The S&P 500 is up about 9% year-to-date, putting it on track for another year of double-digit gains.
That strong return is a high hurdle for a dividend-paying stock to overcome
However, that’s just what Realty Income (NYSE: O) has done this year. The real estate investment trust (REIT) has gained over 16.5%, while its dividend has driven the total return to more than 19.5%. Here’s what’s driving this unstoppable dividend’s stock’s market-crushing total returns in 2026. 135 times (and counting) Realty Income’s main draw is its dividend income.
The REIT pays a monthly dividend that currently yields about 4.9% (roughly four times the S&P 500’s 1% dividend yield). That high-yielding dividend has proven unstoppable over the years. Realty Income has declared 673 consecutive monthly dividends throughout its history.