Updated on June 4th, 2024 by Bob Ciura
Spreadsheet data updated daily
Monthly dividend stocks are securities that pay a dividend every month instead of quarterly or annually.
This research report focuses on all 79 individual monthly paying securities. It includes the following resources.
Resource #1: The Monthly Dividend Stock Spreadsheet List
This list contains important metrics, including: dividend yields, payout ratios, dividend growth rates, 52-week highs and lows, betas, and more.
Note: We strive to maintain an accurate list of all monthly dividend payers. There’s no universal source we are aware of for monthly dividend stocks; we curate this list manually. If you know of any stocks that pay monthly dividends that are not on our list, please email [email protected].
Resource #2: The Monthly Dividend Stocks In Focus Series
The Monthly Dividend Stocks In Focus series is where we analyze all monthly paying dividend stocks. This resource links to stand-alone analysis on each of these securities.
Resource #3: The 10 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks
This research report analyzes the 10 best monthly dividend stocks as ranked by expected total return.
Resource #4: Other Monthly Dividend Stock Research
– Monthly dividend stock performance
– Why monthly dividends matter
– The dangers of investing in monthly dividend stocks
– Final thoughts and other income investing resources
The Monthly Dividend Stocks In Focus Series
You can see detailed analysis on monthly dividend securities we cover by clicking the links below. We’ve included our most recent Sure Analysis Research Database report update in brackets as well, where applicable.
- Agree Realty (ADC) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- AGNC Investment (AGNC) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation (AMIVF)
- Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (APLE) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund (AWRRF)
- Banco Bradesco S.A. (BBD) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Diversified Royalty Corp. (BEVFF)
- Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund (BPZZF)
- Bridgemarq Real Estate Services (BREUF)
- BSR Real Estate Investment Trust (BSRTF)
- Canadian Apartment Properties REIT (CDPYF)
- ChemTrade Logistics Income Fund (CGIFF)
- Chesswood Group Limited (CHWWF)
- Choice Properties REIT (PPRQF) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (CRT) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- CT Real Estate Investment Trust (CTRRF)
- SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust (CWYUF)
- Dream Industrial REIT (DREUF) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Dream Office REIT (DRETF) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Dynex Capital (DX) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Ellington Residential Mortgage REIT (EARN) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Ellington Financial (EFC) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- EPR Properties (EPR) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Exchange Income Corporation (EIFZF) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Extendicare Inc. (EXETF)
- Flagship Communities REIT (MHCUF)
- First National Financial Corporation (FNLIF)
- Freehold Royalties Ltd. (FRHLF)
- Firm Capital Property Trust (FRMUF)
- Fortitude Gold (FTCO) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Generation Income Properties (GIPR) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Gladstone Capital Corporation (GLAD) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Gladstone Commercial Corporation (GOOD) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Gladstone Investment Corporation (GAIN) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Gladstone Land Corporation (LAND) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Global Water Resources (GWRS) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Granite Real Estate Investment Trust (GRP.U) | [Historical Reports]
- H&R Real Estate Investment Trust (HRUFF)
- Horizon Technology Finance (HRZN) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Hugoton Royalty Trust (HGTXU) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Itaú Unibanco (ITUB) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- The Keg Royalties Income Fund (KRIUF)
- LTC Properties (LTC) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Sienna Senior Living (LWSCF)
- Main Street Capital (MAIN) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Modiv Inc. (MDV) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Mullen Group Ltd. (MLLGF)
- Northland Power Inc. (NPIFF)
- NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT (NWHUF)
- Orchid Island Capital (ORC) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Oxford Square Capital (OXSQ) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Permian Basin Royalty Trust (PBT) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Phillips Edison & Company (PECO) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Pennant Park Floating Rate (PFLT) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Peyto Exploration & Development Corp. (PEYUF)
- Pine Cliff Energy Ltd. (PIFYF)
- Primaris REIT (PMREF)
- Paramount Resources Ltd. (PRMRF)
- PermRock Royalty Trust (PRT) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Prospect Capital Corporation (PSEC) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Permianville Royalty Trust (PVL)
- Pizza Pizza Royalty Corp. (PZRIF)
- Realty Income (O) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (RIOCF)
- Richards Packaging Income Fund (RPKIF)
- Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Stellus Capital Investment Corp. (SCM) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Savaria Corp. (SISXF)
- San Juan Basin Royalty Trust (SJT) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- SL Green Realty Corp. (SLG) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Whitecap Resources Inc. (SPGYF)
- Slate Grocery REIT (SRRTF)
- Stag Industrial (STAG) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Timbercreek Financial Corp. (TBCRF)
- Tamarack Valley Energy (TNEYF)
- TransAlta Renewables (TRSWF) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- U.S. Global Investors (GROW) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
- Whitestone REIT (WSR) | [See Newest Sure Analysis Report]
The 10 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks
This research report examines the 10 monthly dividend stocks from our Sure Analysis Research Database with the highest 5-year forward expected total returns.
