7 Best High-Yield Dividend Stocks: The Pros’ Picks for 2026

It’s difficult to resist the charm of high-yield dividend stocks. Their ability to generate outsized amounts of cash makes them the stuff of dreams for those living on a fixed income—as well as for any investors who simply want a little performance ballast during periods of rough stock-price returns.

But if you simply target the fattest dividend yields and call it a day, you’re in for a rude awakening.

There’s a reason risk is so often mentioned alongside reward. A stock offering several times more yield than the market average might very well be the undiscovered can’t-miss stock pick of the year … or it might be flashing a signal that many investors have passed it up for a reason. And sure, a very high yield can help make up for some underperformance in the stock price—but only if the dividend continues to be paid. Some high-dividend stocks have unsustainable payouts that are just an earnings miss or economic downturn away from collapse.

I’m not saying you should run screaming from any stock that offers an outsized payday. I’m just saying you shouldn’t buy them on yield alone. Quality matters, too.

Today, I’ll examine a group of high-yield dividend stocks that are showing more signs of fundamental quality than most. Not only do they deliver much sweeter yields than your average stock, but they also have the confidence of Wall Street’s analyst community.

Disclaimer: This article does not constitute individualized investment advice. Securities, funds, and/or other investments appear for your consideration and not as personalized investment recommendations. Act at your own discretion.

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Dividend Yields (And Dividend Safety)

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Dividend yield is a simple calculation—annual dividend / price x 100—that can mean a world of difference for investors, especially those reliant on income.

Consider this. Let’s say you have a $1 million nest egg heading into retirement. If your portfolio yields 3%, you’ll collect $30,000 in dividend and interest income each year. If it yields 6%, though, you’ll collect $60,000—a dramatically higher number that would change your retirement calculus.

But dividend yields can be deceiving. You see, a company can get a very high annual dividend yield in two very different ways: the dividend growing very rapidly, or the share price falling very quickly.

For example, Alpha Corp., which trades for $100 per share, pays a 50¢-per-share quarterly dividend, or $2 across the whole year. It yields 2.0%. In a month, however, it yields 4.0%. Here are two ways that could have happened:

1. Alpha Corp. doubled its dividend to $1.00 per share quarterly, good for a $4-per-share annual dividend. The share price stays the same. ($4 / $100 x 100 = 4.0%)
2. Alpha Corp. kept its dividend at 50¢ quarterly ($2 annually), but its share price plunged in half to $50 per share. ($2 / $50 x 100 = 4.0%)

To be fair, a company’s stock can plunge even if its financial situation is good; markets can sometimes be irrational. But very broadly speaking, if you’re comparing a company that just doubled its dividend to another company whose shares have been cut in half, you’d expect the former’s dividend health to be better.

That’s why you should always be mindful of dividend safety, but especially when it comes to high-yield dividend stocks. That’s because oftentimes, the dividend is a more significant contributor to returns than price, so any danger to the dividend could undermine your investment thesis.

So, that’s your goal: Determine whether the high-dividend stocks you buy are financially stable and can generate substantial profits and cash, which is how the dividend gets paid. Among other things, you’ll want to look at payout ratio, which determines what percentage of a company’s profits, distributable cash flow, and other financial metrics (depending on the type of stock) are being used to finance the dividend. Generally speaking, the lower the payout ratio, the more sustainable the payout.

Related: Direct Indexing: A (Tax-) Smarter Way to Index Your Investments

7 Highly Rated High-Yield Dividend Stocks

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Today, I’m going to look at several high-dividend stocks yielding at least 5%—a level that’s more than four times what the S&P 500 offers currently, and that’s well above most traditional high-dividend ETFs. Actually, several of these stocks yield much more than 5% … resulting in an average dividend yield of 9.7% across this list!

Every stock on this list also has a favorable view from Wall Street’s analyst community. The consensus analyst rating, courtesy of S&P Global Market Intelligence, is the average of all known analyst ratings of the stock, boiled down to a numerical system where …

• Less than 1.5 = Strong Buy
• 1.5-2.5 = Buy
• 2.5-3.5 = Hold
• 3.5-4.5 = Sell
• More than 4.5 = Strong Sell

In short, the lower the number, the better the overall consensus view on the stock. In the case of this list, I’ve included only stocks that have received a 2 or lower—in other words, clear-cut Buys in the analysts’ eyes.

