Updated on October 5th, 2021 by Bob Ciura
Spreadsheet data updated daily
Monthly dividend stocks are securities that pay a dividend every month instead of quarterly or annually. More frequent dividend payments mean a smoother income stream for investors.
This article includes:
- A free spreadsheet on all 49 monthly dividend stocks
- Links to detailed stand-alone analysis on all 49 monthly dividend stocks
- Several other resources to help you invest in monthly dividend securities for steady income
You can download our full Excel spreadsheet of all monthly dividend stocks (along with metrics that matter like dividend yield and payout ratio) by clicking on the link below:
The downloadable Monthly Dividend Stocks Spreadsheet above contains the following for each stock that pays monthly dividends:
- Dividend yield
- Name and ticker
- Market cap
- Payout ratio
- Beta
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 support@suredividend.com.
This article also includes our top 5 ranked monthly dividend stocks today, according to expected five-year annual returns. Stocks are further screened based on a qualitative assessment of strength of the business model, growth potential, recession performance, and dividend history.
Based on this, we have excluded oil and gas royalty trusts, due to their high risks which make them unattractive for income investors, in our view.
Table of Contents
- How to Use the Monthly Dividend Stocks Spreadsheet to Find Dividend Investment Ideas
- The 5 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks
#5: Whitestone REIT (WSR)
#4: TransAlta Renewables (TRSWF)
#3: STAG Industrial (STAG)
#2: SL Green Realty (SLG)
#1: Realty Income (O) - Detailed Analysis on All Monthly Dividend Stocks
- Performance Through September 2021
- Why Monthly Dividends Matter
- The Dangers of Investing in Monthly Dividend Stocks
- Final Thoughts
Having the list of monthly dividend stocks along with metrics that matter is a great way to begin creating a monthly passive income stream.
High-yielding monthly dividend payers have a unique mix of characteristics that make them especially suitable for investors seeking current income.
Keep reading this article to learn more about investing in monthly dividend stocks.
How to Use the Monthly Dividend Stocks Sheet to Find Dividend Investment Ideas
For investors that use their dividend stock portfolios to generate passive monthly income, one of the main concerns is the sustainability of the company’s dividend.
A dividend cut indicates one of two things:
- The business isn’t performing well enough to sustain a dividend
- Management is no longer interested in rewarding shareholders with dividends
Either of these should be considered an automatic sign to sell a dividend stock.
Of the two reasons listed above, #1 is more likely to happen. Thus, it is very important to continually monitor the financial feasibility of a company’s dividend.
This is best evaluated by using the payout ratio. The payout ratio is a mathematical expression that shows what percentage of a company’s earnings is distributed to shareholders as dividend payments. A very high payout ratio could indicate that a company’s dividend is in danger of being reduced or eliminated completely.
For readers unfamiliar with Microsoft Excel, this section will show you how to list the stocks in the spreadsheet in order of decreasing payout ratio.
Step 1: Download the monthly dividend stocks excel sheet at the link above.
Step 2: Highlight columns A through H, and go to “Data”, then “Filter”.
Step 3: Click on the ‘filter’ icon at the top of the payout ratio column.
Step 4: Filter the high dividend stocks spreadsheet in descending order by payout ratio. This will list the stocks with lower (safer) payout ratios at the top.
The 5 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks
The following list represents our top 5 monthly dividend stocks right now. Stocks were selected based on their projected total annual returns over the next five years, but also based on a qualitative assessment of business model strength, future growth potential, and dividend sustainability.
Monthly Dividend Stock #5: Whitestone REIT (WSR)
Whitestone is a retail REIT that owns about 58 properties with ~5.0 million square feet of gross leasable area, primarily top U.S. markets in Texas and Arizona. Its portfolio is very diversified with about 1,400 tenants. The top 5 industries are restaurant & food service (23% of annual base rent), grocery (9%), financial services (9%), salons (8%), and medical & dental (8%).
Source: Investor Presentation
In the 2021 second quarter, Whitestone’s revenue increased 11% year-over-year. Core FFO-per-share rose 18% year-over-year, as same-store NOI increased 8.4%. Occupancy on wholly-owned properties rose 70 basis points to 89.9% in the second quarter.
