These 6 Stocks Could Help Build Monthly
Passive Income
Meta description: Looking for the best monthly dividend stocks in 2026? Here's a verified breakdown of current prices, 1-year dividend history, company background, and risk for six income names — updated with live data as of July 23, 2026.
But here's the thing I always tell people before they get too excited about any monthly dividend list floating around the internet: yield numbers, payout ratios, and even the dividend frequency itself can shift fast, and a list built on stale data can steer you wrong. A stock paying monthly today doesn't guarantee it'll still be monthly — or even still paying the same amount — six months from now. In fact, as you'll see below, one of the most well-known names on this exact list quietly stopped paying monthly dividends altogether in early 2026, and another has seen its share price pull back sharply in just the last few weeks. That's exactly the kind of thing a live verification catches and a copy-pasted list from an old article misses.
So let's do this properly. Below is a rundown of six well-known income names — Realty Income, Main Street Capital, STAG Industrial, LTC Properties, EPR Properties, and Gladstone Commercial — with current share prices, the last 12 months of dividend payments, company background, and recent performance news, verified against multiple live sources as of July 23, 2026.
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Key Takeaways
- Monthly dividend stocks aren't a special asset class — they're just companies (mostly REITs and BDCs) that happen to distribute cash on a monthly cadence instead of quarterly.
- Realty Income (O) now trades around $65, near the top of its recent range: a ~4.95% yield backed by 673+ consecutive monthly dividends, a 115-quarter dividend growth streak, and 31 years of increases.
- Main Street Capital (MAIN) has pulled back noticeably to around $53–$55 (from the $60–65 range seen earlier this year), still yielding roughly 6%–8% including its history of special/supplemental dividends.
- STAG Industrial (STAG), trading around $41.77, remains a confirmed quarterly payer as of this update — the January 2026 switch from monthly to quarterly has held.
- LTC Properties (LTC) trades around $38–$39, yields roughly 5.4%–5.8%, and continues to hold its monthly payout flat at $0.19/share.
- EPR Properties (EPR) trades around $62, yields roughly 6.2%, and just reaffirmed its $0.31 monthly dividend while continuing to diversify beyond movie theaters.
- Gladstone Commercial (GOOD) trades around $12.49, still offers the highest yield of the group at roughly 9.6%, and remains flat at its post-2023-cut payout of $0.10/month.
(Quick disclaimer up front: all prices, dividend histories, and figures below reflect live data pulled from multiple financial data providers as of July 23, 2026. Share prices and yields for these names move daily, so please re-verify current numbers on Nasdaq.com, the company's investor relations page, or your brokerage before making any decision. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or tax advice.)
Why "Monthly" Dividends Matter Less Than People Think (And
More Than People Think)
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Let me get one pet peeve out of the way first, because I think it colors how you should read the rest of this post.
A lot of beginner investors treat "pays monthly" as a feature that's inherently better than "pays quarterly." Mathematically? It's mostly a wash. Twelve payments of $0.10 add up to the same annual total as four payments of $0.30, give or take some minor compounding advantages if you're reinvesting aggressively. The "monthly" label isn't magic.
Where it does matter is behavioral and practical. If you're retired and living off portfolio income, matching your cash flow to monthly expenses like a mortgage or utility bill is genuinely useful — it smooths out your budgeting in a way quarterly payers can't. I've talked to retirees who specifically build "dividend paycheck" portfolios around this exact idea, layering monthly payers so something lands in the account every week or two.
The other place monthly dividends matter is as a signal about the underlying business model. Most monthly dividend stocks are REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) or BDCs (Business Development Companies), because both structures collect rent or interest payments on a recurring monthly basis themselves, and it's operationally natural for them to pass that cash through monthly rather than warehousing it for a quarter. That's worth knowing, because it means this list is inherently concentrated in real estate and specialty finance — not exactly a diversified basket on its own.
And as STAG Industrial's example below shows, that monthly cadence isn't permanent even for a company that's built its identity around it for over a decade. Boards can — and do — change their minds.