Importantly: These are the best dividend stocks among companies that pay pretty high yields, but that doesn’t make any pick here a no-brainer slam dunk. They all have a blemish or two—whether it’s significant stock weakness of late, interest-rate risk, tight dividend coverage, or something else—but to the pros, at least, their high yields, relative value, and/or growth potential make the risk worth taking. So if you’re going to jump into high-yield investing, just make sure you do so with your eyes wide open.

The equities here are listed in reverse order of dividend yield, from the lowest-paying stock to the highest.

High-Yield Dividend Stock #7: Alpine Income Property Trust

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• Industry: Net lease REIT
• Market capitalization: $248.5 million
• Dividend yield: 6.5%
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.55 (Buy)

Alpine Income Property Trust (PINE) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns a portfolio of 128 predominantly single-tenant “net lease” properties in 38 states. Its tenants include retailers, pharmacies, grocery stores and more—tenants include Lowe’s (LOW), Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS), Walgreens (WBA), and Best Buy (BBY).

Net lease arrangements are different from traditional leases. They typically require tenants to be responsible for taxes, insurance, and maintenance—thus, all rent is “net” of those expenses. As a result, net lease REITs’ results tend to be a little more regular and predictable compared to traditional REITs.

It also has a portfolio of mortgage originations, which it can use to bolster its income, but it’s a higher-risk, lower-quality business.

“[Alpine Income Property Trust has] a favorable portfolio composition relative to peers in terms of both retail real estate and investment-grade tenant exposure,” says B. Riley Securities analyst John Massocca, who rates the stock at Buy. “A more dovish interest-rate environment should be a positive given the REIT’s current floating-rate exposure and near-term refinancing needs. Improvements in the cost of debt capital could also help offset the impact of expected high-yield loan investments maturing in the next few years.”

Massocca is one of nine Buys on the stock, versus two Holds and no Sells.

PINE has been dutifully raising its dividend since coming public in 2019. The most recent quarterly payout of 28.5¢ per share annualizes to a yield of more than 6% at current prices. There’s naturally higher risk just given Alpine’s small size relative to most of the other names on this list, but its yield and growing business put it among the best high-yield dividend stocks to buy now.

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Related: How to Choose a Financial Advisor

High-Yield Dividend Stock #6: Energy Transfer LP

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• Industry: Energy midstream
• Market capitalization: $56.5 billion
• Distribution yield: 8.1%*
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.47 (Strong Buy)

Energy Transfer LP (ET) is one of the continent’s largest midstream energy firms. The Dallas-based MLP’s assets include roughly 140,000 miles of energy pipelines and other infrastructure across 44 states, responsible for transporting and storing crude oil, natural gas, NGLs, and refined products. Its additional assets include Lake Charles LNG Company, a 21% stake in Sunoco LP (SUN), and a 38% stake in USA Compression Partners LP (USAC).

“Over the last several years, ET has focused on reducing debt while finishing a campaign of large capital investments,” say Stifel analysts, who rate the stock at Buy. “With the upturn in the commodity environment and production on the rise across the U.S., Energy Transfer is poised to generate significant free cash flow. We believe investors will be well served by owning ET as demand for U.S. energy increases around the globe.”

Especially promising is ET’s positioning to meet growing demand for natural gas to generate electricity for data centers.

“ET continues to see countless opportunities across its vast footprint and noted it is in talks to serve incremental data centers,” Stifel’s analysts write. “Additionally, ET is seeing growth opportunity across its natural gas-centric footprint (Hugh Brinson, Desert Southwest, Lake Charles and gas storage) and NGL business (processing, pipeline and fractionation).”

This promise has 17 of ET’s 19 covering analysts in the Buy camp. The pair of dissenters call ET a Hold.

As for the distribution? For those who don’t remember, Energy Transfer chopped its payout in half in 2020 during the depths of COVID. However, it started a quarterly distribution growth streak in 2022—one that has persisted even after it surpassed post-COVID distribution levels in late 2023.

