You Only Need to Invest $5,000 Into AGNC Investment to Generate Over $3,500 in Dividend Income in 5 Years

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC) has an eye-popping dividend yield. The real estate investment trust (REIT) pays a monthly dividend that currently yields over 14%. That's more than ten times higher than the S&P 500's 1.2% yield.

At that rate, a $5,000 investment in the REIT could generate thousands of dollars in dividend income over the next five years.

Image source: Getty Images.

A monster income stream

AGNC Investment currently pays a monthly dividend of $0.12 per share ($1.44 annually). With its share price recently around $10.15 apiece, the mortgage REIT yields 14.2%. At that price, you could buy 492 shares for $5,000.

Those shares would generate $59.04 in monthly dividend income and $708.48 in annual dividend income. Assuming AGNC Investment maintains its dividend, you'd collect $3,542.40 of dividend income over the next five years.

AGNC is more likely to maintain its dividend than grow it in the future, given its historical track record. The mortgage REIT has paid the same monthly dividend rate since resetting the payment level in early 2020.

How safe is the dividend?

High-yielding dividend stocks tend to have higher risk profiles than companies with lower yields. AGNC Investment isn't an exception. The mortgage REIT has cut its dividend several times over the years, including in early 2020 when it reduced its monthly dividend from $0.16 per share to $0.12 per share.

AGNC Investment has a higher-risk business model. It invests in Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS; pools of residential mortgages guaranteed against credit losses by government agencies such as Fannie Mae) on a leveraged basis. Using leverage boosts returns (currently 13% to 15%, compared to the low single digits for MBS). As long as its returns are above its costs, the REIT can maintain its dividend.

That's currently the case. During the fourth quarter, the company's total cost of capital was 15.8% when accounting for its operating expenses and dividend payments. With its return on equity at 16% in the quarter, AGNC's dividend remained well-aligned with its cost of capital. The company believes it can continue to generate favorable returns in the current environment, which bodes well for its ability to maintain its dividend level.

However, if the market environment for Agency MBS deteriorates significantly and its returns fall out of alignment with its costs, the REIT might need to reset its dividend gain. Even if AGNC cut its dividend, investors would likely still be able to generate significant dividend income over the next five years.

The potential to collect lots of dividend income

AGNC Investment offers investors the opportunity to collect a massive amount of dividend income. A $5,000 investment could generate over $3,500 of income over the next five years if the REIT maintains its dividend. While its big-time payout is at greater risk of a reduction, the REIT should still generate plenty of income even if it needs to trim its payment again.

Matt DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.