We currently cover nearly 80 monthly dividend stocks every quarter in the Sure Analysis Research Database.
Use the table below to quickly jump to analysis on any of the top 10 best monthly dividend stocks as ranked by expected total returns.
Table of Contents
You can instantly jump to any specific section of the article by using the links below:
Monthly Dividend Stock #10: Stellus Capital (SCM)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 10.0%
- Dividend Yield: 11.6%
Stellus Capital Management provides capital solutions to companies with $5 million to $50 million of EBITDA and does so with a variety of instruments, the majority of which are debt.
Stellus provides first lien, second lien, mezzanine, convertible debt, and equity investments to a diverse group of customers, generally at high yields, in the US and Canada.
Stellus posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on March 4th, 2024, and results were somewhat mixed. The BDC posted fiscal year adjusted NII of $1.92, which beat estimates by 19 cents.
Total investment income, which is akin to revenue, was up 41% year-over-year to $106 million, and missed estimates by over $5 million. Stellus noted that its loan portfolio is yielding 11.9% as of the end of the year.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on Stellus (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #9: STAG Industrial (STAG)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 10.0%
- Dividend Yield: 4.3%
STAG Industrial is an owner and operator of industrial real estate. It is focused on single-tenant industrial properties and has ~560 buildings across 41 states in the United States. The focus of this REIT on single-tenant properties might create higher risk compared to multi-tenant properties, as the former are either fully occupied or completely vacant.
As per the latest data, 53% of the tenants are publicly rated and 31% of the tenants are rated “investment grade.” The company typically does business with established tenants to reduce risk.
In late April, STAG Industrial reported (4/30/24) financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Core FFO per share grew 7% over the prior year’s quarter, from $0.55 to $0.59, exceeding the analysts’ consensus by $0.01, thanks to the sustained strength of the REIT’s tenants and material hikes in rent rates.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on STAG Industrial Inc. (STAG) (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #8: LTC Properties (LTC)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 10.3%
- Dividend Yield: 6.6%
LTC Properties is a REIT that invests in senior housing and skilled nursing properties. Its portfolio consists of approximately 50% senior housing and 50% skilled nursing properties. The REIT owns 208 investments in 27 states with 29 operating partners.
In late April, LTC reported (4/29/24) financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Funds from operations (FFO) per share grew 4.5% over the prior year’s quarter, from $0.66 to $0.69, and exceeded the analysts’ consensus by $0.05.
The increase in FFO per share resulted from higher rental revenue and higher interest income from mortgage loans, which more than offset increased interest expense amid 16-year high interest rates. LTC maintained its leverage ratio (Net Debt to EBITDA) at 5.5x.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on LTC (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #7: AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 10.4%
- Dividend Yield: 14.9%
American Capital Agency Corp is a mortgage real estate investment trust that invests primarily in agency mortgage–backed securities (or MBS) on a leveraged basis.
The firm’s asset portfolio is comprised of residential mortgage pass–through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations (or CMO), and non–agency MBS. Many of these are guaranteed by government–sponsored enterprises.
AGNC Investment’s first-quarter non-GAAP earnings continued their downward trend amid the company’s operation in a higher interest rate environment. Q1 net spread and dollar roll income per share of $0.58, slightly surpassing expectations, declined from previous quarters.
The quarter’s earnings excluded an estimated “catch-up” premium amortization benefit. Tangible net book value per common share increased to $8.84, although the economic return on tangible common equity declined.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on AGNC Investment Corp (AGNC) (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #6: U.S. Global Investors (GROW)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 11.2%
- Dividend Yield: 3.5%
U.S. Global Investors is a publicly owned investment manager, primarily providing its services to investment
companies as well as to pooled investment vehicles. It has a tiny market cap of around $40 million. The company handles equity and fixed income mutual funds, hedge funds for its clients, and exchange traded funds.