Energy Transfer says it’s committed to growing the distribution even more going forward, though it’s taking an understandably cautious approach, targeting 3% to 5% annual growth. Distribution coverage is plenty adequate; estimates for distributable cash flow are just a little less than twice what it needs to afford its payout.

You’ll probably notice that I’ve been referring to “units.” That’s because BIP is a master limited partnership (MLP), which trades like a stock but is internally organized differently. It also uses a few different terms. For instance, shares are “units,” and it pays a dividend-esque “distribution” that can be something of a hassle from a taxation standpoint, especially for novices.

* Distribution yield is calculated by annualizing the most recent distribution and dividing by unit price. Distributions are like dividends, but they are treated as tax-deferred returns of capital and require different tax paperwork.

Related: 15 Best Investing Research & Stock Analysis Websites

High-Yield Dividend Stock #5: Rithm Capital

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• Industry: Mortgage REIT and alternative asset management
• Market capitalization: $6.2 billion
• Dividend yield: 8.9%
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.38 (Strong Buy)

Most REITs that you read about tend to be “equity REITs,” which deal in physical real estate. Specifically, they own (and sometimes operate or manage) properties, whether that’s apartments, office buildings, hotels, warehouses, you name it.

But “mortgage REITs” deal in paper real estate. That typically takes the form of residential and/or commercial mortgages, as well as mortgage-backed securities (MBSes). An mREIT will borrow money at short-term interest rates. It will take that money and buy mortgages, MBSes, and/or other mortgage-related securities. It will then earn income from the interest generated by these products—and use much of this profit to pay dividends to its shareholders. In fact, mREITs tend to have higher dividend yields than their traditional real estate cousins.

Rithm Capital (RITM) is technically a mortgage REIT, though it looks much different than the other mREITs that appear later in this list.

This “hybrid” mREIT has numerous businesses, including alternative asset management. RITM invests in residential mortgages loans, consumer loans, single-family rentals, mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), residential transitional loans, secured lending and structured products, and commercial real estate.

Ever since the 2020 financing crisis, the company has transformed its business model, growing its mortgage servicing business while also acquiring a variety of debt-related investment opportunities. It continues to be acquisitive, too, announcing two new deals in Q3 alone, announcing it would acquire an alternative asset manager (Crestline Management) and an owner-operator of Class A properties (Paramount Group).

The pros love the new-look RITM. Currently, every one of the eight analysts covering the stock call it a Buy.

“Over the past few years, RITM has transitioned from an owner of [mortgage servicing rights] to a mortgage bank and diversified investment manager with multiple business segments. The company also acquired Sculptor, a publicly traded asset manager, in 2023,” say Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts, who rate the stock at Outperform. “We think the shares provide an attractive combination of a stable current return with potential upside optionality if the company is able to grow as an alternative asset management and/or publicly list its mortgage bank at a premium to book value.”

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Related: How to Retire Without Investing in the Stock Market

High-Yield Dividend Stock #4: Sixth Street Specialty Lending

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• Industry: BDC
• Market capitalization: $2.2 billion
• Dividend yield: 9.0%*
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.60 (Buy)

Sixth Street Specialty Lending (TSLX) belongs to another high-yielding acronym industry: business development companies (BDCs).

Fun fact: Congress is actually responsible for the creation of real estate investment trusts, which were brought to life in 1960 with a mandate to return at least 90% of their taxable income back to shareholders as dividends (in exchange for favorable tax treatment). Well, 20 years later, in the hopes of spurring investment in smaller businesses, Congress went back to the same playbook and created BDCs—with the same dividend mandate.

Sixth Street Specialty Lending provides financing to middle-market companies primarily through senior secured loans, though also occasionally mezzanine loans, unsecured loans, bonds, and equity. Importantly, 97% of the company’s debt investments are floating-rate in nature, meaning that their rates shift alongside benchmark interest rates.

TSLX is somewhat conservative compared to other BDCs; historically, it has held only 5% to 15% of its investments (by fair value) in cyclical companies. Currently, it has 108 portfolio companies across internet services, retail, consumer products, business services, and about a dozen other industries. Moreover, no holding makes up more than 3% of the portfolio by fair value.