1. Realty Income (O) — The Monthly Dividend Company
Company Background
Realty Income was founded in 1969 in Maryland and has been headquartered in San Diego, California for decades. The company listed on the NYSE in 1994, and an investor who put $1,000 into the IPO would have roughly $47,000 today — about a 13% compound annual growth rate including dividends. Realty Income built its identity as "The Monthly Dividend Company®" early on, and that branding has become genuinely synonymous with the monthly-dividend REIT category as a whole. The company operates as a full-service real estate capital provider, owning freestanding commercial properties under long-term net-lease agreements with a diversified mix of retail, industrial, and other commercial tenants.
Current Price & Performance (Updated)
O has climbed since our last check — the stock is now trading around $64.99–$65, with a recent Wells Fargo price-target increase to $65 from $64. The company recently recast and expanded its revolving credit facilities to $5.5 billion (up from $4.0 billion) and its commercial paper program to a matching $5.5 billion, and occupancy stands around 98.7%. Realty Income has now extended its dividend growth streak to 115 consecutive quarters. The company reported 2025 revenue of $5.76 billion, up over 9% year-over-year, with earnings up nearly 25%.
Last 12 Months of Dividend History
- Monthly dividend: raised gradually over the year, most recently to $0.271 per share (July 15, 2026 payment); next ex-dividend date July 31, 2026
- Annualized dividend: $3.25 per share
- Track record: the company recently declared its 673rd consecutive monthly dividend, and is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats for having raised its payout for more than 31 consecutive years
- Current yield: approximately 4.95%–5.0%
What I'd Watch Going Forward
Realty Income owns more than 15,500 properties across the U.S., U.K., and continental Europe. That scale and diversification is exactly why it's held up as the "safe" name on nearly every monthly dividend list — but rising interest rates remain a persistent headwind for REITs generally, since higher rates make bond yields more competitive with REIT dividend yields and increase the company's own borrowing costs. I don't think Realty Income is going to blow anyone's socks off with growth. What it offers is dependability, and for a lot of income investors, that's exactly the point.
2. Main Street Capital (MAIN) — Higher Yield, Different Risk
Profile
Company Background
Main Street Capital is a Business Development Company (BDC) headquartered in Houston, Texas, that went public in 2007. Unlike Realty Income, it doesn't own real estate — it provides customized long-term debt and equity capital to lower-middle-market private companies, typically businesses with annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million that are too small for public bond markets but too established for early-stage venture capital. MAIN has built a reputation as one of the better-managed names in the BDC space, combining debt financing with equity stakes that let it participate in portfolio-company upside. The company recently announced a leadership transition: Dwayne Hyzak will remain Executive Chairman while Nicholas Meserve becomes CEO in Q4 2026.
Current Price & Performance (Updated — Notable Pullback)
This is the biggest change since our last check: MAIN has pulled back meaningfully, now trading around $53.63–$54.68, down from the $60–65 range seen earlier this year and well off its 52-week high of $67.77. Analysts have trimmed their fair-value estimate on the stock from $57.33 to $54.80 (about a 4.4% reduction), citing caution around near-term income trends, sector-wide credit headwinds, and the outlook for supplemental dividends. On the operating side, Main Street's preliminary Q2 2026 net asset value per share came in at $33.88–$33.96, and the company generated a $46.4 million realized gain from exiting its equity investment in Centre Technologies Holdings in late June. In 2025, the company posted revenue of $566 million, up nearly 5% year-over-year, though earnings dipped slightly (down about 3%).
Last 12 Months of Dividend History
- Monthly base dividend: currently $0.265 per share, with the next ex-dividend date August 7, 2026
- Annualized regular dividend: figures across providers range from $3.18 to $4.32 depending on how supplemental dividends are counted
- Current yield: figures range from roughly 6%–8%, with forward yield estimates around 8%
- MAIN also has a long-running habit of layering in semi-annual supplemental dividends funded by realized gains on equity stakes, on top of the regular monthly base
What Makes MAIN Different
In my experience, BDCs like MAIN are a genuinely different risk category from REITs, even though both show up on "monthly dividend" screener lists together. You're essentially getting exposure to private credit and private equity performance. When the economy slows and smaller private companies start struggling to make loan payments, BDC portfolios can take a hit faster than diversified real estate portfolios do. The recent share-price pullback and trimmed analyst targets are a real-time example of that sensitivity showing up — MAIN has historically managed credit cycles well relative to peers, but "well-run" doesn't mean "risk-free," and the upcoming CEO transition is a governance detail worth keeping an eye on even if it's being handled in an orderly way.
