If you're a dividend investor, you always have to consider the trade-off between dividend risk and dividend reward. In other words, if you reach too far for yield, you may end up buying a dividend that ends up getting cut.
That isn't likely to be an issue with high-yield stocks like Clorox (CLX +1.77%), Realty Income (O +0.65%), and Enbridge (ENB +0.82%). Here's why you might want to add these three dividend payers to your portfolio right now.
Clorox is innovating its way to growth
After a string of unfortunate events, Clorox's gross margin shrank to a troubling 32% in the second quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2026, gross margin had improved to 41.7%. To be fair, that was a drop from 46.5% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, which has investors worried. That concern is your long-term opportunity, as it has helped to push Clorox's yield up to a historically high 4.5%, despite the obvious business recovery that has taken shape since 2023.
NYSE: CLX
Key Data Points
Clorox is a large consumer staples company. It has a highly diverse portfolio spanning product categories such as cleaning, food, pet supplies, makeup, grilling, water purification, and plastic bags. The key is that it owns leading brands in each of the categories it serves. In many cases, it offers the only branded product in the category. The company has a long history of innovation, as well, always working to affix the terms "new" and "improved" to its products. Those two words are big demand drivers for consumers.
History suggests that Clorox will innovate its way out of the gross margin headwind it's currently facing. If you have a contrarian bent, this out-of-favor consumer staples giant could be perfect for you.
Image source: Getty Images.
Realty Income is boring and high-yielding
Realty Income's 5.2% yield sits well above the 3.9% average for the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector. That's an opportunity for investors who err on the side of caution, given Realty Income's business model. It is, by design, a slow and steady tortoise.
The REIT uses a net-lease approach, which means that its tenants pay for most property-level operating costs. That lets Realty Income avoid the risk and expense of maintaining its assets. Realty Income has a massive portfolio, with over 15,500 properties. That portfolio is spread across retail, industrial, and other assets, including casinos and data centers. Those properties are distributed across North America and Europe.
It's one of the largest and most diversified REITs you can own, with a proven history of returning value to shareholders via a 30-year streak of annual dividend increases. If you like boring and reliable dividend stocks, Realty Income should probably be a cornerstone of your portfolio.
NYSE: O
Key Data Points
Enbridge is giving the world what it wants
Enbridge is a large North American midstream company that owns energy infrastructure that helps move oil and natural gas around the world. That's the core of the operation. It also owns regulated natural gas utilities and renewable power assets.That's an unusual mix in the midstream sector, but that's the point -- and it's why you'll likely find the 5.8% yield attractive.
All of Enbridge's businesses provide reliable cash flows to support the dividend. However, unlike many of its midstream peers, the company is specifically focused on shifting with the world's energy demand. The big push of late has been to increase the company's exposure to natural gas, which is a transition fuel as the world goes green. The clean energy assets, meanwhile, provide a toehold in the renewable power sector that is slowly increasing in importance.
NYSE: ENB
Key Data Points
Energy is vital to the modern economy, and Enbridge will let you collect a lofty yield and keep pace with the world's constantly changing energy demand.
Three high-yield options to look at right now
Clorox, Realty Income, and Enbridge are very different companies. However, they all offer attractive dividend yields backed by strong business. If you take the time to dig in, you'll likely find that one or more end up in your dividend portfolio today.