“Because TSLX is a relatively small vehicle managed under the large Sixth Street Partners platform ($70+ billion), it can be nimble, flexible, and creative in providing compelling credit solutions to borrowers, but also has the size, scale, and resources of a large credit platform. This has contributed to TSLX’s originating very attractive investments and generating one of the highest returns in the BDC sector,” say Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts, who are among the nine firms with Buy-equivalent calls on the stock, versus one Hold and no Sells. “We view TSLX’s management team as one of the best in the sector, which has been proven by their ability to generate significant value and very high returns through many different economic environments.”

* Sixth Street Specialty Lending’s yield may include variable supplemental dividends. The yield on TSLX’s regular quarterly dividend is 8.1% as of this writing.

Related: 8 Best Dividend ETFs to Buy for Diversified Income

Best Monthly Dividend Stock #3: Trinity Capital

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• Industry: BDC
• Market capitalization: $1.2 billion
• Dividend yield: 13.4%
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.78 (Buy)

Trinity Capital (TRIN), another BDC, is an alternative asset manager that focuses on five specific business verticals: technology lending, equipment financing, life sciences, asset-based lending, and sponsor finance.

Loans make up the majority (75%) of the portfolio by investment type, with an 82/18 split between floating- and fixed-rate. Another 17% is made up of equipment financings, and the rest is equity and warrants. Its 178 portfolio companies include the likes of space-and-satellite firm Slingshot Aerospace, nonalcoholic brewer Athletic Brewing, and cardiac monitoring company VitalConnect.

B. Riley Securities analyst Sean-Paul Adams recently maintained his Buy rating and increased his price target (from $16 per share to $17), citing the company’s investment-grade rating from Moody’s, SBIC fund approval, record origination levels and increased equipment finance vertical demand. “TRIN’s strong yield preservation, continued momentum in originations and RIA platform growth opportunities provide meaningful upside potential in the near term, in our view,” he adds.

Adams is one of seven Buy-equivalent ratings on the stock, opposed by just one Hold and one Sell.

Trinity’s sky-high dividend yield (currently north of 13%) is blunted a little bit by a lack of payout growth. The company came public in early 2021, and raised its dividend on a quarterly basis through the end of 2023, but it has kept that distribution level ever since. Still, that mammoth payout is more than enough to put Trinity among the best high-yield dividend stocks to buy now.

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High-Yield Dividend Stock #2: Franklin BSP Realty Trust

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• Industry: Mortgage REIT
• Market capitalization: $861.7 million
• Dividend yield: 13.5%
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.25 (Strong Buy)

Franklin BSP Realty Trust (FBRT), another mortgage REIT, predominantly invests in commercial mortgage-backed securities with a focus on the southern U.S. 

The majority (~75%) of its loans are tied up in multifamily real estate, with the rest spread across hospitality, industrial, office, and other industries. And its financing largely comes from collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), but its debt mix also includes warehouse lending and repurchase agreements, among others.

And in July, Franklin BSP Realty Trust closed on its $425 million acquisition of NewPoint Holdings JV LLC, which adds a mortgage servicing business to FBRT’s core origination operations.

FBRT ranks among the best high-yield dividend stocks you can buy right now, but it’s also a great example of how investing in even the most favored mREITs can make you feel like you’re living life on the edge.

Case in point? Franklin BSP Realty Trust currently pays 35.5¢ per share quarterly—a number that hasn’t budged since 2022—which comes out to $1.42 per share for the year. B. Riley recently upgraded its models to reflect the NewPoint acquisition, and it believes the company will generate $1.40 per share of distributable earnings per share (EPS) in fiscal 2026 … but that the company will be covering the dividend with earnings by the second half of the year.

That’s awfully close for comfort, but Wall Street seems completely unconcerned by it. All five research outfits that cover FBRT, including B. Riley, call it a Buy.

“With capital previously tied up for the NewPoint acquisition, we believe principal balance funding should improve going forward, especially given $304 million of new loan commitments in the quarter,” says B. Riley’s Timothy D’Agostino. “Recent stability in the yield curve and an additional 25 bps of cuts by the Fed in October have continued to improve our outlook on originations.”