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3. STAG Industrial (STAG) — Confirmed Quarterly Payer
(Update Holds)
Company Background
STAG Industrial was founded by Benjamin S. Butcher in 2010, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and IPO'd on the NYSE in April 2011. The company focuses on acquiring and managing single-tenant industrial and warehouse properties — the kind of last-mile logistics real estate that benefits from e-commerce growth. As of early 2026, its portfolio consisted of roughly 601 buildings across 41 states, totaling more than 120 million square feet of rentable industrial space.
Important Confirmation: STAG Is Still a Quarterly Payer
On January 8, 2026, STAG's board announced it was shifting the company's dividend cadence from monthly to quarterly, alongside a dividend increase — raising the annualized rate from $1.49 to $1.55 per share. As of this update, that switch has held: the company paid $0.39 per share quarterly on July 15, 2026, and continues to plan quarterly announcements in late April, July, October, and February.
This is exactly the kind of change I warned about at the top of this article: STAG had been a reliable monthly payer for years, and a lot of older "best monthly dividend stocks" content floating around the internet still lists it as one without this update. If a steady monthly cash-flow cadence specifically matters to your strategy, STAG still doesn't fit that requirement — even though it remains a legitimate, well-run dividend-paying REIT on a quarterly basis.
Current Price & Performance (Updated)
STAG is now trading around $41.77, near the upper end of its historical range (its all-time closing high was $41.57 back in December 2021, so the stock has technically broken to a new high on this measure). Barclays recently raised its price target to $41 from $38, and the stock was resumed with an Outperform rating at Raymond James. Q2 2026 results are scheduled for release on July 28, 2026. In 2025, the company reported revenue of $845 million, up over 10% year-over-year, with earnings up nearly 45%.
Last 12 Months of Dividend History
- Prior monthly rate (through late 2025): approximately $0.1242 per share monthly (annualized ~$1.49)
- Current quarterly rate: $0.39 per share quarterly (annualized $1.55), last paid July 15, 2026
- Current yield: approximately 3.71%
- Payout ratio: noted around 97% in some current trackers, though this varies significantly depending on whether the source uses GAAP earnings or FFO as the base — always check which measure is being used
The Bigger Picture
I'd still call STAG one of the better-run, more conservatively financed names in this group — portfolio occupancy remains strong and the recent analyst upgrades reflect confidence in the underlying business. But if the reason you're reading this article is specifically to find monthly-paying stocks, STAG continues to be one to look past for that particular purpose, or to treat as a quarterly holding within a broader monthly-income portfolio strategy instead.
4. LTC Properties (LTC) — Steady Healthcare Real Estate
Income
Company Background
LTC Properties was founded by Andre C. Dimitriadis on May 12, 1992, and is headquartered in Westlake Village, California. It's a REIT focused on seniors housing and skilled nursing facilities — a niche corner of healthcare real estate tied to U.S. demographic trends around an aging population. The company invests through a mix of structures including SHOP (Senior Housing Operating Portfolio) arrangements, triple-net leases, joint ventures, and structured finance, with a portfolio of roughly 190 properties nationally, weighted more heavily toward seniors housing (about 70% of gross real estate investments) than skilled nursing in recent years.
Current Price & Performance (Updated)
LTC is trading around $38–$39 as of this update, holding roughly steady. The company recently confirmed its Q3 2026 monthly dividend schedule, with payments on July 31, August 31, and September 30, 2026. LTC is also continuing its acquisition activity, including recent senior housing portfolio purchases, and has increased commitments under its credit facility. Q2 2026 earnings are scheduled for release after market close on August 5, 2026.
