Highest dividend-yielding REIT stocks by market capitalization

Dividend-yielding Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) form a cornerstone of income investing, offering exposure to real estate assets with mandated high-payout structures. These entities trade across major global exchanges, generating consistent income streams through regulated property ownership while distributing at least 90% of taxable income as shareholder dividends.

Investment in REITs combines real estate ownership with stock market liquidity. Key sector advantages include:

• Statutory distribution requirements: Mandatory 90%+ payout ratio creating consistent dividend yields.
• Real estate specialization: Focused expertise across property sectors including data centers, logistics, cell towers, and healthcare facilities.
• Portfolio diversification: Non-correlated returns relative to traditional equities during various market cycles.

Industrial leader Prologis exemplifies scaled logistics ownership with over $200 billion in global warehouse assets featuring average lease terms of 5.7 years across premier locations. Communications infrastructure giant American Tower demonstrates long-term growth with its REIT-converted dividend achieving 13 consecutive years of increases through consistent rental revenue from 223,000 cell sites.

Dividend reliability appears through Realty Income’s unparalleled record of 640 consecutive monthly dividend payments without interruption since NYSE listing in 1994, funding distributions through diversified retail net-leases. Sector-specific strategies succeed: Welltower focuses exclusively on aging population trends through senior housing and medical office properties yielding over 3.8% annually supported by demographic tailwinds. Global diversification continues through Digital Realty’s expansion to 300+ data centers across 50+ metros servicing cloud and AI infrastructure demand with 98.5% occupancy.

Specialized REIT models produce competitive advantages. Ventas combines private-pay senior housing with university-based research facilities creating healthcare-specific income streams averaging 4.5% yield. Mortgage REIT AGNC utilizes high-grade agency MBS portfolios to distribute double-digit dividends funded by interest rate spreads. Growth potential emerges: Crown Castle International invests $1.5 billion annually expanding 5G small cell networks yielding federally authorized rental income.

Economic resilience appears through Simon Property Group’s ownership of premium outlet centers achieving 94% occupancy during recent downturns. This sector provides investors long-term real estate participation without direct property ownership requirements, combining relatively attractive yields with institutional management expertise across diverse property types.

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The following table contains a list of the leading dividend-yielding REITs by market capitalization across global exchanges. These entities provide diversified income through commercial, residential, industrial, and specialized real estate holdings.