Related: Don’t Make These 7 Mistakes When Choosing a Financial Advisor

High-Yield Dividend Stock #1: Dynex Capital

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• Industry: Mortgage REIT
• Market capitalization: $2.0 billion
• Dividend yield: 14.9%
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.83 (Buy)

Dynex Capital (DX) is the longest-tenured mREIT, founded in 1987. And it’s explicitly an “agency” mREIT, which means it deals in mortgages and MBSes from government agencies such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. In fact, its portfolio is 97% agency residential MBSes (RMBSes), and most of the remainder is agency commercial MBSes (CMBSes).

Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, whose analysts rate Dynex at Outperform, is broadly bullish on agency MBS sectors.

“Agency MBS spreads remain close to historical wides, which should support low- to mid-teen returns on incremental investments,” KBW analysts say. “We believe that companies are well-positioned to capitalize on the attractive investing environment given the low leverage across the sector. Additionally, given the uncertainty in the equity and debt markets, we think double-digit returns from the agency MBS REITs appear compelling and could outperform the financial sector.”

And about DX specifically, KBW adds that “we expect valuation to trend up as market cap increases, which should continue as the company issues equity accretively (the company issued $245 million of net equity in 3Q).”

KBW is just one of a handful of analyst outfits that cover Dynex, which is typical for the mREIT industry. Still, among these few pros, the bulls are the majority—DX has four Buys versus two Holds and no Sells.

Dynex pays a monthly dividend, and a generous one at that—nearly 15% as I write this. However, mortgage REITs tend to have shakier dividend histories than traditional stocks and even equity REITs, and DX is no exception. Its dividend was hacked away by 85% between 2012 and 2020, to 13¢ per share monthly. But things are looking up recently: The company finally raised its dividend in mid-2024, to 15¢, then again in Feburary 2025, to 17¢.

Still, that payout history is an important reminder that double-digit yields are hardly risk-free.

Related: The Best ETFs to Buy for a Prosperous 2026

If You’re Still Looking for High Yields, Consider Short-Term Alternative Investments

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Alternative investments is a catch-all term for any investment that doesn’t fall into the categories of stocks, bonds, or cash. It covers a wide variety of investments, from real estate to fine art to sneakers, and it has become increasingly popular as fintech services have opened up once-restrictive markets to the individual retail investor.

Often, because of the less transparent nature of these investments, they’re limited toward investors with more financial resources and understanding, namely accredited investors. These investors meet certain financial requirements (or qualify with recognized credentials) and can gain access to investments that can offer compelling risk-reward characteristics.

Below, we highlight a few options that can also deliver high yields:

EquityMultiple’s Alpine Notes (Accredited investors only)

EquityMultiple’s Alpine Notes are a savings alternative with competitive rates of return on three-, six-, and nine-month notes, providing another means of conservative diversification and short-term yield. Compared to the commercial real estate crowdfunding platform’s other investment offerings, these notes are extremely short-term in nature, and thus an optimal choice for EquityMultiple users who want better liquidity.

Percent private credit (Accredited investors only)

Percent has built a way for retail accredited investors to access a wide range of private credit opportunities with a clear view into their performance through its innovative tools and comprehensive market data. That allows investors to make better-informed decisions, source and compare opportunities, and monitor performance with ease. This platform also provides access to an alternative investment that’s a little more liquid than other alts, with some debt investments only lasting nine months, with liquidity available after the very first month in some cases.

The service targets annualized returns on unsecured notes between 12% to 18% on average and up to 20%. And while investment minimums vary, many Percent opportunities require only $500 to invest.

First National Realty Partners (Accredited investors only)

First National Realty Partners (FNRP) is one of the fastest-growing vertically integrated commercial real estate investment firms in the United States. It’s also focused on a very particular niche: grocery-anchored commercial real estate.

FNRP’s team leverages relationships with top-tier national-brand tenants—including Kroger, Walmart, Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods—to provide investors with access to institutional-quality CRE deals both on- and off-market. FNRP offers private placements that only an accredited investor can access.