Last 12 Months of Dividend History
- Monthly dividend: held steady at $0.19 per share, with the next ex-dividend date July 23, 2026 and payment date July 31, 2026
- Annualized dividend: $2.28 per share, unchanged for an extended stretch
- Current yield: ranging from roughly 5.3% to 5.8% across sources depending on the pricing snapshot used
- Track record: LTC has paid dividends since 1994 and has maintained monthly payments for over three decades
What Stands Out
What LTC hasn't done recently is grow its payout — the monthly rate has been flat for years, which some income investors will read as a yellow flag and others will read as simple conservatism while the company waits out a still-recovering operating environment for skilled nursing operators. I'd put LTC in the "dependable but not exciting" bucket. If you specifically want exposure to the demographic tailwind of an aging U.S. population and don't mind a payout that's been treading water rather than climbing, it fits a specific niche.
5. EPR Properties (EPR) — Experiential Real Estate, Higher
Yield, Higher Business Risk
Company Background
EPR Properties was founded on August 22, 1997, as Entertainment Properties Trust by Peter C. Brown, rebranding to EPR Properties in 2012. It's headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and owns "experiential" real estate — movie theaters, amusement parks, ski resorts, eat-and-play venues, and similar out-of-home entertainment properties, leased primarily to operators like AMC and Cinemark. The company has expanded meaningfully beyond its original movie-theater concentration in recent years, including a notable 2026 acquisition of several regional amusement parks from Six Flags.
Current Price & Performance (Updated)
EPR is trading around $62.21, with a strong recent run: a 7-day return of 4.34% and a 90-day return of 9.76%, with 1-year total shareholder return at 13.17%. The stock has also just been added to both the Russell 1000 Defensive and Russell 1000 Value-Defensive Indexes, which should increase its visibility with index-tracking investors. EPR closed its $12.07 million acquisition of Nashville Shores Holdings in June 2026, building on its existing Nashville-area presence (it already owns the Margaritaville Nashville Hotel) and continuing its diversification push beyond theaters. Recent analyst activity has skewed cautiously positive, with Morgan Stanley upgrading the stock from "equal weight" to "overweight" and Citizens JMP reaffirming a "market outperform" rating with a $70 price target.
Last 12 Months of Dividend History
- Monthly dividend: increased during the trailing year from $0.295 per share to $0.31 per share, reaffirmed unchanged for the July 2026 declaration, payable August 17, 2026
- Annualized dividend: $3.72 per share, representing the company's fifth consecutive annual increase
- Current yield: approximately 6.2%–6.3%
- Payout ratio: figures vary meaningfully by methodology (FFO-basis estimates run lower, around 70%–75%, while some GAAP-basis trackers show considerably higher figures) — worth checking which basis any given source is using
Why the Business Model Matters Here
EPR's largest tenant relationships are concentrated in movie theater operators, which means the stock carries a real dose of "is streaming going to kill the multiplex" risk that doesn't show up cleanly in a payout ratio calculation. To be fair, the company has been actively diversifying — the Six Flags amusement park acquisition and the new Nashville Shores purchase are good examples — but theaters still represent a meaningful chunk of the portfolio. What I find compelling about EPR is the combination of continued dividend growth, index inclusion, and active portfolio diversification, all showing up in the stock's performance at once.
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6. Gladstone Commercial (GOOD) — The Highest Yield, and
Why That's Not Automatically a Good Thing
Company Background
Gladstone Commercial was founded by David John Gladstone on February 14, 2003, and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It's a REIT focused on net-leased industrial and office properties, with a portfolio of roughly 151 properties across 27 states, totaling approximately 17.7 million square feet, leased to a mix of middle-market private businesses and investment-grade tenants. Prior to adopting a monthly distribution schedule, the company originally paid quarterly dividends for its first several years as a public company before switching to the monthly cadence it's known for today.
Current Price & Performance (Updated)
GOOD remains the weakest performer on this list — the stock is trading around $12.49, still well below its 52-week high and its all-time closing high of $18.17 set back in 2021. The company's market cap remains modest at roughly $600–630 million, the smallest name on this list by a wide margin. On the earnings side, 2025 revenue grew about 8% year-over-year to $161 million, but net income actually fell about 41% to just $6.6 million — a red flag worth sitting with.
