14 Best Performing Dividend Stocks To Buy Now

8. Dynex Capital, Inc. (NYSE:DX)

Year-to-Date Return as of March 7: 13.89%

Dynex Capital, Inc. (NYSE:DX) is an American real estate investment trust company that invests in mortgage-backed securities and other various real estate assets. The stock has surged by nearly 14% since the start of 2025 and its 12-month return came in at more than 15%. The company is still in the process of rebounding from the challenges faced between 2022 and 2023. These difficulties were primarily driven by elevated short-term interest rates, which increased interest expenses and put pressure on the trust’s book value. However, this trend is expected to shift, as mortgage REITs may become more appealing to passive income investors in a lower interest rate environment.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Dynex Capital, Inc. (NYSE:DX) reported a total economic return of $0.13 per common share, equating to 1.0% of its starting book value. For the full year, the return stood at $0.99 per share, or 7.4% of the beginning book value. During the quarter, the company raised $64.4 million in equity capital through at-the-market (ATM) common stock issuances, bringing the total capital raised for the year, after issuance costs, to $332.0 million.

Dynex Capital, Inc. (NYSE:DX) demonstrated a solid cash position during the quarter as it had over $377 million available in cash and cash equivalents at the end of this period. On February 20, the company declared a 13.3% hike in its monthly dividend to $0.17 per share. The company has been making regular dividend payments to shareholders since 2008. In addition to its strong dividend policy, the stock also maintains an attractive dividend yield of 14.20%, as of March 7.