Trade-offs can often be a necessary evil in investing. For example, you might have to take on more risk than you’d like to obtain a higher dividend payout.
However, you don’t always have to make big trade-offs. Some companies have solid businesses and pay juicy dividends. Here are four fantastic dividend stocks to buy with yields of 4% or more.
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1. AbbVie
Income-seeking investors tend to especially like Dividend Aristocrats. These members of the S&P 500 boast at least 25 consecutive years of dividend increases. AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) recently extended its streak of dividend hikes to 50 years. And the drugmaker’s dividend yield currently tops 4.8%.
AbbVie’s product lineup includes 11 blockbuster drugs. However, its top-selling drug Humira will face biosimilar competition in the U.S. in a little over a year. The company’s revenue will take a hit as sales for the autoimmune disease drug decline.
The good news, though, is that AbbVie expects to quickly return to revenue growth after a temporary blip in 2023. AbbVie’s acquisition of Allergan and newer products including psoriasis drug Skyrizi should help the company move past its Humira headwinds and keep the dividends coming.
2. Devon Energy
No S&P 500 company offers a higher dividend yield than Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN). That might seem surprising if you look at online sites that show Devon’s yield is only around 1%. But there’s more to the story.
The oil and gas producer’s dividend includes two components. The fixed portion gives that 1% or so yield that you’ll find on financial websites. However, Devon also has a variable component based on its excess free cash flow. With this variable part added in, the company’s dividend yield is more than 10% — seven times higher than the average company in the S&P 500.
But will the dividend soon fall off? It isn’t likely. Devon Energy CFO Jeff Ritenour said in the company’s recent third-quarter conference call, “We expect our dividend growth story to only strengthen in 2022. In fact, at today’s pricing, we are on pace to nearly double our dividend next year.”
3. Easterly Government Properties
If you really want a steady and dependable dividend, you’ll definitely want to check out Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA). The real estate investment trust (REIT) specializes in leasing properties to the U.S. government. There’s no more reliable tenant than Uncle Sam.
Easterly currently owns 87 properties. Ninety-nine percent of them are leased, with almost all of its tenants U.S. federal agencies. The weighted average remaining lease term for the properties is 9.5 years.
The company’s dividend yield stands at around 4.9%. Expect Easterly’s dividend to grow by 3% to 4% annually as the company’s funds from operations increase thanks to acquiring additional properties.
4. Enterprise Products Partners
Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) co-CEO Randy Fowler said in the company’s third-quarter conference call, “Our first priority is supporting and growing distributions to investors.” Enterprise’s track record shows that Fowler is right.
The midstream energy leader has increased its distribution for 22 consecutive years. That’s a dividend hike every year since Enterprise went public. Its yield is now a little under 8%.
Sure, the energy sector can be volatile. However, many industry experts project strong demand will continue through 2022 as the global economy expands. This should translate to a booming business for Enterprise’s pipelines and storage facilities — and probably higher distributions for investors.
This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.