Last 12 Months of Dividend History
- Monthly dividend: held steady at $0.10 per share, with the next ex-dividend date July 24, 2026
- Annualized dividend: $1.20 per share
- Current yield: the highest of the group, at roughly 9.58%–9.6%, largely a function of the depressed share price as much as the flat dividend itself
- Payout ratio: reported figures vary widely by methodology, but even more forgiving FFO-based estimates leave considerably less margin for error than STAG or EPR
The Honest Risk Picture
Gladstone Commercial's monthly distribution was stagnant at $0.125 per share from 2008 through 2022, then cut to $0.10 per share in January 2023, where it has stayed since. That's a real, recent example of a "reliable monthly dividend" not actually being as reliable as its long payment streak might suggest at first glance. The company also carries meaningful office-property exposure at a time when office fundamentals remain challenged nationally. I'm not saying avoid GOOD — some income investors deliberately want the higher yield and are comfortable underwriting the added risk themselves. But given the low share price, declining net income, and thinner payout coverage, I'd never put this one in the same risk bucket as Realty Income or EPR just because they've all historically paid monthly.
How to Actually Compare These Six Stocks Side by Side
| Stock | Current Price | Approx. Yield | Dividend Frequency | 1-Yr Dividend Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O (Realty Income) | ~$64.99 | ~4.95%–5.0% | Monthly | Gradual increases (31 yrs running); 115-quarter growth streak |
| MAIN (Main Street Capital) | ~$53.63–$54.68 | ~6%–8% | Monthly + specials | Price pulled back sharply; base steady at $0.265 |
| STAG (STAG Industrial) | ~$41.77 | ~3.71% | Quarterly since Jan 2026 | Switch confirmed holding; ~4% raise in place |
| LTC (LTC Properties) | ~$38–$39 | ~5.3%–5.8% | Monthly | Flat at $0.19/month |
| EPR (EPR Properties) | ~$62.21 | ~6.2%–6.3% | Monthly | Reaffirmed at $0.31; added to Russell defensive indexes |
| GOOD (Gladstone Commercial) | ~$12.49 | ~9.58%–9.6% | Monthly | Flat at $0.10/month since 2023 cut |
Notice the pattern? Yield and payout-ratio safety move in roughly opposite directions across this list. That's not a coincidence — it's how markets price risk. A 9%+ yield exists because the market is pricing in more uncertainty about that payout continuing than it is for a 4%–5% yield. Recognizing that trade-off, rather than just chasing the biggest number, is honestly 80% of what separates experienced income investors from beginners in my experience.
A Note on Payout Ratios: Why the Number Changes So Much by
Source
REITs and BDCs should generally be evaluated on FFO (Funds From Operations) or, for BDCs, net investment income — not GAAP net income. Real estate accounting requires heavy depreciation charges that reduce reported net income without reflecting actual cash flow, since well-maintained properties often don't lose real economic value at the rate GAAP depreciation schedules assume. That's why you'll see payout ratios north of 100% — sometimes wildly so — on GAAP-basis calculators, while FFO-basis figures for the exact same company look far more reasonable.
My practical advice: whenever you're checking payout ratios on any REIT, look specifically for a source that calculates the ratio against FFO or AFFO (Adjusted Funds From Operations) rather than blindly trusting whatever "payout ratio" number a generic stock screener spits out.
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Building a Monthly Dividend Portfolio: A Few Practical
Thoughts
Diversify beyond REITs and BDCs alone. This list skews toward real estate and specialty finance because that's where monthly-paying structures cluster. Consider layering in dividend-focused ETFs or quarterly payers from other sectors so a single industry downturn doesn't hit your whole income stream at once.
Double-check that "monthly" is still accurate. STAG's switch to quarterly is a perfect real-world reminder that dividend frequency isn't permanent, and this update confirms that switch has held more than six months later. Always confirm current cadence directly with the company's investor relations page or most recent dividend declaration before building a strategy around it.
Don't just rank by yield. The highest-yielding name on any list is rarely the "best" one on a risk-adjusted basis. Match the yield-versus-safety trade-off to your own tolerance, not to whatever number is biggest on the screener.
Watch for price moves, not just dividend changes. MAIN's recent pullback from the $60s into the mid-$50s is a good example of why "the dividend is unchanged" doesn't mean "nothing has changed" — a falling share price alone will push the yield higher and change the risk/reward math even without a single dividend adjustment.