Whitestone cut its dividend by 63% in 2020. While a dividend reduction is never a welcome sight, the company looks like it’s ready to steadily increase its dividend to the pre-pandemic levels starting with the recent increase of 2.4%. Currently, the payout ratio at about 50% is sustainable, and the yield is attractive at 4.3%.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on WSR (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #4: TransAlta Renewables (TRSWF)
TransAlta Renewables trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (under the ticker RNW) and on the over the counter market (under the ticker TRSWF). Its history in renewable power generation goes back more than 100 years. In 2013, the company was spun off from TransAlta, who remains a major shareholder in the alternative power generation company.
The company has maintained or increased its dividend every year since 2014, by an average of 4% growth per year. TransAlta Renewables owns 13 hydro facilities, 23 wind farms, 7 natural gas plants, 1 battery asset and 1 solar asset. In total, the company owns directly or through economic interests, an aggregate of over 2,500 megawatts of gross generating capacity in operation.
Source: Investor Presentation
TransAlta earns a place on the list of top monthly dividend stocks, not just because of its high yield, but also because of its future growth potential. TransAlta stands on the forefront of a major growth theme–renewable energy.
Related: 3 Canadian Monthly Dividend Stocks With Yields Up To 8%
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on TransAlta Renewables (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #3: STAG Industrial (STAG)
STAG Industrial is an owner and operator of industrial real estate. It is focused on single-tenant industrial properties and has ~462 buildings across 38 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.
Source: Investor Presentation
In the 2021 second quarter, STAG grew core FFO by 20% year-over-year, to $86 million. Per-share core FFO of $0.52 increased 10.6% year-over-year. STAG acquired nine buildings in the second quarter of 2021, consisting of 1.3 million square feet, for $126.7 million.
Occupancy remained very healthy at 96.8% of the total portfolio in the second quarter.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on STAG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #2: SL Green Realty (SLG)
SL Green is an integrated REIT that is focused on acquiring, managing, and maximizing the value of Manhattan commercial properties. It is Manhattan’s largest office landlord, and currently has an interest in 77 buildings totaling 35 million square feet.
In late July, SLG reported (7/21/2021) financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2021. Same–store net operating income decreased –2.7% over last year’s quarter and its occupancy rate decreased from 94.2% at the end of the previous quarter to 93.6%.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SLG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Monthly Dividend Stock #1: Realty Income (O)
Realty Income is a retail-focused REIT that owns more than 6,500 properties. Realty Income owns retail properties that are not part of a wider retail development (such as a mall), but instead are standalone properties. This means that the properties are viable for many different tenants, including government services, healthcare services, and entertainment.
Realty Income leaps to the top spot on the list, because of its highly impressive dividend history, which is unmatched among the other monthly dividend stocks. Realty Income is a member of the Dividend Aristocrats.
The company’s long history of dividend payments and increases is due to its high-quality business model and diversified property portfolio.
Source: Investor Presentation
In the most recent quarter, Realty Income beat analyst estimates on both revenue and FFO-per-share. Revenue increased 12% due primarily to new properties and rent increases, while adjusted FFO-per-share increased 2.3% due to the impact of new shares issued. Rent collection across the entire portfolio was 95.9% for the 2021 second quarter.
Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on Realty Income (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):
Detailed Analysis On All of The Monthly Dividend Stocks
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) | [8/17/21]
- AGNC Investment (AGNC) | [8/3/21]
- ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR) | [7/26/21]
- Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (AVAL)| [7/27/21]
- Banco Bradesco S.A. (BBD) | [8/4/21]
- Broadmark Realty Capital (BRMK) | [8/10/21]
- Chatham Lodging (CLDT)* | [8/10/21]
- Choice Properties REIT (PPRQF) | [8/7/21]
- Chorus Aviation (CHRRF) | [8/13/21]
- Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (CRT) | [8/30/21]
- Dream Industrial REIT (DREUF) | [8/10/21]
- Dream Office REIT (DRETF) | [8/13/21]
- Dynex Capital (DX) | [8/3/21]
- Ellington Financial (EFC) | [8/10/21]
- Eagle Point Income Company (EIC) | [8/20/21]
- EPR Properties (EPR) | [8/20/21]
- Exchange Income Corporation (EIFZF) | [8/13/21]
- Gladstone Capital Corporation (GLAD) | [8/16/21]
- Gladstone Commercial Corporation (GOOD) | [8/16/21]
- Gladstone Investment Corporation (GAIN) | [8/25/21]
- Gladstone Land Corporation (LAND) | [8/6/21]
- Global Water Resources (GWRS) | [8/6/21]
- Granite Real Estate Investment Trust (GRP.U)** | [Historical Reports]
- Horizon Technology Finance (HRZN) | [8/1/2021]
- Inter Pipeline (IPPLF) | [8/14/21]
- Itau Unibanco (ITUB) | [8/17/21]
- LTC Properties (LTC) | [8/20/21]
- Main Street Capital (MAIN) | [8/9/21]
- Orchid Island Capital (ORC) | [8/7/21]
- Oxford Square Capital (OXSQ) | [7/28/21]
- Pembina Pipeline (PBA) | [9/3/21]
- Permian Basin Royalty Trust (PBT) | [8/30/21]
- Pennant Park Floating Rate (PFLT) | [8/12/21]
- PermRock Royalty Trust (PRT) | [7/19/21]
- Prospect Capital Corporation (PSEC) | [9/5/21]
- Permianville Royalty Trust (PVL)*
- Realty Income (O) | [8/7/21]
- Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR) | [8/30/21]
- Stellus Capital Investment Corp. (SCM) | [8/27/21]
- San Juan Basin Royalty Trust (SJT)*
- Shaw Communications (SJR) | [7/19/21]
- SL Green Realty Corp. (SLG) | [7/23/21]
- SLR Senior Investment Corp. (SUNS) | [8/10/21]
- Stag Industrial (STAG) | [8/20/21]
- Superior Plus (SUUIF) | [8/14/21]
- Transalta Renewables (TRSWF) | [8/11/21]
- U.S. Global Investors (GROW) | [5/20/21]
- Vermilion Energy (VET) | [5/19/21]
- Whitestone REIT (WSR) | [8/14/21]
Note 1: The asterisk (*) denotes a stock that has suspended its dividend. As a result, we have not included the stock in our annual Monthly Dividend Stock In Focus series. We will resume coverage when and if the company in question resumes paying dividends.
Note 2: The (**) denotes a security that is not included by our data provider and is therefore removed from our Sure Analysis research database despite being a monthly paying dividend stock.
As we do not have coverage of every monthly dividend stock, they are not all included in the list above. Note that most of these businesses are either small- or mid-cap companies. You will not see any S&P 500 stocks in this list – it is predominantly populated by members of the Russell 2000 Index or various international stock market indices. Based on the list above, the bulk of monthly dividend paying securities are REITs and BDCs.
Performance Through September 2021
In September 2021, a basket of the 49 monthly dividend stocks above (excluding SJT) generated negative total returns of -2.0%. For comparison, the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) generated negative total returns of -2.9% for the month.
Notes: Data for performance is from Ycharts. Canadian company performance may be in the company’s home currency. Year-to-date performance does have survivorship bias as some securities have been excluded as they either eliminated their dividends. Global Net Lease (GNL) was also eliminated as it changed its dividend to quarterly payments.
Monthly dividend stocks out-performed in September. We will update our performance section monthly to track future monthly dividend stock returns.
In September 2021, the 3 best-performing monthly dividend stocks (including dividends) were:
- Vermilion Energy (VET), up 48.6%
- Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (CRT), up 16.1%
- Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR), up 11.7%
The 3 worst-performing monthly dividend stocks (including dividends) in September were:
- Banco Bradesco (BBD), down 14.4%
- Itau Unibanco (ITUB), down 11.1%
- Agree Realty (ADC), down 10.9%
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. Having cash isn’t often important, but when it is, it is really, really important.
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.
Because of this, 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
Financial freedom is achieved when your passive investment income exceeds your expenses. But the sequence and timing of your passive income investment’s payments can matter.
Monthly payments make matching portfolio income with expenses easier. Most 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.
Related: The Best High Dividend Stocks Now
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.