Here's What $10,000 in Each of These 5 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Could Pay You in a Year
Key Points
Some of the best dividend stocks can be found in consumer staples, healthcare, energy, and REITs.
The five dividend stocks featured in this article are paying trailing 12-month yields of 5.88% to 16.72%.
Pfizer might have one of the “safest” dividends in the market with an 88-year consecutive dividend streak.
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If you want to earn steady income from your investments, choosing the best high-yield dividend stocks can be a good strategy. Dividend stocks tend to represent companies with strong balance sheets, reliable cash flow, and well-established business models. They are often in steady, so-called "recession-proof" industries. And although every stock carries some risk of loss, stocks that pay strong dividends are often less volatile than tech stocks and growth stocks.
Let's look at a mix of five well-regarded dividend stocks and see how much $10,000 would earn in dividends: tobacco seller Altria Group (NYSE: MO), real estate investment trust AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC), midstream company Energy Transfer (TXSE: ET), pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and commercial real estate stock Realty Income (NYSE: O).
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Altria Group (MO): 5.93% dividend yield
Altria is a consumer staples company that owns prominent tobacco brands like Philip Morris USA's Marlboro cigarettes. Altria has also expanded its business into products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The stock is a Dividend King, with an impressive 57-year track record of paying higher dividends. As of Oct. 14, its trailing 12-month dividend yield was 5.93%.
|
Factor to Consider |
Altria (MO) |
|---|---|
|
Current yield (as of Oct. 14) |
5.93% |
|
Dollar payout per $10,000 invested |
$593 |
|
Payout frequency |
Quarterly |
|
How safe is this dividend? |
Safe. This Dividend King is likely to keep paying strong dividends. |
|
One risk facing this stock |
Declining sales volume due to changing consumer preferences for tobacco products. |
AGNC Investment (AGNC): 16.72% dividend yield
AGNC is a mortgage REIT. This company mainly invests in Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which are guaranteed by government agencies like Freddie Mac. As of Oct. 14, AGNC was paying a massive dividend, with a trailing 12-month yield of 16.72%. Although AGNC has paid a steady dividend since 2020, its dividend could be at risk due to a rising interest-rate environment facing the mortgage industry.
|
Factor to Consider |
AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC) |
|---|---|
|
Current yield (as of Oct. 14) |
16.72% |
|
Dollar payout per $10,000 invested |
$1,672 |
|
Payout frequency |
Monthly |
|
How safe is this dividend? |
Sustainable, but somewhat risky. As of August, AGNC was trading above its book value per share. |
|
One risk facing this stock |
AGNC could be vulnerable to rising interest rates. |
Energy Transfer: 6.57% dividend yield
Energy Transfer is a midstream energy company that operates natural gas pipelines in 44 states. The company's "units" (instead of shares) are traded on the Texas Stock Exchange. Energy Transfer has increased its dividend for 19 consecutive quarters. This company is showing strong growth in distributable cash flow (DCF), so its dividend is ideally safe for the foreseeable future.
As of Oct. 14, Energy Transfer LP was paying a strong trailing 12-month dividend yield of 6.57%.
|
Factor to Consider |
Energy Transfer LP (ET) |
|---|---|
|
Current yield (as of Oct. 14) |
6.57% |
|
Dollar payout per $10,000 invested |
$657 |
|
Payout frequency |
Quarterly |
|
How safe is this dividend? |
Safe |
|
One risk facing this stock |
Be aware of tax implications; Energy Transfer is a Master Limited Partnership (MLP), so each "unitholder" in the partnership is responsible for reporting distribution payouts. Investors will need to report this income on an extra K-1 form when filing taxes. |
Pfizer (PFE): 6.06% dividend yield
Pfizer is a major pharmaceutical company well known for its COVID-19 vaccine. It could be a good buy today for investors who are bullish on the company's broad research and development pipeline of new potential treatments for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rare diseases.
As of Oct. 14, Pfizer was paying a trailing 12-month dividend yield of 6.06%. In 2025, the company paid $9.8 billion of cash dividends to shareholders. And Pfizer is remarkably consistent with its dividend history. As of Oct. 6, Pfizer's fourth-quarter 2026 cash dividend will be the 352nd consecutive quarterly dividend paid to its investors.
|
Factor to Consider |
Pfizer (PFE) |
|---|---|
|
Current yield (as of Oct. 14) |
6.06% |
|
Dollar payout per $10,000 invested |
$606 |
|
Payout frequency |
Quarterly |
|
How safe is this dividend? |
Safe; Pfizer has an 88-year dividend streak to keep up |
|
One risk facing this stock |
Pfizer patent cliff: several top-selling drugs will lose patent protection in 2027 |
Realty Income (O): 5.88% dividend yield
Realty Income is another REIT that specializes in commercial real estate. The past few years have been difficult for the commercial real estate sector, with rising interest rates and declining office occupancy. But Realty Income has a high occupancy rate (98.8% as of June 30) and gets 78% of its rent from retail properties.
If you're bullish on the long-term prospects of real estate and want a steady dividend, Realty Income could be a good buy. The company has increased its dividend payouts for 116 straight quarters (note that it pays dividends monthly). As of Oct. 14, this stock was paying a trailing 12-month dividend yield of 5.88%.
|
Factor to Consider |
Realty Income (O) |
|---|---|
|
Current yield (as of Oct. 14) |
5.88% |
|
Dollar payout per $10,000 invested |
$588 |
|
Payout frequency |
Monthly |
|
How safe is this dividend? |
Safe; this real estate company has almost 100% occupancy |
|
One risk facing this stock |
Rising interest rates; like other real estate stocks, this could be more rate-sensitive than the broader stock market. |
Keep in mind that all stocks have risks and dividends (and specific yields) are not guaranteed. These stocks all have a track record of paying consistent dividends, but companies adjust their dividend payouts based on changes in their business and balance sheets. Dividend yields can also decline as share prices rise.
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Ben Gran has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer and Realty Income. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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