Yahoo Finance·2025-12-18 21:15Core Viewpoint - Investors are encouraged to consider adding dividend stocks to their portfolios for a more consistent income stream, which can be more predictable than pure appreciation investments. The focus should be on companies with solid dividend yields, strong track records, and sufficient earnings or free cash flow to cover and increase dividends [1]. Group 1: Realty Income - Realty Income offers a trailing-12-month dividend yield of approximately 5.62%, making it one of the top dividend-paying companies [3][5]. - The company operates as a triple-net lease REIT, leasing properties to tenants responsible for maintenance, taxes, and insurance, which allows for long-term leases and favorable rates [4]. - Realty Income has a history of paying and increasing dividends for over 30 years, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% for its dividends [5][6]. Group 2: Sirius XM - Sirius XM Holdings provides an annual yield of about 5.02%, although its stock performance has not been strong in terms of appreciation [7]. - The company has faced challenges in stabilizing its subscriber base, with a year-over-year decline of about 1% in subscribers at the end of the third quarter [9]. - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has acquired a significant stake in Sirius, indicating potential long-term value despite current competition from platforms like Spotify [9].