Many stocks crumbled during the past few months as the Trump administration's on-and-off tariffs rattled the markets. The uncertainty regarding those policies broadly drove more investors toward safe assets like cash, CDs, and T-bills.
However, investors who want to generate some reliable income shouldn't ignore Realty Income (O 0.68%), British American Tobacco (BTI 0.20%), and Opera (OPRA +3.19%). All three stocks trade at bargain valuations, pay dividends that yield more than 5%, and are well-equipped to weather higher tariffs, sticky inflation, and other macro headwinds. So if you have $2,000 to spare, you can park your cash in these three resilient dividend stocks instead of more conservative fixed-income plays.
Image source: Getty Images.
Realty Income
Realty Income is one of the world's largest real estate investment trusts (REITs). It consistently buys new properties, rents them out, and splits the rental income with its investors. It owns about 15,600 properties worldwide, and its top tenants include Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Walgreens, and Seven & I Holdings Co.'s 7-Eleven.
As a REIT, it needs to pay out at least 90% of its pretax profit to maintain a favorable tax rate. It pays monthly dividends, it's raised its payout 130 times since its public debut in 1994, and it now has a forward dividend yield of 5.8%.
NYSE: O
Key Data Points
Some of Realty's tenants have struggled with store closures in recent years, but its occupancy rate has never dropped below 96% since its initial public offering. It maintained that high rate through the retail apocalypse, the dot-com bust, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic, with the growth of its stronger tenants consistently offsetting the issues at its weaker tenants. That diversification should also shield it from higher tariffs, while lower interest rates will make it cheaper to purchase new properties.
Realty Income expects its adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share to grow 1% to 2%, to $4.22 to $4.28, this year. That should easily cover its forward annual dividend rate of $3.22 per share, and it still looks cheap at 13 times this year's AFFO per share.
British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco is one of the world's largest tobacco companies. Its top cigarette brands include Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, and Rothmans. Its U.S. brands include Camel, Natural American Spirit, and Newport.
NYSE: BTI
Key Data Points
Like its industry peers, BAT is expanding its portfolio of non-combustible products to deal with declining smoking rates worldwide. These products include its Vuse e-cigarettes, Glo heated tobacco products, and Velo nicotine pouches.
It expects to generate at least 50% of its revenue from smokeless products by 2035. It isn't immune to higher cross-border tariffs, but tobacco companies generally have a lot more pricing power than many other consumer staples companies.
To boost its near-term earnings, it's raising prices, cutting costs, and buying back more shares. From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect its revenue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2%, as its earnings per share (EPS) rise at a CAGR of 46%. Those are impressive growth rates for a stock that trades at just 8 times next year's earnings. It also has a hefty forward dividend yield of 7.6%, and it's raised its payout for 12 consecutive years. That low valuation, high yield, and resistance to tariffs and other macro headwinds make it a solid buy.
Opera
Opera develops web browsers and a news aggregation app. It only controls 2% of the global web browser market, according to StatCounter, but it still served 296 million monthly active users (MAUs) across all of its apps at the end of 2024.
NASDAQ: OPRA
Key Data Points
Opera faces tough competition from bigger web browsers, but it's locking in its existing users with fresh generative AI features and rolling out more integrated ads across its apps and services. Its newest browser, Opera One, is powered by Aria, a generative AI assistant which is tethered to OpenAI's services. Those new AI and advertising features are boosting its average revenue per user (ARPU) and offsetting its slowing MAU growth.
Opera started to pay semi-annual dividends in 2023, and it currently has a generous forward dividend yield of 5.7%. From 2024 to 2026, analysts expect its revenue to grow at a CAGR of 17% as its EPS increases at a CAGR of 21%. Those are incredible growth rates for a stock that trades at just 16 times earnings.
Opera's business could be indirectly affected by tariffs as advertisers slow their spending in a tougher macro environment. However, its low valuation and high yield should limit its downside potential until those headwinds dissipate.