It invests in fixed income markets and public equity around the world. To make its equity investments the firm also invests in G.A.R.P. and value stocks.
On February 8th, U.S. Global Investors reported its financial results for the fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2023. The company posted a net income of $1.2 million, marking a significant improvement from the previous quarter’s net loss of $176,000 and reflecting a 45% increase from the same period the previous year.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on GROW (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #5: Agree Realty (ADC)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 11.7%
- Dividend Yield: 5.0%
Agree Realty Corp. (ADC) is an integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on ownership, acquisition, development, and retail property management. Agree has developed over 40 community shopping centers throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern United States.
On April 23rd, 2024, Agree Realty Corp. reported first quarter results. The company invested $140 million in 50 retail net lease properties and initiated four development projects with a total committed capital of $18 million. Net income per share decreased by 2.4% to $0.43, while Core FFO per share increased by 3.5% to $1.01, and AFFO per share rose by 4.6% to $1.03.
A monthly dividend of $0.250 per common share was declared for April, a 2.9% increase year-over-year. The Company ended the quarter with over $920 million in total liquidity and maintained a strong balance sheet.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on Agree Realty Corp. (ADC) (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #4: Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 12.1%
- Dividend Yield: 6.6%
Apple Hospitality REIT is a hotel REIT that owns a portfolio of hotels with tens of thousands of rooms located across dozens of states. It franchises its properties out to leading brands, including Marriottbranded hotels, Hilton-branded hotels, and Hyatt-branded hotels.
As of December 31, 2023, Apple Hospitality owned 225 hotels with a total of 29,900 guest rooms across 88 markets in 38 states. For the fourth quarter, Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. reported strong operating performance, with increases in Comparable Hotels Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) and Average Daily Rate (ADR) for both the fourth quarter and full year of 2023 compared to the same periods in 2022.
Comparable Hotels Occupancy remained steady in the fourth quarter but increased for the full year, outperforming industry averages according to STR data.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on APLE (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #3: EPR Properties (EPR)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 13.4%
- Dividend Yield: 8.3%
EPR Properties is a specialty real estate investment trust, or REIT, that invests in properties in specific market segments that require industry knowledge to operate effectively.
It selects properties it believes have strong return potential in Entertainment, Recreation, and Education. The portfolio includes about $7 billion in investments across 300+ locations in 44 states, including over 250 tenants.
EPR posted fourth quarter and full-year earnings on February 28th, 2024, and results were slightly better than expected. The trust posted funds-from-operations per-share of $1.16, which was in line with estimates.
FFO-per-share was down, however, from $1.47 in Q3 and from $1.25 in last year’s Q4. However, revenue was down nearly 4% year-over-year to $172 million. That was still $16 million better than expected.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on EPR (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #2: Ellington Credit Co. (EARN)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 14.3%
- Dividend Yield: 13.9%
Ellington Credit Co. acquires, invests in, and manages residential mortgage and real estate related assets. Ellington focuses primarily on residential mortgage-backed securities, specifically those backed by a U.S. Government agency or U.S. government–sponsored enterprise.
Agency MBS are created and backed by government agencies or enterprises, while non-agency MBS are not guaranteed by the government.
On March 6th, 2024, Ellington Residential reported its fourth quarter results for the period ending December 31st, 2023. The company generated net income of $12.4 million, or $0.75 per share. Ellington achieved adjusted distributable earnings of $4.6 million in the quarter, leading to adjusted earnings of $0.27 per share, which covered the dividend paid in the period.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on EARN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #1: Itau Unibanco (ITUB)
- 5-Year Expected Total Return: 16.6%
- Dividend Yield: 8.4%
Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The bank has operations across South America and other places like the United States, Portugal, Switzerland, China, Japan, etc.
On May 6th, 2024, Itaú Unibanco reported first-quarter results for 2023. The company showcased significant financial growth, with a recurring managerial result totaling $1.9 billion, marking a notable 15.8% increase compared to the previous year. This surge was supported by an annualized recurring managerial return on average equity of 21.9%.
Key drivers behind these impressive results included an augmented financial margin with clients, attributed to a larger loan portfolio and improved margins on liabilities, as well as increased commissions, fees, and profits from insurance operations.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ITUB (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Other Monthly Dividend Stock Resources
Each separate monthly dividend stock has its own unique characteristics. The resources below will give you a better understanding of monthly dividend stock investing.
