What is the dividend payment for real estate income?

Real estate income (A -0.62%) is one of the oldest real estate investment trusts, or REITs, and is also one of the most reliable when it comes to dividends. Here’s a look at how much income real estate pays and why your current payment isn’t the most important thing to know.

The short answer

From October 2024, Realty Income pays dividends at an annual rate of $3.16 per share, paid in monthly installments. (Fun fact: Realty Income has a trademark on the phrase “The Monthly Dividend Company.”)

Based on the share price as of October 3rd, this translates to a dividend yield of around 5.1% annually. However, while this is an impressive dividend yield, it is not the most impressive dividend-related statistic about the company.

Realty Income’s outstanding dividend history

Realty Income’s business model is not only designed to produce steady income, but to produce income that grows gradually and predictably over time. As a result, Realty Income has established one of the best track records of dividend growth in the market dating back to its NYSE listing in 1994 and beyond.

In fact, Realty Income paid 651 consecutive monthly dividends. I’ll spare you the math — that’s more than 54 years. It has increased its dividend for 108 consecutive quarters and at an annual growth rate of 4.3%. With the long-term average rate of inflation in the United States around 3% (depending on the exact time period you’re looking at), that means Realty Income investors have had an income stream that has outpaced inflation over the long term .

Not only is Realty Income a great dividend stock, but its stock price has also risen nicely. In fact, since its public listing in 1994, Realty Income has generated annualized total returns (dividends plus stock earnings) of 13.5%, handily beating S&P 500. To put this into perspective, a $10,000 investment 30 years ago in Real Estate Income would be worth about $446,500 today, assuming you reinvested the dividends along the way.