Realty Income Is Paying More Dividends Than Ever Before and Yields 5.3%. Here's Why Its High-Yield Monthly Payout Is as Safe as It Gets.

Investors looking for a dividend-paying stock will find Realty Income (NYSE: O) a good choice. Many investors turn to real estate investment trusts (REITs) since the companies have to pay out at least 90% of their taxable income as dividends.

However, stock selection matters, and this REIT has a long history of raising dividends. More importantly, these appear safe, and the company's track record should continue for the foreseeable future. That's because Realty Income has plenty of cushion based on a key metric used for REITs.

It's time to look more closely at Realty Income to find out why investors should feel confident in future dividends.

Image source: Getty Images.

Sound business underlies strong dividend history

REITs own or finance different types of properties. In the case of Realty Income, most of its rent, more than 78%, comes from the retail industry. This includes companies like Dollar General, Home Depot, and Walmart.

While some investors may worry about the threat of online competition, Realty Income continues to receive higher rents and maintain high levels of occupancy. It had a 98.6% occupancy rate as of June 30, and it received a 2.7% rent increase on renewed leases in the second quarter.

With this kind of stability, Realty Income has built quite a track record of dividends. The board of directors raised dividends 135 times since 1994, including 115 straight quarters.

Affording the payouts

Realty Income pays dividends monthly, but it has raised them every quarter for nearly three decades. That includes nudging up July's payout from $0.2705 to $0.271 per share.

Of course, most companies don't raise dividends only to cut them a short time later. Still, it's useful to make sure Realty Income can afford the higher payout.

For REITs, adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) is an appropriate metric to compare to dividends. That's because AFFO measures cash available for distribution.

Notably, management recently raised its AFFO-per-share guidance. It now expects $4.44 to $4.45 per share, up from its previous guidance of $4.41 to $4.43.

For the second quarter, dividends were 74.5% of AFFO. Annualizing the current $0.271 monthly dividend rate equates to $3.252. At the low end of the company's AFFO guidance, that works out to 73.7%.

Realty Income's shares have a 5.3% dividend yield. That's about 5 times the S&P 500 index's 1.1% yield.

For investors looking for passive income, Realty Income fits the bill with its high yield and ability to sustain and continue to increase dividend payments.

Lawrence Rothman, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Home Depot, Realty Income, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.