The S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.52%) is offering investors a tiny 1.1% yield. You can do way better than that with reliable dividend growth stocks like Enterprise Products Partners (EPD 1.64%), Realty Income (O +0.35%), and Hormel Foods (HRL 1.41%). Here's a quick look at these three dividend stocks, which offer yields of up to 6%.
1. Enterprise Products Partners
Enterprise Products Partners is one of the largest midstream businesses in North America. It owns energy infrastructure assets that help to move oil and natural gas around the world. Because the master limited partnership charges fees for the use of its assets, the volume of oil and gas moving through its system is more important than the price of the commodities it's moving. It is a relatively low-risk way to add energy exposure to your portfolio, because it sidesteps oil price risk.
Image source: Getty Images.
One thing Enterprise has been very good at, meanwhile, is rewarding income investors for sticking around. For starters, the distribution yield is around 6%. But the real story is the 27 consecutive annual distribution increases, which is basically the length of time that this MLP has existed. Conservatively managed, this high-yield energy stock is a good option even for risk-averse investors.
NYSE: EPD
Key Data Points
2. Realty Income
With a portfolio of over 15,500 properties, Realty Income is the largest net lease real estate investment trust (REIT) you can buy. In addition to scale, it also offers diversification, with assets spread across North America and Europe. The portfolio is heavily weighted toward retail properties, but they are generally easy to buy, sell, and release as needed. That said, it has exposure to industrial assets and other property niches, such as casinos and data centers. Meanwhile, management has been dipping its toe into debt financing and building an asset management business.
NYSE: O
Key Data Points
Like Enterprise, the big story is the dividend. Realty Income's yield is an attractive 4.6%, and the dividend has been increased annually for three decades. In fact, the company has trademarked the nickname "The Monthly Dividend Company." That not only tells you the frequency of the dividend, it also highlights how important being a reliable dividend stock is to management and the board of directors.
3. The Hormel Foods Corporation
Hormel Foods will be the toughest sell on this list. The company operates in the consumer staples sector and has a portfolio of industry-leading food brands. Hormel hasn't been performing as well as its peers of late because it has had a hard time passing rising costs on to consumers. That has crimped the company's profits and led to a steep decline in its stock price. The price decline has pushed the dividend yield up to a historically high 4.6% or so.
NYSE: HRL
Key Data Points
The board of directors isn't ignoring the problem. It brought back a well-respected former CEO to help get the company back on track. Hormel has now strung together five quarters of increasing organic sales, so it looks like the business is stabilizing.
Meanwhile, the company announced a dividend increase in December 2025, bringing the annual increase tally up to 60 consecutive years. Very clearly, this Dividend King believes that it still has a bright future as a reliable dividend stock. If you can handle a little extra risk for a lot of extra yield, you should probably take a look.
Three high-yield options to boost your passive income right now
If your goal is to maximize the income your portfolio generates, then you need to get to know Enterprise, Realty Income, and Hormel. They each have strong businesses and impressive dividend histories. Oh, and very large yields.