The following research reports will help you generate more monthly dividend stock investment ideas.
Monthly Dividend Stock Performance
In May 2024, a basket of the monthly dividend stocks above generated returns of 2.2%. For comparison, the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) generated returns of 5.3% for the month.
Notes: Data for performance is from Ycharts. Canadian company performance may be in the company’s home currency.
Monthly dividend stocks under-performed the Russell 2000 last month. We will update our performance section monthly to track future monthly dividend stock returns.
In May 2024, the 3 best-performing monthly dividend stocks (including dividends) were:
- Generation Income Properties (GIPR), up 16.9%
- Whitestone REIT (WSR), up 12.1%
- Northland Power Inc. (NPIFF), up 10.9%
The 3 worst-performing monthly dividend stocks (including dividends) in the month were:
- Richards Packaging Income Fund (RPKIF), down 9.0%
- Bank Bradesco (BBD), down 9.6%
- Timbercreek Financial Corp. (TBCRF), down 17.7%
Why Monthly Dividends Matter
Monthly dividend payments are beneficial for one group of investors in particular; retirees who rely on dividend stocks for income.
With that said, monthly dividend stocks are better under all circumstances (everything else being equal), because they allow for returns to be compounded on a more frequent basis. More frequent compounding results in better total returns, particularly over long periods of time.
Consider the following performance comparison:
Over the long run, monthly compounding generates slightly higher returns over quarterly compounding. Every little bit helps.
With that said, it might not be practical to manually re-invest dividend payments on a monthly basis. It is more feasible to combine monthly dividend stocks with a dividend reinvestment plan to dollar cost average into your favorite dividend stocks.
The last benefit of monthly dividend stocks is that they allow investors to have – on average – more cash on hand to make opportunistic purchases. A monthly dividend payment is more likely to put cash in your account when you need it versus a quarterly dividend.
Case-in-point: Investors who bought a broad basket of stocks at the bottom of the 2008-2009 financial crisis are likely sitting on triple-digit total returns from those purchases today.
The Dangers of Investing In Monthly Dividend Stocks
Monthly dividend stocks have characteristics that make them appealing to do-it-yourself investors looking for a steady stream of income. Typically, these are retirees and people planning for retirement.
Investors should note many monthly dividend stocks are highly speculative. On average, monthly dividend stocks tend to have elevated payout ratios. An elevated payout ratio means there’s less margin for error to continue paying the dividend if business results suffer a temporary (or permanent) decline.
As a result, we have real concerns that many monthly dividend payers will not be able to continue paying rising dividends in the event of a recession.
Additionally, a high payout ratio means that a company is retaining little money to invest for future growth. This can lead management teams to aggressively leverage their balance sheet, fueling growth with debt. High debt and a high payout ratio is perhaps the most dangerous combination around for a potential future dividend reduction.
With that said, there are a handful of high-quality monthly dividend payers around. Chief among them is Realty Income (O). Realty Income has paid increasing dividends (on an annual basis) every year since 1994.
The Realty Income example shows that there are high-quality monthly dividend payers around, but they are the exception rather than the norm. We suggest investors do ample due diligence before buying into any monthly dividend payer.
Final Thoughts & Other Income Investing Resources
Financial freedom is achieved when your passive investment income exceeds your expenses. But the sequence and timing of your passive income investment payments can matter.
Monthly payments make matching portfolio income with expenses easier. Most personal expenses recur monthly whereas most dividend stocks pay quarterly. Investing in monthly dividend stocks matches the frequency of portfolio income payments with the normal frequency of personal expenses.
Additionally, many monthly dividend payers offer investors high yields. The combination of a monthly dividend payment and a high yield should be especially appealing to income investors.
But not all monthly dividend payers offer the safety that income investors need. A monthly dividend is better than a quarterly dividend, but not if that monthly dividend is reduced soon after you invest. The high payout ratios and shorter histories of most monthly dividend securities mean they tend to have elevated risk levels.
Because of this, we advise investors to look for high-quality monthly dividend payers with reasonable payout ratios, trading at fair or better prices.
Additionally, see the resources below for more compelling investment ideas for dividend growth stocks and/or high-yield investment securities.
Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].