The stocks in the S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.27%) average a tiny 1.1% dividend yield, which is pretty underwhelming. You can do better than that pretty easily. For instance, two very well-run dividend payers you might want to buy right now are Realty Income (O +0.65%) and General Mills (GIS 2.44%). They are at opposite sides of the risk spectrum, even though they have similar yields.
Here's what you need to know.
Image source: Getty Images.
Realty Income is boring and safe
Realty Income is the largest net-lease REIT around. Net-leases require the tenants to pay for most property-level operating costs. While any single property might be high-risk, the REIT owns multiple properties and focuses on single-tenant locations, so its vast size actually leads to a low-risk profile. Its agreements avoid the risk and expense of maintaining the over 15,500 properties it owns in both the U.S. and European markets.
NYSE: O
Key Data Points
Also backing the stock's current lofty 4.9% yield is an investment-grade-rated balance sheet and a generally conservative investment approach. In fact, the monthly dividend has been increased (at a minimum) annually for three decades. That speaks to the business's reliability. Realty Income is boring and slow-growing, but if you rely on dividends to pay living expenses, this high-yield REIT could be a very attractive core holding.
General Mills requires a little faith
General Mills has an even higher yield, at roughly 5%. That's near the highest levels in this consumer staples company's history, which is a sign that things aren't going particularly well right now for the business. In fact, 2026 is going to be an investment year, and the company's financial results are likely to be relatively weak. Indeed, in the fiscal second quarter of 2026, sales dropped 7% with organic sales down 1%.
NYSE: GIS
Key Data Points
That said, dispositions accounted for 6 percentage points of the sales decline, so things aren't as bad as they seem. And General Mills has a long and successful history of adjusting its business along with changes in consumer buying habits. Dispositions are part of that process, and it's just what food makers do to remain relevant. Notably, the dividend payout ratio is around 55%, which is entirely reasonable.
Given that General Mills has paid dividends for 127 years, it offers a decent risk/reward balance for more aggressive investors seeking high-yield stocks.
Two different ways to go
If you are risk-averse, Realty Income is a no-brainer high-yield stock to own. If you are willing to take on a little uncertainty, General Mills could be a good option for you. Either way, dividend investors will get a much higher yield than they'd collect from an S&P 500 index fund.
