Group 1 - The focus is on growth and dividend income as a strategy for retirement planning [1] - The portfolio is structured to generate monthly dividend income that grows through reinvestment and annual increases [1] - The author holds long positions in VICI, O, NNN, and SPG, indicating a beneficial interest in these stocks [1] Group 2 - The article is presented as personal opinion and not as professional investment advice [2] - It emphasizes the importance of individual research before making investment decisions [2] - The content is intended for educational purposes and does not consider the reader's specific financial situation [2]

Group 1 - The focus is on growth and dividend income as a strategy for retirement planning [1] - The portfolio is structured to generate monthly dividend income that grows through reinvestment and annual increases [1] Group 2 - The article expresses personal opinions and is not intended as investment advice [2][3] - It emphasizes the importance of conducting individual research before making investment decisions [2]

Group 1: EPR Properties - EPR Properties is a REIT focused on experiential real estate, owning properties like movie theaters and casinos, providing stable cash flow for dividends [3] - The REIT pays $0.295 per share monthly, equating to an annual dividend of $3.54, yielding over 6% [4] - EPR retains about 30% of its cash flow for investments, planning to invest $200 million to $300 million in new properties this year, aiming for 3% to 4% annual cash flow growth [5] Group 2: Realty Income - Realty Income, known as The Monthly Dividend Stock, has raised its dividend 131 times since 1994, focusing on dependable monthly dividends [6] - The next monthly dividend payment is $0.269 per share, a 0.2% increase from the previous month, resulting in an annualized rate of $3.228 and a yield of approximately 5.5% [7] - Realty Income pays out about 75% of its cash flow in dividends, allowing for significant reinvestment in new income-generating properties [8] Group 3: Main Street Capital - Main Street Capital is a BDC providing capital to lower middle market companies, generating recurring income through its capital solutions model [10] - The company will pay $0.255 per share on July 15, with an annualized rate of $3.06, yielding over 5% [11] - Main Street Capital has increased its monthly dividend by 2% from the previous quarter and 4.1% year-over-year, also paying supplemental dividends to meet IRS distribution requirements [12] Group 4: Investment Opportunity - EPR Properties, Realty Income, and Main Street Capital are highlighted as ideal dividend stocks for generating monthly passive income, with potential for steady growth [13]

Group 1 - The focus is on growth and dividend income as a strategy for retirement planning [1] - The portfolio is structured to generate monthly dividend income that grows through reinvestment and annual increases [1] Group 2 - The article expresses personal opinions and is not intended as investment advice [2][3] - It emphasizes the importance of conducting individual research before making investment decisions [2]

REIT Performance Overview - The REIT sector experienced a significant decline in April 2025, with an average total return of -6.45%, underperforming the broader market indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (-3.1%), S&P 500 (-0.7%), and NASDAQ (+0.9%) [1] - Year-to-date, the average total return for REITs stands at -9.10%, which is worse than the -7.65% return for the same period in 2024 [12] Performance by Market Capitalization - Microcap REITs underperformed larger peers for the sixth consecutive month, with returns of -8.87% [3] - Large-cap REITs (-2.93%) outperformed mid-caps (-5.45%) and small caps (-8.69%) in April, with large-cap REITs outperforming small caps by 1081 basis points in the first four months of 2025 [3] Property Type Performance - Only 11.11% of REIT property types averaged a positive total return in April, with a 20.17% spread between the best (Data Centers +7.28%) and worst-performing property types (Timber -12.90%) [5][6] - Year-to-date, Office REITs (-24.06%) and Hotel REITs (-22.90%) significantly underperformed, while Health Care (+7.23%), Infrastructure (+6.88%), and Casinos (+6.00%) were the only property types with positive returns [7] Price/FFO Multiples - The average P/FFO for the REIT sector decreased from 13.9x to 13.4x in April, with 83.3% of property types experiencing multiple contraction [8] - Data Centers (26.9x), Multifamily (24.6x), and Infrastructure (18.7x) currently trade at the highest average multiples among REIT property types, while Hotels (5.9x) and Offices (8.2x) have the lowest [9] Individual REIT Performance - Digital Realty Trust (DLR) achieved a strong gain of +12.04% in April, despite a year-to-date return of -8.72% [11] - Wheeler REIT (WHLR) was the worst-performing REIT in April, with a staggering decline of -63.61% for the month and -98.29% year-to-date [11] Dividend Yield Insights - The high dividend yields of the REIT sector are a primary reason for investment, with many REITs trading below their NAV, resulting in attractive yields [15]

However, several companies offer higher-yielding payouts for those seeking a bit more dividend income. Here are four top dividend stocks yielding around 4% these days that you can confidently buy for dividend income this April. Agree Realty Agree Realty (ADC 1.16%) has a 4% dividend yield. The real estate investment trust (REIT) focuses solely on owning single-tenant net lease and ground lease retail properties. Those lease structures provide very stable cash flow. Meanwhile, the REIT pays very close attent ...

Core Insights - The interconnectedness of today's markets necessitates that investors stay informed about the relationships between different asset classes [1] - A spike in S&P 500 volatility has led to increased bond prices, which in turn lowers yields, making other assets more attractive [2][3] - Dividend-focused investments are becoming increasingly valuable as alternatives to bonds, particularly in the current market environment [4][5] Investment Opportunities - The Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) has seen significant institutional capital inflow, with $13 billion invested over the past quarter, indicating strong demand for dividend income amid market volatility [5][6] - Realty Income Co. offers a monthly dividend payout of $3.21 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 5.66%, making it an attractive option for income-focused investors [8][10] - Altria Group Inc. has a dividend yield of 7.01% with a strong track record of dividend increases over 56 years, despite recent sluggish retail sales data [12][15] Market Dynamics - The current bond yields are approaching 4.0%, making dividend-paying stocks like SCHD and Realty Income more appealing [6][7] - Realty Income's stock has shown resilience, trading at 95% of its 52-week high, indicating bullish market sentiment despite a flat performance over the past year [14] - Altria's low beta of 0.6 suggests it is less volatile than the S&P 500, providing a defensive investment option in uncertain market conditions [14][15]