-grade balance sheet. Its substantial size also allows easier access to capital markets, enabling the company to secure favorable debt terms to fuel its growth. In addition, the company pays monthly dividends to shareholders. It has raised its payouts regularly since it went public in 1994. Currently, it offers a monthly dividend of $0.264 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.83%, as of January 24.

According to Insider Monkey’s database of Q3 2024, 23 hedge funds, growing from 19 in the previous quarter, held stakes in Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O). These stakes have a consolidated value of more than $163.5 million in total. With over 1.7 million shares, AEW Capital Management was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q3.