Investors love dividend stocks, especially the high-yield variety, because they offer a significant income stream and have massive total return potential. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time. In other words, the total return on an investment or a portfolio consists of income and stock appreciation. At 24/7 Wall St., we consistently emphasize the potential of total return. It is one of the most effective ways to enhance the prospects of overall investing success. Once again, total return is the collective increase in a stock’s value plus dividends.
We decided to explore the Dividend Champions. Regular 24/7 Wall St. readers know that we often write about Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Kings, so here’s the difference: Dividend Champions are companies that have raised their dividends for 25 years or longer but can be any size in terms of market cap. The 2025 Dividend Champions include 137 stocks, and we screened the list to find the ones with the highest dividend payouts for investors seeking solid and dependable passive income. Five companies in the group pay among the highest dividends; a few will likely be new companies for investors to review.
Why do we cover the Dividend Champions?
The key for investors in this group is that the Dividend Champions stocks do not have to be in the S&P 500 and can be any market cap size. This opens the door for many new stocks that have paid reliable dividends for over 25 years and considerably widens the number of companies from which investors can select.
Universal Health Realty Trust
UHS is one of the nation’s largest hospital management companies.
Leading the pack with a hefty 7.5% dividend, this is a very conservative idea from growth and income investors now. Universal Health Realty Trust (NYSE: UHT) invests in healthcare and human service-related facilities, including acute care hospitals, behavioral healthcare hospitals, specialty facilities, free-standing emergency departments, childcare centers, and medical/office buildings.
The company’s portfolio consists of over 76 real estate investments or commitments located in approximately 21 states in the United States consisting of:
- Six hospital facilities
- 60 medical/office buildings
- Four free-standing emergency departments
- Four preschool and childcare centers
- One specialty facility
- Vacant land
It consists of three acute care hospitals and three behavioral health hospitals, including:
- McAllen Medical Center
- Wellington Regional Medical Center
- Aiken Regional Medical Center
- Aurora Pavilion Behavioral Health Services
- Canyon Creek Behavioral Health
- Clive Behavioral Health Hospital
Altria
Altria is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of cigarettes and other tobacco- related products.
This tobacco company offers value investors a great entry point and a rich 7.43% dividend. Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO | MO Price Prediction) manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States through its subsidiaries.
The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand, as well as:
- Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild and Middleton brands
- Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands
- on! Oral nicotine pouches
- e-vapor products marketed by NJOY
It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.
Altria owns over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer. Last year, the company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. However, it still holds 8% of the company, which posted outstanding fourth-quarter results.
Enterprise Products Partners
This American midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
This company is one of the largest publicly traded energy partnerships and pays a 6.49% dividend. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD) provides various midstream energy services, including:
- Gathering
- Processing
- Transporting and storing natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation
- Import and export terminalling
- Offshore production platform services
The company has four reportable business segments:
- Natural Gas Pipelines and Services
- NGL Pipelines and Services
- Petrochemical Services
- Crude Oil Pipelines and Services
One reason many analysts like the stock might be its distribution coverage ratio. The company’s coverage ratio is well above 1x, making it relatively less risky in the MLP sector.
Franklin Resources
Better known as Franklin Templeton, this is one of the world’s largest investment managers.
Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) is a mutual fund powerhouse that pays a safe and secure 6.40% dividend. The firm is among the most prominent global money managers. It markets mutual funds and institutional separate accounts under the Franklin, Templeton, and Mutual Series brands. At times, 50% of its sales are from outside the US, an advantage given the maturing U.S. market.
Franklin Resources offers its products and services under the brands of:
- Franklin
- Templeton
- Franklin Mutual Series
- Franklin Bissett
- Fiduciary Trust
- Darby
- Balanced Equity Management
- K2
- LibertyShares
- Edinburgh Partners
The 2023-2024 bull market was a strong tailwind for the company. While withdrawals from baby boomers may be a concern, the path forward looks solid.
Realty Income
Realty Income is a real estate investment trust that invests in free-standing, single-tenant commercial properties.
This is an ideal stock for growth and income investors looking for a safer contrarian idea for the rest of 2025. It pays a whopping 5.74% dividend. Realty Income Corp. (NYSE: O) acquires and manages freestanding commercial properties that generate rental revenue under long-term net lease agreements with its commercial clients.
It is engaged in a single business activity: leasing property to clients, generally on a net basis. That business activity spans various geographic boundaries and includes property types and clients engaged in various industries.
The company owns approximately 15,450 properties across 86 different industries leased to over 1,300 different clients throughout all 50 states, as well as:
- Puerto Rico
- the United Kingdom
- Spain
- Italy
- Ireland
- France
- Germany
- Portugal.
Its property types include retail, industrial, gaming, and others, such as agriculture and office. Its primary industry concentrations include grocery stores, convenience stores, dollar stores, drug stores, home improvement stores, restaurants, quick service, and others.
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