Realty Income (NYSE: O) is one of the relatively few dividend-paying companies that pays out each month, instead of quarterly. It’s also a real estate investment trust (REIT) — a company that owns lots of real estate properties, leasing them out to tenants — and its dividend recently yielded a hefty 5.9%.
Does the fact that Realty Income pays monthly make it a superior dividend stock? My answer would be yes — and no. Here’s why it’s a nice plus.
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Imagine living in retirement. You no longer have a regular paycheck coming in, and you’re getting by with Social Security benefits, some other income sources, and dividend income. Your income, therefore, is probably lumpy — more in some months, less in others. It can be helpful to know that however much dividend income you’re getting from Realty Income, you’ll get it every month.
Overall, though, I don’t think it will make much difference to most people. If most of your dividend income is from this one stock, then maybe getting it monthly is better. But if you own a range of dividend payers, they will each be paying you at different times, so that income will end up spread out throughout the year — not exactly evenly, but perhaps evenly enough.
Should you invest in Realty Income?
I would certainly consider investing in Realty Income. (I own some shares myself.) The company is quite impressive. It uses “triple-net leases,” which have the tenants responsible for paying real estate taxes, property insurance, and operating expenses. And it owns a lot of properties — recently more than 15,500, leased with long-term contracts — to around 1,800 clients. It’s focused on retail, industrial, and agricultural clients, and it encompasses about 90-plus industries. Top industries include grocery stores, convenience stores, home improvement stores, and dollar stores.
Want more? Its overall occupancy level for its properties was recently 98.8% — and it has never been below 96%. Realty Income offers stability and a rather dependable dividend.
Should you buy stock in Realty Income right now?
Before you buy stock in Realty Income, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Realty Income wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
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