Dividend stocks come in all shapes and sizes, and you have to decide which ones are right for your portfolio. Here are three no-brainer dividend stocks, each with its own unique flair. All three may not be right for your portfolio, but it is highly likely that at least one of the elite trio of Nucor (NUE 0.40%), Rexford Industrial (REXR -0.14%), and Enterprise Products Partners (EPD -1.12%) will find a home in your portfolio once you get to know them. If you have $1,000 available to invest that isn't needed for monthly bills, to pay off short-term debt, or to bolster an emergency fund, you might want to put it toward buying stock in one or all of these dividend payers.
1. What does Nucor do?
Nucor is one of the largest, most diversified steel companies in North America. It uses electric arc mini-mills to produce new steel from scrap steel. These mills are more flexible than blast furnaces, an older steel-making process that uses iron ore and metallurgical coal to make primary steel. As such, Nucor tends to be more consistently profitable through the entire business cycle than some of its key peers, despite the highly cyclical nature of the steel sector.
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That's a big reason behind Nucor's incredible 50-plus-year streak of annual dividend increases, which makes it a Dividend King.
The company also has a penchant for investing in downturns, so it comes out the other side with a stronger business. In fact, the best time to buy Nucor is usually when the steel industry is out of favor, like it is today. Share prices have fallen around 45% since the start of 2024! A significant downturn in U.S. steel prices is the main culprit, driven by a slowdown in demand and oversupply related to an uncertain economy.
That, however, is a normal drawdown for Nucor and makes it an attractive contrarian investment. When steel prices and demand recover, so will Nucor. The dividend yield is around 2% today and you can get about nine shares with a $1,000 investment.
2. What does Rexford Industrial do?
Rexford Industrial is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on industrial properties. But the really differentiating feature of the company is that it only invests in Southern California, a key transportation gateway for Asian goods as they enter the U.S. market. Tariff concerns have left investors downbeat on Rexford's business and pushed the yield up to a historically high 5% or so.
Tariffs are an issue to watch near term, but Southern California remains an attractive industrial property market long term. First, it seems highly likely that the world will learn to live with a new tariff regime, and international trade will normalize. Second, Southern California is supply constrained, and there is little new industrial property construction taking place. That gives Rexford pricing power when it raises rents.
To put a number on that, the REIT was able to raise rents by nearly 24% on new leases in the first quarter of 2025. You can argue that this was before the tariffs were put in place, but rent hikes of a third of that level would still be pretty good for most REITs. If you like turnaround plays, Rexford looks like a low-risk turnaround opportunity, and you can net 28 shares with a $1K investment.
3. What does Enterprise Products Partners do?
Enterprise Products Partners is one of the largest midstream businesses in North America. That means it helps to move oil and natural gas from where they are produced to where they are used. Enterprise's large portfolio of fee-generating energy infrastructure assets supports its lofty 6.8% distribution yield. The distribution has been increased annually for 26 consecutive years.
The energy industry is highly volatile, but midstream businesses like Enterprise tend to be fairly consistent performers. That's because the fees being generated depend more on the volume flowing through Enterprise's midstream infrastructure than on the price of oil.
This is not an exciting investment, but boring can be beautiful when it comes with a 6.8% yield. And while the yield will likely make up the lion's share of an investor's total return, slow and steady distribution growth is likely in the future thanks to regular fee increases, incremental capital investments, and the occasional acquisition. If you like high yields, Enterprise could be a no-brainer to add to your portfolio right now, with $1,000 being enough to acquire 32 shares.
Choose wisely from this trio of attractive income options
Nucor, Rexford, and Enterprise cover a lot of investment ground. But each one presents a unique investment opportunity today.
Nucor is a cyclical Dividend King working through an industry downturn. Rexford is a REIT with a unique property niche that's out of favor, even though the niche remains highly attractive. And Enterprise is a high-yield energy stock that operates in the most reliable segment of the energy sector. One of these dividend stocks will likely be attractive to you if you have $1,000 (or more) to invest today.
