The S&P 500 is up about 9% year-to-date, putting it on track for another year of double-digit gains. That strong return is a high hurdle for a dividend-paying stock to overcome. However, that's just what Realty Income (O 0.35%) has done this year. The real estate investment trust (REIT) has gained over 16.5%, while its dividend has driven the total return to more than 19.5%.
Here's what's driving this unstoppable dividend's stock's market-crushing total returns in 2026.
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135 times (and counting)
Realty Income's main draw is its dividend income. The REIT pays a monthly dividend that currently yields about 4.9% (roughly four times the S&P 500's 1% dividend yield). That high-yielding dividend has proven unstoppable over the years. Realty Income has declared 673 consecutive monthly dividends throughout its history. The REIT has raised its payout 135 times since its public market listing in 1994, including for the past 115 consecutive quarters, growing it at a 4.1% compound annual rate.
The primary factor driving dividend growth is new investments. Realty Income buys billions of dollars in income-producing real estate each year, which grows its adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share. The REIT currently expects to invest about $9.5 billion this year (up from $6.2 billion last year), which should grow its AFFO to $4.41-$4.44 per share, a 3% to 3.7% increase from last year.
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Key Data Points
Securing partners to enhance its growth
Realty Income's unstoppable dividend isn't the main reason it's crushing the S&P 500 this year. The primary catalyst is its progress in building a private capital ecosystem. This strategy will enable it to accelerate AFFO per share growth with capital-light revenue, reduce its reliance on the public equity market, and expand its investment opportunities. This platform currently consists of four vehicles:
- U.S. Core Plus Fund: The REIT launched a private capital fund to generate fee-based income, enhancing returns and increasing the amount of capital it can invest.
- GIC strategic partnership: Realty Income formed a strategic partnership with GIC. They will form a joint venture (JV) focused on high-quality build-to-suit logistics development projects. GIC also became a cornerstone investor in the U.S. Core Plus Fund. Meanwhile, Realty Income agreed to a construction financing and take-out purchase agreement of a $200 million build-to-suit industrial portfolio in Mexico (its first investment in the country).
- Apollo strategic partnership: Apollo-managed funds will invest $1 billion into a JV that will own a diversified portfolio of single-tenant retail properties.
- Cloud Capital joint venture: Realty Income is forming a JV with Cloud Capital to invest in hyperscale data centers.
These partnerships provide Realty Income with additional capital to invest in real estate and new investment opportunities. These dual drivers position the REIT to grow AFFO per share faster going forward, which should support continued dividend increases.
Executing its acceleration strategy
Realty Income has made significant progress in building a private capital ecosystem. This strategy should drive faster growth going forward. That's driving up the REIT's share price this year. Despite that higher valuation, it's still a very attractive income investment, given its high yield and unstoppable dividend growth.
