Investors love dividend stocks, especially the monthly pay variety, because they provide dependable passive income streams and an excellent opportunity for solid total return. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time. In other words, the total return on an investment or portfolio consists of income and stock appreciation. At 24/7 Wall St., we have focused on dividend stocks for over 15 years because, despite stock market volatility, many people need reliable passive income streams to supplement their income from employment or other sources such as Social Security and pensions.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) own, operate, or finance income-producing real estate. They enable individuals to invest in real estate without directly owning properties. REITs pool funds from investors to purchase and manage a diversified portfolio of real estate assets, including office buildings, apartments, shopping malls, hotels, and warehouses. Investors seeking total return should balance the need for passive income and the desire to add growth to combat inflation and the potential for a recession, which we could face later this year or early in 2027. Investors should consider REITs as an option for 2026 and beyond. Many investment advisors feel that an allocation of up to 15% is a good level for most growth and income portfolios.
Here are our five top monthly pay REITs, all of which are rated Buy at top Wall Street firms that we cover.
AGNC Investment
This company is among the highest-paying REITs for investors, with its massive 13.30% dividend, but it does carry somewhat higher dividend-cut risk. AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC | AGNC Price Prediction) is an investor in Agency residential mortgage-backed securities (agency MBS), which benefit from a guarantee against credit losses by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae).
The company’s business is a source of private capital for the U.S. residential housing market.
AGNC Investment invests on a leveraged basis, financing its agency MBS assets primarily through repurchase agreements, and utilizes dynamic risk management strategies intended to protect the value of its portfolio from interest rate and other market risks.
The company may also invest in agency multifamily MBS that are similarly guaranteed by a U.S. government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), as well as in other assets related to the housing, mortgage, or real estate markets that a GSE or U.S. government agency does not guarantee.
Royal Bank of Canada has an Outperform rating with a $12 target price.
EPR Properties
This REIT invests in some of the most popular entertainment companies. EPR Properties (NYSE: EPR) is a leading experiential net-lease REIT specializing in select enduring experiential properties and pays a 6.10% dividend. EPR recently increased its monthly dividend by 5.1% and expects FFO per share growth of more than 5% in 2026, supporting continued dividend increases. After suspending its dividend during COVID, it has recovered with five consecutive years of increases. Its $6.9 billion property portfolio generates solid cash flow, and the monthly dividend of $0.31 per share is well-covered by funds from operations.
The company operates through two segments. The Experiential segment consists of approximately:
- 157 theater properties
- 58 eat and play properties
- 24 attraction properties
- 11 ski properties
- Four experiential lodging properties
- One gaming property
- One cultural property
- 22 fitness and wellness properties
The company’s Education segment comprises 59 early childhood education centers and nine private schools.
EPR’s investment portfolio includes ownership of and long-term mortgages on experiential and educational properties. The company has investments in approximately 44 states. All of the company’s owned single-tenant properties are leased on long-term, triple-net terms.
Raymond James has an Outperform rating with a $60 target price.
LTC Properties
This healthcare REIT specializes in seniors housing and skilled nursing facilities, offering exposure to the growing healthcare real estate sector with a monthly dividend yield of 5.83%. LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) invests in senior housing and healthcare properties through sale-leasebacks, mortgage financing, joint ventures, construction financing, and structured finance solutions, including preferred equity and mezzanine lending. The company invests in senior housing and skilled nursing properties secured by triple-net leases, mortgage loans, and other cash-generating structures, giving it relatively steady income to support its monthly dividend.
LTC Properties operates a diversified portfolio of over 200 senior care assets, encompassing skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and memory care centers. The company prioritizes acquisitions with durable cash flow profiles and has demonstrated consistent monthly dividend payments across varied market conditions—a compelling combination given the structural demand growth driven by an aging U.S. population.
LTC focuses on senior housing and long-term care facilities, benefiting from the aging U.S. population. Its sale-and-leaseback model generates stable cash flow without landlord responsibilities. As a REIT, it must distribute 90% of taxable income, ensuring reliable dividends. Its smaller $1.6 billion market cap still supports consistent payouts.
It invests in various properties, including:
- Skilled nursing centers, which provide restorative, rehabilitative, and nursing care
- Assisted living facilities that serve people who require assistance with activities of daily living
- Independent living facilities, also known as retirement communities or senior apartments, offer a community and numerous levels of service, such as laundry, housekeeping, dining options/meal plans, exercise and wellness programs, transportation, social, cultural, and recreational activities, on-site security, and others
- Memory care facilities offer specialized options for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia
JMP Securities has a Market Outperform rating with a $43 target.
Modiv Industrial
Modiv Industrial (NYSE: MDV) supports its 6.56% monthly dividend with a 98% occupancy rate and a clean balance sheet. It’s actively paying down debt, faces no near-term refinancing pressure, and is quietly buying back preferred shares—all moves that put shareholders first. Modiv is an internally managed REIT focused on single-tenant net-lease industrial manufacturing real estate.
The company acquires, owns, and manages a portfolio of single-tenant net-lease properties throughout the United States, with a focus on critical industrial manufacturing properties with long-term leases to tenants that fuel the national economy and strengthen the nation’s supply chains.
Modiv also owns non-core, legacy retail and office real estate properties. It seeks to provide investors with access to monthly dividends through a durable portfolio of real estate investments designed to generate both current income and long-term growth. Its real estate investment portfolio consisted of 43 operating properties, including one property held for sale. The company’s portfolio spans 16 states and comprises 39 industrial properties.
Cantor Fitzgerald has an Overweight rating on the shares, with an $18 price target.
Realty Income
Realty Income (NYSE: O) is a REIT that has paid monthly dividends consistently for years. It owns over 15,000 properties leased primarily to defensive retailers. This is an ideal stock for growth and income investors seeking a safer contrarian idea for the rest of 2026, with a 5.22% dividend yield. The S&P 500 company acquires and manages freestanding commercial properties that generate rental revenue under long-term net lease agreements with its commercial clients.
It is engaged in a single business activity: leasing property to clients, generally on a net basis. This business activity spans various geographic boundaries and encompasses a range of property types and clients across multiple industries. Widely considered the gold standard of monthly dividend stocks, Realty Income has paid dividends since 1969. It has paid 667 consecutive monthly dividends as of early 2026 and increased its dividend 132 times since its 1994 IPO.
The company owns or holds interests in approximately 15,621 properties in all 50 U.S. states and:
- United Kingdom
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Portugal
- Spain
With clients operating in 89 industries, its property types include retail, industrial, gaming, and other categories such as agriculture and office.
Its primary industry concentrations include:
- Grocery stores
- Convenience stores
- Dollar stores
- Drug stores
- Home improvement stores
- Restaurants
- Quick service
UBS has a Buy rating with a $72 target price.
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