2 Reliable Dividend Stocks With Yields Above 5% to Buy Now and Hold Forever

You don't need to be an income-seeking investor to appreciate dividend-paying stocks. That's because businesses that commit to returning profits to shareholders have a tendency to outperform businesses that don't.The average dividend-paying stock in the benchmark S&P 500 index produced a 9.2% annualized return over the 50-year period ended 2024. Stocks in the same index that didn't pay dividends produced a disappointing 4.3% average annual return over the same time frame, according to Hartford Funds and Ned Davis Research.Realty Income (NYSE: O) and Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: ARE) are two reliable dividend payers that offer an average yield of about 6% at recent prices. Here's how they could make excellent portfolio additions for most investors, whether they're interested in above-average returns or growing their passive income stream.Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool