3 Dividend Stocks to Double Up On Right Now

The stock market has recovered much of its tariff-fueled declines over the past month and a half, but there are still some excellent bargains to be found. That's especially true if you're building a portfolio of dividend stocks, many of which are still trading for attractive valuations because of the persistently high-interest-rate environment.

Some of the best dividend opportunities in the market right now can be found in the real estate sector. Here are three industry-leading real estate investment trusts, or REITs (pronounced "reets") that could be excellent long-term investments for both growth and income right now.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Image source: Getty Images.

This bulletproof REIT doesn't go on sale often

Realty Income (NYSE: O) owns a massive portfolio of about 15,600 net-lease properties, about three-fourths of which are retail in nature. The REIT focuses on properties that are recession-resistant and aren't vulnerable to e-commerce disruption, and with tenants signing long-term leases with annual rent increases built in, this is a model built for predictable and growing income over time.

The proof is in the performance. Since it went public 31 years ago, Realty Income has averaged a 13.6% annual total return and has increased its dividend for more than 100 consecutive quarters.

However, Realty Income has underperformed the market in recent years, primarily thanks to the rising-rate environment, which has resulted in an excellent entry point for long-term investors. In fact, Realty Income trades near its lowest price-to-FFO valuation -- the REIT equivalent of a P/E ratio, "FFO" being short for "funds from operations" -- and with its highest dividend yield (5.8%) since the financial crisis era.

O Dividend Yield data by YCharts

Temporary headwinds but an incredible business

The environment hasn't exactly been a strong one for industrial real estate lately. Not only did the pandemic-era surge in demand create oversupply issues, but the tariff uncertainty is obviously not a positive catalyst for a business like Prologis (NYSE: PLD) that operates an international network of logistics properties. As a result, Prologis trades for about 20% below its 52-week high.

However, this is an incredible business with some big competitive advantages. For one thing, it's larger than all of its publicly traded competitors combined. Plus, Prologis has excellent credit that gives it access to low-cost capital, and it has unmatched financial flexibility.

Prologis' recent leasing activity has been strong, and the company grew its core FFO per share by 9.2% in the first quarter, despite the challenging environment. There's still quite a bit of embedded rent growth that isn't reflected in the numbers but will be as older leases mature and come up for renewal. With a dividend yield of 3.9%, now could be a great time to add shares of this proven winner at a discount.

Making all the right moves

Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP) operates large-scale hotels that focus on group events, as well as a portfolio of entertainment venues and related assets. As you might imagine, this makes Ryman the most cyclical business on this list. The company reported disappointing occupancy recently, and this could certainly get worse if a recession hits.

However, from a long-term perspective, there is a lot to like. Ryman has a fantastic history of creating shareholder value over the years, and it has a portfolio of iconic and irreplaceable assets. It also has the competitive advantage that comes with about three fourths of its hotel business coming from group bookings, as these tend to book years in advance and provide excellent revenue visibility, even with a potential recession on the horizon. In fact, Ryman just reported a record average daily rate for future bookings in the first quarter.

Ryman is investing heavily in some of its top hotels and recently made an excellent strategic move to expand the portfolio with the pending acquisition of the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, which currently has extensive renovations under way in its meeting space. And finally, Ryman sees a path to adding tremendous value and eventually spinning off its entertainment business, which includes the Ole Red dining and entertainment chain, as well as iconic venues such as Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium. With a sustainable dividend yield of nearly 5%, Ryman could be a great choice for long-term income investors right now.

Buy for the long term

To be clear, I have absolutely no idea what these three REITs will do over the coming weeks or months, and if the interest rate environment or general U.S. economic data trend in the wrong direction, they could be under pressure. However, all three look like attractive entry points from a long-term perspective, and if you're looking to build your dividend portfolio, now could be a smart time to take a closer look.

Should you invest $1,000 in Realty Income right now?

Before you buy stock in Realty Income, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Realty Income wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $804,688!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025

Matt Frankel has positions in Prologis, Realty Income, and Ryman Hospitality Properties. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Prologis and Realty Income. The Motley Fool recommends Ryman Hospitality Properties and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $90 calls on Prologis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.