The 10 Highest-Paying Dividend Stocks in the S&P 500

More than 75% of the stocks in the S&P 500 pay a dividend, and the dividend for many of them exceeds the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds (currently around 3.2%).

However, screening for the highest-paying dividend stocks in the S&P 500 reveals some even more impressive yields. In fact, most of these high-dividend stocks in the S&P 500 currently yield over 6%. And the top 10 highest-paying dividend stocks all yield above 5%.

Higher yields come with higher risks, though. Many of these stocks’ yields are so high because they’re struggling, and some may end up slashing their dividends.

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From highest yield (13.6%) to lowest yield (5.6%), here are the 10 highest-paying dividend stocks in the S&P 500 today:

The 10 Highest-Paying Dividend Stocks in the S&P 500

Here’s a closer look at each one of the top 10 highest-paying dividend stocks.

1. Dow Inc. (DOW)
Dividend Yield: 7.7%

Dow is a familiar name to most income investors, but it’s not quite the company of yesteryear. This iteration of Dow Inc. is primarily the material science division (most of its revenues come from plastics) of DowDuPont that was spun out of a de-merger in 2019.

And while it’s maintained the relatively high payout of its predecessor, the company’s inclusion on the list is largely due to recent underperformance. Shares have shed 27% in the last six months and 36% in the last year.

That said, shares most recently went ex-dividend at the end of February, and the company has maintained the $0.70/share quarterly dividend since the spin-off, through good times and bad.

2. LyondellBasell (LYB)
Dividend Yield: 7.4%

LyondellBasell is an international chemical company with U.S. operations headquartered in Houston, TX. The company is the third-largest independent chemical manufacturer in the U.S. and the largest licensor of polyethylene and polypropylene technologies, which are used in a variety of packaging, automotive and transportation, agricultural and sports and leisure applications and more.

As for the stock, the dividend is about all it offers for investors these days, as shares are down 26% in the last year and are trading at multi-year lows, having shown little upside aside from the period immediately after the firm’s operations emerged from bankruptcy in 2010.

3. Altria (MO)
Dividend Yield: 7.0%

Altria is well known as one of the world’s biggest producers of tobacco and other smoking-related products. The company is equally well known as being one of the most persistent high-dividend payers among U.S.-based, blue-chip companies, with a current quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share (this was raised from $0.98 in mid-2024). Indeed, Altria’s dividend payouts have just about doubled in the last 10 years. And while some investors are concerned that Altria’s cigarette and tobacco business likely faces headwinds from consumers’ shifting preferences, its investments in increasingly popular vaping and cannabis products should ensure the company’s revenue growth going forward.

4. Pfizer (PFE)
Dividend Yield: 6.7%

Originally established in New York over 170 years ago, Pfizer is an American-headquartered multinational pharmaceutical and biotech company. The company has been a (mostly) reliable dividend payer for years, albeit inconsistently, with the last major dividend cuts coming on the heels of the Great Financial Crisis.

But since then, they’ve steadily (if slowly) been raising their dividend, with the last hike in Q1 raising their quarterly dividend from $0.42 to $0.43. As for the stock, it’s fallen almost 17% in the last five years and is trading at levels last seen in 2013.

5. Franklin Resources (BEN)
Dividend Yield: 6.6%

Franklin Resources, which operates under the better-known Franklin Templeton brand, is one of the world’s largest investment managers. As of the end of 2024, the firm had $1.58 trillion in assets under management (AUM), but it has been struggling with long-term asset outflows.

However, the addition of Putnam Investments last year helped stem the bleeding. As for the dividend, the company raised its quarterly payout to $0.32 (from $0.31) in December, which represents a 3.3% bump over last year (the company has been hiking the quarterly dividend by a penny each year since the end of 2018).

6. Verizon (VZ)
Dividend Yield: 6.3%

Verizon provides wired and wireless connectivity to consumers and businesses through their 4GLTE and 5G wireless networks and their wired telecom and Fios fiber optic network. The company is a dividend stalwart and regularly appears on the list of highest-paying dividend stocks. The company also offers investors exposure to the growth of the Internet of Things (IOT) and is generally an attractive long-term holding.

7. Ford (F)
Dividend Yield: 6.2%

Ford, the ubiquitous automaker, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Ford and Lincoln brands. The company has been paying an uninterrupted dividend since 2012, although the payout has been inconsistent (currently $0.15 quarterly).

The company has notably struggled with its EV offerings, losing $100,000 per EV sold in 2024.

As for the stock, shares haven’t done much of anything over the last few decades and are currently trading at levels seen in 2019, 2012, 2002 and ... 1988.

8. Healthpeak Properties (DOC)
Dividend Yield: 6.0%

Healthpeak Properties is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with an emphasis on the healthcare space, with investments in senior housing, medical facilities and life sciences properties.

The company has 697 properties totalling 49 million square feet and $24 billion in total assets.

Last year, the company bought back 10.5 million shares ($188 million) and raised its dividend, with plans to shift to a monthly dividend payment in April 2025.

Rising interest rates are tough for REITs, and DOC was no exception, as shares are down more than 29% in the last five years.

But given the nature of their business and the aging population, DOC definitely has some tailwinds behind it.

9. BXP Inc. (BXP)
Dividend Yield: 6.0%

BXP is another REIT that’s struggled of late, as shares are down 44% in the last five years.

The company primarily invests in “premier” commercial properties in six key geographies (Boston, L.A., New York, Seattle, San Fran and D.C.) and owns 185 properties totaling 53.3 million square feet.

The emphasis on premier properties is a buffer, but as you can imagine, the company has been impacted by work-from-home trends.

Even with vacancy rates north of 10%, the company is outperforming industry leasing averages (for both premier and non-premier properties) but faces a constant battle to keep their tenant count up.

Despite the buffer, industry trends will continue to be the driving force for BXP.

10. Realty Income (O)
Dividend Yield: 5.7%

Realty Income is a very popular real estate investment trust (REIT), and for good reason.

The company has paid more than 650 consecutive dividends with 130 quarterly increases, and it refers to itself as “The Monthly Dividend Company.” It’s also included among the Dividend Aristocrats, so it should come as no surprise that you’ll find it in the portfolio of many income investors.

Like most REITs, it’s sensitive to rising interest rates, and the stock’s performance (down 19% in the last five years) reflects that.

It primarily invests in free-standing, single-tenant properties in the U.S., so the work-from-home trend hasn’t helped the cause. That said, with the Fed cutting rates and other rates (hopefully) on their way lower, Realty makes a compelling case for income-focused investors.

There you have it: those are the 10 highest-paying dividend stocks in the S&P 500 today. If you want the best dividend stocks right now regardless of yield, I highly recommend subscribing to our Cabot Dividend Investor advisory, where chief analyst Tom Hutchinson has a portfolio full of dividend-paying stocks that offer generous yields and strong share price growth.

To learn more, click here.

Gold & Metals Expert Clif Droke

For over 20 years, he has worked as a writer, analyst and editor of several market-oriented advisory services and has written several books on technical trading in the stock market, including “Channel Buster: How to Trade the Most Profitable Chart Pattern” and “The Stock Market Cycles.”

*This post is periodically updated to reflect market conditions.