Re-verify before you buy. Every number in this article reflects live data pulled on July 23, 2026. Dividend cuts, increases, cadence changes, and payout ratio shifts happen regularly — Gladstone Commercial's 2023 cut, STAG's 2026 cadence switch, and MAIN's recent share-price pullback are all perfect real-world reminders of that.
FAQ: Best Monthly Dividend Stocks in 2026
What are the safest monthly dividend stocks right now? Based on payout ratio coverage relative to FFO, EPR Properties currently shows one of the more conservative coverage ratios among the true monthly payers discussed here (roughly 70%–75% of FFO). Realty Income also generally screens as conservatively covered given its scale and diversification, even though its GAAP-basis payout ratio looks high due to depreciation accounting.
Does STAG Industrial still pay a monthly dividend? No, and this remains true as of this update. STAG shifted from monthly to quarterly dividends in January 2026, alongside a roughly 4% payout increase, and continues to pay quarterly as of its most recent July 2026 payment. If a monthly cash-flow cadence is important to your strategy, STAG still doesn't fit that specific requirement, even though it remains a dividend-paying REIT on a quarterly basis.
Why has Main Street Capital's stock price fallen recently? MAIN has pulled back from the $60–65 range into the mid-$50s, with analysts trimming fair-value estimates and citing caution around near-term income trends and sector-wide credit headwinds affecting BDCs generally. The monthly dividend itself has remained steady at $0.265 per share through this move.
Why do some sources show wildly different payout ratios for the same stock? Because different providers calculate payout ratio against different bases — GAAP net income, FFO, AFFO, or cash flow — and REIT accounting in particular produces GAAP figures that look far worse than the company's actual cash-generating ability. Always check which basis a source is using before comparing numbers across sites.
Is a higher dividend yield always riskier? Not always, but it's a reasonable starting assumption that a market will usually price in known risks through a higher yield. Gladstone Commercial, the highest-yielding name here, also has the thinnest payout coverage, a depressed share price, falling net income, and an actual dividend cut in its recent history — while lower-yielding names like Realty Income and EPR have longer track records of stability and dividend growth.
Can monthly dividend stocks be part of a retirement income strategy? Yes, many retirees do build income portfolios around monthly payers specifically to match cash flow to monthly living expenses. That said, most financial planners recommend diversifying across sectors, asset classes, and payment structures rather than relying solely on monthly-paying REITs and BDCs for retirement income.
How often can these companies change their dividend amount or frequency? There's no fixed rule — it depends entirely on the company's board and its underlying cash flow. Some names here (like EPR) have raised their payout multiple years running, others (like LTC and GOOD) have held flat, Gladstone Commercial has both held flat for over a decade and cut its payout once, and STAG changed its entire payment frequency in January 2026 alongside a rate increase — a change that has now held steady for over half a year.
Wrapping Up
If there's one thing I hope sticks with you from this breakdown, it's that "monthly dividend stock" is a description of payment frequency at a given point in time, not a guarantee of safety, quality, or even permanence — and share prices can move meaningfully even when the dividend itself doesn't. Realty Income, MAIN, LTC, EPR, and Gladstone Commercial are all still genuinely monthly payers today; STAG technically isn't anymore, and that switch has now held for over half a year; and Gladstone Commercial's monthly streak comes with a real dividend cut in its recent past. A lazy screener — or an outdated article — would lump all six into the same "high yield monthly payer" bucket without any of that context.
I'd genuinely love to hear which of these you're already holding, or which one you're considering adding — drop a comment and let me know your take, especially on how you're thinking about MAIN's recent pullback or STAG's continued shift to quarterly payments. And if REIT accounting and payout ratios piqued your curiosity, my deep dive on how covered-call ETFs generate (and sometimes mislead investors with) their own high headline yields is a natural next read.
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Disclaimer:
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Share prices, dividend yields, payout amounts, payout ratios, and other figures referenced here are based on live data available as of July 23, 2026 and are subject to change; always independently verify current numbers before making any investment decision. Always consult a licensed financial advisor regarding your specific situation.
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