15 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now

6. EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 23

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is a Missouri-based real estate investment trust company that leases its properties to various entertainment and educational businesses, including amusement parks, movie theaters, and ski resorts, across the US and Canada. Analysts have been critical of the company’s business model, as it focuses exclusively on experiential assets. During the coronavirus pandemic, owning properties related to entertainment and group activities proved difficult. As a result, the company reduced its dividend in 2020 and eventually eliminated it after reporting a significant $156 million net loss for the year. However, the dividend was reinstated in the second half of 2021.

While movie theater operators continue to face challenges, other tenants of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) are in a much stronger position than before the pandemic. Rent coverage outside of theaters has improved from 1.9 times in 2019 to 2.1, indicating a notable increase in the ability of rental income to cover property ownership costs. Moreover, by the end of Q3 2024, the company achieved a 99% occupancy rate. This was achieved by selling vacant theater properties, adding more non-theater tenants in the experiential sector, and expanding its portfolio in education-related properties.

In the quarter, EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) sold two theater properties and one early childhood education center, generating $8.7 million in net proceeds. The company’s cash position remained strong, ending the quarter with over $35.3 million in cash and total assets approaching $5.7 billion.

EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR), one of the best dividend stocks on our list, has never missed a dividend since its IPO in 1997. The company shifted its dividend policy to monthly payouts in 2013. Its monthly dividend currently comes in at $0.285 per share for a dividend yield of 7.39%, as of January 29.

At the end of Q3 2024, 23 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held stakes in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR), worth over $247.4 million. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies was the firm’s leading stakeholder in Q3.