If you're looking for regular income, it's hard to beat dividend-paying stocks. A particularly attractive one is Realty Income (O 0.13%). It's a real estate investment trust (REIT) -- a company that owns lots of real estate and charges its tenants rent.
REITs are required to pay out at least 90% of their taxable earnings as dividends, and Realty Income has been kicking out a lot of income to its shareholders. Its dividend yield was recently 5.3%. Better still, unlike most dividend stocks, it pays its dividend on a monthly basis.
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If you're looking for $500 in monthly income (which is $6,000 per year) from Realty Income stock, you would need to own a bunch of shares. How big a bunch? Well, the stock's most recent monthly dividend per share was $0.2705, to be paid in April.
Therefore, to collect $500, divide $500 by $0.2705, arriving at 1,848.43. Let's round up a bit, to 1,850 shares. At a recent stock price of $60.46, that would cost you $111,851.
NYSE: O
Key Data Points
Before you spend such a sum on a stock, research it well. For starters, here are some things to know about this particular REIT:
- It's a reliable dividend payer. It's paid nearly 670 consecutive monthly dividends and upped its payout 134 times since it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1994.
- Its portfolio features more than 15,500 properties in all 50 states and nine European countries, as of the end of 2025.
- Some of its top 20 tenants include 7-Eleven, Dollar General, Walgreens, FedEx, Tractor Supply, CVS Health, Home Depot, and Walmart.
- It's an efficient cash-generating company, boasting 98.9% occupancy over its portfolio (as of Dec. 31, 2025).
- Its business model is quite attractive, featuring "triple-net leases," which have tenants footing the bill for real estate taxes, property insurance, and operating expenses in exchange for generally small rent increases, often around 1%.
Give this stock -- or other compelling dividend payers -- some consideration.
