Core Viewpoint - The article highlights three under-the-radar dividend stocks that offer attractive yields, significantly higher than the S&P 500's current yield of approximately 1.1% [1]. Group 1: Ares Capital - Ares Capital (ARCC) has a dividend yield of 9.5% and operates as a business development company (BDC), required to pay out at least 90% of its taxable income as dividends [2]. - The company has maintained stable-to-increasing dividends for 16 years, despite challenges faced by many BDCs [2]. - Ares Capital focuses on providing capital to middle-market companies with annual revenues between $100 million and $1 billion, generating income through direct loans and equity investments [3]. Group 2: Starwood Property Trust - Starwood Property Trust (STWD) leads with a dividend yield of 10.7% and has never cut its dividend since its IPO in 2009 [6]. - The REIT has maintained its dividend payout rate for over a decade, despite challenges faced by other REITs [6]. - Starwood has diversified its investments from commercial mortgages to high-quality real estate assets and infrastructure lending, which has reduced risk and provided new growth opportunities [9]. - The recent $2.2 billion acquisition of Fundamental Income Properties added 467 properties with long-term leases, enhancing its rental income stability [10]. Group 3: Western Midstream Partners - Western Midstream Partners (WES) offers a distribution yield of 9% and operates as a master limited partnership (MLP) [11]. - The MLP reset its distribution level in 2020 due to the pandemic but has since rebuilt its payout to above pre-pandemic levels [11]. - The company owns energy midstream assets that generate stable cash flow, which is used for distributions and growth investments [13]. - Western Midstream aims to increase its high-yielding payout at a low-to-mid single-digit annual rate and has recently closed a $2 billion acquisition of Aris Water Solutions [14].

Core Insights - The Group's financial results for the first half of 2025 show resilient performance and strategic progress, aligning with management expectations during a two-year transition period [2][11][32] - The net loan book increased by 1.2% to £25.4 billion, supported by a 10% growth in originations to £2.1 billion [6][12][54] - Profit before tax decreased by 20% to £192.3 million, primarily due to lower net interest income and a fair value loss on financial instruments [13][39] Financial Performance - Net interest income was £337.0 million, down 5% from £353.5 million in H1 2024, with a net interest margin (NIM) of 230 basis points [6][41] - Administrative expenses rose to £131.4 million, a 4% increase from £126.2 million in H1 2024, leading to a cost-to-income ratio of 40.3% [6][46] - Return on tangible equity (RoTE) was 13.7%, down from 17.4% in the prior period [6][17] Loan Book and Originations - The Group's loan book diversification strategy continued, with significant growth in originations across Commercial, Asset Finance, Residential Development, and Bridging segments [4][19] - Buy-to-Let lending remained the largest segment, accounting for 69% of the total gross loan book, down from 70% at the end of 2024 [21][70] - Total originations for H1 2025 reached £2.1 billion, a 10% increase compared to £1.9 billion in H1 2024 [6][76] Capital and Liquidity - The Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio was strong at 15.7%, down from 16.3% at the end of 2024 [6][60] - Retail deposits increased by 3% to £24.6 billion, contributing to the repayment of £730 million of TFSME funding [6][55] - The Group's liquidity coverage ratio was 167%, significantly above the regulatory minimum [56][58] Dividend and Shareholder Returns - An interim dividend of 11.2 pence per share was declared, representing a 5% increase from 10.7 pence in H1 2024 [6][52] - The Group's strategy aims to support both net loan book growth and further capital returns to shareholders [31][35]