In this article, we will take a look at the 10 Best Dividend Stocks Yielding at Least 7% According to Hedge Funds.
Trivariate Research sees a clear shift taking shape. With dividend yields much lower than they used to be, investors are having to be more selective to get solid returns. Adam Parker made that point in a recent note and said the S&P 500 is yielding about 1.15% right now, which puts it close to a 50-year low. The only time it dropped further was during the tech bubble, when it hit 1.09%.
Even in this environment, dividend-paying stocks have held up relatively well this year. Parker also pointed out that the way these stocks behave has changed over time. Since COVID-19, companies that consistently raise dividends have started to edge past their peers. Before the pandemic, they tended to track the broader market more closely. More recently, stocks with weaker fundamentals and lower payout ratios have delivered the strongest gains, which stands out.
He also noted that shareholder return strategies, including buybacks, have been working better after COVID than they did before. The results are not uniform across sectors. Dividend growth has shown up more clearly in real estate, industrials, and utilities. It has been less effective in communication services, technology, and consumer staples. Regular dividend increases still tend to signal steady finances and disciplined management. That part hasn’t really changed.
Given this, we will take a look at some of the best dividend stocks with yields above 7%.
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Our Methodology:
For this list, we screened for dividend stocks with yields higher than 7% as of April 25. From this group, we further refined our selection criteria by identifying stocks that were also popular among elite funds, as per Insider Monkey’s database of Q4 2025. We picked companies that have recently reported noteworthy developments likely to impact investor sentiment. These companies are also popular among elite funds and analysts.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).
10. MPLX LP (NYSE:MPLX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16
Dividend Yield as of April 25: 7.78%
On April 20, Goldman Sachs raised its price recommendation on MPLX LP (NYSE:MPLX) to $63 from $55. It reiterated a Buy rating on the shares. The analyst pointed out that the sector has performed well so far this year. This has been driven by a shift toward energy stocks and ongoing disruptions linked to Middle East tensions. They also noted that differences in performance across individual stocks are likely to remain. The firm highlighted a few key drivers. U.S. natural gas demand continues to benefit from LNG expansion and rising power needs from data centers. There is also potential upside tied to gas and water activity in the Permian. At the same time, the LNG outlook has improved structurally, with limited expectations for a US supply response to the Iran disruption.
On April 10, Barclays analyst Theresa Chen raised the firm’s price target on MPLX to $59 from $55 and kept an Overweight rating ahead of the Q1 report. She noted that MPLX’s relative underperformance compared to peers likely reflects its “lower commodity torque.” Still, she indicated that the company’s core assets and overall strategy have not changed.
MPLX LP (NYSE:MPLX) is a large-cap master limited partnership focused on midstream energy infrastructure and logistics. It owns and operates assets across crude oil, natural gas, and related products, while also providing fuel distribution services. The company operates through two segments: Crude Oil and Products Logistics, and Natural Gas and NGL Services.
9. Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17
Dividend Yield as of April 25: 7.99%
On April 17, BMO Capital downgraded Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL) to Market Perform from Outperform. It reiterated its price target unchanged at $10. The analyst noted that the company will need to balance further deleveraging with the need to grow earnings. In the firm’s view, much of Global Net’s turnaround is already reflected in the stock.
During the Q4 2025 earnings call, Christopher Masterson, CFO, outlined the company’s initial outlook for 2026. AFFO is expected to come in between $0.80 and $0.84 per share. Net debt to adjusted EBITDA is projected in the range of 6.5x to 6.9x. This assumes a gross transaction volume of $250 million to $350 million, including both acquisitions and dispositions.
Management said this guidance reflects an ongoing effort to reduce exposure to the office segment. At the same time, they plan to stay flexible and reinvest proceeds from asset sales in a disciplined, leverage-neutral way. They added that this approach should support earnings growth over time.
Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL) is an internally managed real estate investment trust focused on income-producing net lease assets. Its portfolio spans the United States, along with Western and Northern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Industrial & Distribution, Retail, and Office.
