In this article, we will take a look at the 15 Best Dividend Paying Stocks to Buy Right Now.
According to Trivariate Research, with markets turning choppy again, investors may want to pay closer attention to companies that consistently grow their dividends. Those stocks have historically offered a measure of stability when broader markets come under pressure.
In a recent report, Trivariate founder Adam Parker said investors have long sought out businesses with reliable revenue streams when positioning more defensively. He made the following comment:
“Historically, when investors wanted to get defensive within their equity portfolios, they looked for more predictable revenue streams.”
For years, that meant turning to sectors such as pharmaceuticals, telecoms, consumer staples, and utilities. These industries were often viewed as safer places to be when market conditions became more uncertain. That approach has become more difficult, Parker noted, because those traditional defensive sectors now make up a much smaller share of the market than they once did.
“One major challenge today is that this traditional defensive part of the market has never been smaller,” Parker added. About 25 years ago, those sectors represented nearly 30% of the S&P 500’s market capitalization. Today, they account for just over 10%, leaving investors with a smaller pool of traditional defensive stocks to choose from when volatility returns.
Given this, we will take a look at some of the best dividend-paying stocks to invest in.
Photo by Vitaly Taranov on Unsplash
Our Methodology:
For this list, we identified companies that have raised their dividends for at least 15 consecutive years. From that list, we picked companies that were most popular among hedge funds, as per Insider Monkey’s database of Q1 2026.
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).
15. Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32
Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O) is a real estate investment trust that owns and manages freestanding commercial properties leased under long-term net lease agreements. Its tenant base is diversified and includes investment-grade, investment-grade-equivalent, and other operators.
The company has earned a reputation as one of the market’s most reliable dividend payers. Since listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1994, Realty Income has increased its monthly dividend 134 times. It has also delivered 114 consecutive quarterly dividend increases and extended its annual dividend growth streak to 31 years. The business continued to generate solid results in the first quarter. Adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) came in at $1.13 per share, up 6.6% from a year earlier. That growth helped support another round of dividend increases. Over the past year, Realty Income raised its dividend by 1.8% while reducing its payout ratio to 71.7%.
The REIT’s property portfolio remained a source of stability. Occupancy stood at 98.9% during the quarter, matching the level recorded in the fourth quarter and improving from 98.5% in the first quarter of last year. Leasing activity was also healthy, with the company completing new and renewal leases on 243 properties. Those agreements were signed at average rental rates 3.4% higher than the previous leases for the same space.
Realty Income also continued to expand its portfolio. The company invested $2.8 billion in new properties during the quarter, including $200 million that came through its growing network of strategic partners. The combination of steady portfolio performance, disciplined growth, and a conservative payout ratio has helped support its long-standing record of dividend increases.
14. Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59
On May 26, Piper Sandler increased its price recommendation on Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) to $340 from $328. It reiterated a Neutral rating on the stock. The firm pointed to recent share performance and the passage of time as factors behind the adjustment. Piper Sandler said it has generally raised price targets across most insurance carriers while lowering targets for some insurance brokers. Its analysis takes a bottom-up approach. Following first-quarter earnings, the firm believes insurance carriers may be better positioned than brokers, as underwriting performance provided a stronger-than-expected boost for carriers, while brokers delivered more modest organic growth results.
Earlier in April, Wells Fargo raised the firm’s price goal on CB to $333 from $321. It maintained an Equal Weight rating on the shares. Analyst Elyse Greenspan noted that Chubb’s stock moved lower after management’s comments about softening conditions in the property insurance market offset an earnings beat and the company’s reaffirmation of its high-level 2026 guidance.
Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB) is a Switzerland-based holding company that, through its subsidiaries, provides a wide range of insurance and reinsurance products and services to customers around the world.
