The Motley Fool·2025-07-26 09:57Core Insights - Dividend-paying stocks tend to outperform non-dividend-paying stocks, with the average dividend-paying stock in the S&P 500 producing a 9.2% annualized return over the past 50 years compared to 4.3% for non-dividend stocks [2] Realty Income - Realty Income has consistently raised its dividend, marking its 131st increase since going public in 1994, despite a 23% decline in share price from its 2022 peak, currently offering a yield of 5.6% [5][6] - The REIT operates on a net lease model, with 98.5% of its portfolio leased out and an average remaining lease term of 9.1 years, providing predictable cash flows [7] - Realty Income has a strong credit rating (A3 from Moody's and A- from S&P Global) and recently issued €1.3 billion in long-term notes at an average yield of 3.7% [8] - The U.S. net lease REIT market is about 4% of the addressable market, with significant expansion opportunities in Europe, where it is less than 0.1% [9] Alexandria Real Estate Equities - Alexandria Real Estate Equities has seen a 63% decline in share price since its peak in 2021, but its dividend has been consistently increasing since 2009, currently offering a yield of 6.4% [10] - Approximately 53% of its annual rental revenue comes from tenants with investment-grade credit ratings, but nearly half comes from less established biotech companies, leading to concerns after management revised its forward outlook downward [12] - Despite recent guidance revisions lowering expected funds from operations (FFO) to between $8.11 and $8.31 per share, this is still above the current annual dividend obligation of $5.28 per share [13] - Alexandria has secured a significant 16-year lease for 466,598 rentable square feet, and reported a 13.2% rental rate increase in the first half of 2025 [14] - The current challenging environment for start-up biotech companies may create short-term discomfort for shareholders, but long-term growth potential remains due to ongoing drug development needs [15]