In this article, we will take a look at 13 Dividend Stocks with Over 8% Yield.
Dividend investing has always sparked a debate between chasing higher yields and sticking with companies that steadily raise their payouts.
Dividend growth strategies have generally held up better across different market conditions. They have performed well when interest rates were falling and when rates were moving higher. A ProShares report shows that the Dividend Aristocrats index, which tracks companies with at least 25 straight years of dividend increases, returned 14.26% during the period of declining interest rates from May 2005 through March 2024. That compares with returns of just over 10% for high-yield stocks. The pattern was similar during periods of rising rates in the same timeframe, when dividend growth stocks posted returns of 10.26%, compared with 9.22% for high-yield names.
That does not mean high-yield stocks should be ruled out altogether. Despite the warnings around financial stability, they have produced solid long-term results in the past. Research from a Wellington study looked at dividend-paying stocks from 1930 to 2019 and grouped them by yield. The highest-paying 20% of stocks delivered the strongest performance, while companies with moderate yields also beat the broader market during several periods. In contrast, lower-yield dividend stocks showed more uneven results and tended to lag the broader index.
Given this, we will take a look at stocks with dividend yields above 8%.
Photo by Viacheslav Bublyk on Unsplash
Our Methodology:
For this list, we screened for dividend-paying companies with dividend yields above 8%, as of January 26. We refined our selection and picked companies with relatively stable dividend policies. Among those stocks, we chose companies that have relatively stable dividend histories; however, a lot of the companies on the list don’t have a consistent record of paying dividends due to their exceptionally high yields. The stocks are ranked according to their dividend yields.
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 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
13. Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL)
Dividend Yield as of January 26: 8.08%
On January 12, Citizens lifted its price target on Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL) to $10 from $9 and kept an Outperform rating on the stock. The firm pointed to the company’s steady progress in cutting leverage through 2025, saying GNL now looks far more stable than it did not long ago. According to the analyst, the balance sheet cleanup came together well ahead of schedule, helped by asset sales that also gave the company room to scale the portfolio and buy back shares when it made sense.
That progress showed up clearly on December 23, when GNL confirmed it had closed the sale of the McLaren Campus in Woking, England. The three-building property spans about 840,000 square feet and sold for £250 million at a 7.4% cash cap rate. The deal produced an estimated £80 million gain over what GNL originally paid, a solid outcome and a clean example of its capital recycling plan at work.
The McLaren sale also wrapped up the company’s broader disposition program. Over roughly 23 months, GNL sold about $3.3 billion worth of non-core assets. With that phase complete, management is now shifting attention toward the next chapter, which centers on disciplined earnings growth. A large portion of the proceeds is expected to go toward paying down debt, further reinforcing the company’s investment-grade balance sheet.
Selling the McLaren Campus for roughly £80 million more than the April 2021 purchase price underscored the value GNL has been able to unlock through a more focused, methodical approach.
Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL) is an internally managed REIT that owns and operates income-producing net lease properties across the US, as well as parts of Western and Northern Europe.
12. Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)
Dividend Yield as of January 26: 8.09%
On January 8, TD Cowen analyst Hoang Nguyen trimmed Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD)’s price target to $30 from $31. However, the firm maintained a Buy rating on the stock. The adjustment reflected the firm’s broader view of the specialty finance space, where macro pressures are weighing on the outlook even as several areas of consumer credit continue to show long-term growth. The analyst pointed to ongoing expansion across credit cards, auto and student lending, non-prime credit, buy-now-pay-later, and lease-to-own models.
Upbound’s third-quarter results backed up that constructive view. Revenue climbed 9% from a year earlier to $1.16 billion, while adjusted EBITDA rose 5.7% to $123.6 million. Rent-A-Center showed clear sequential improvement in same-store sales and held firm on margins, posting a 16.2% adjusted EBITDA margin. Management now expects same-store sales to move closer to flat, or even slightly positive, in the fourth quarter.
Brigit was another bright spot. The platform delivered 40% revenue growth and lifted its subscriber base by 27% year over year, while continuing to roll out new products. Upbound completed the Brigit acquisition in early 2025, adding a fast-growing digital offering to the portfolio.
Cash generation also stood out. The company produced more than $50 million in free cash flow during the quarter, pushing year-to-date free cash flow to $167 million.
Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPBD) is a technology- and data-driven financial services company focused on building products that meet everyday consumer needs across a range of credit and payment options.
