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Is Realty Income's (O) Latest Dividend Hike Sustainable?

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Realty Income Corporation (O - Free Report) announced its 118th common stock monthly dividend hike since the company’s NYSE listing in 1994. Delighting its shareholders, the company will pay out 24.85 cents per share in the dividend compared with the 24.80 cents paid earlier.

The increased dividend will be paid out on Jan 13 to shareholders on record as of Jan 3, 2023. The latest dividend rate marks an annualized amount of $2.982 per share compared with the prior rate of $2.976. Based on the company’s share price of $64.96 on Dec 13, the latest hike results in a dividend yield of 4.59%.

Solid dividend payouts are the biggest enticements for REIT investors, and Realty Income is committed to boosting its shareholder wealth. This retail REIT holds the trademark of the phrase “The Monthly Dividend Company.”

In September, Realty Income raised its dividend to 24.80 cents per share from the 24.75 cents paid out earlier. The increased dividend was paid out on Oct 14 to shareholders on record as of Oct 3, 2022.

Though the latest hike marks a marginal increase from the prior dividend, the January payout will be the company’s 630th consecutive monthly dividend payout in its 53-year operating history. Moreover, the latest hike reflects O’s ability to generate decent cash flow through its operating platform and high-quality portfolio.

Realty Income made 101 consecutive quarterly dividend hikes. This retail REIT has witnessed compound average annual dividend growth of 4.3% since its listing on the NYSE. Check Realty Income’s dividend history here.

O derives more than 90% of its annualized retail contractual rental revenues from tenants with a service, non-discretionary and/or low-price-point component to their business. Such businesses are less susceptible to economic recessions and competition from Internet retailing. These provide more reliable streams of income, which boost the stability of rental revenues and generate predictable cash flows.

Also, the company’s diversified tenant base, accretive buyouts and robust balance sheet bode well for its growth. Management expects the full-year acquisition volume to be more than $6 billion.

Realty Income exited the third quarter of 2022 with nearly $2.5 billion in liquidity. The company ended the quarter with modest leverage and strong coverage metrics. Further, Realty Income has a well-laddered debt-maturity schedule with a weighted average maturity of 6.3 years.

Manageable near-term maturities and ample liquidity provide the company with the financial flexibility to tide over any mayhem and bank on growth scopes. O has a credit rating of A- (Stable) and A3 (Stable) from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, respectively, enabling it to procure debt financing at attractive costs.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have risen 11.6% so far in the quarter, underperforming its industry’s increase of 18.9%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Zacks Investment Research
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Recent Dividend Increases

On Dec 8, American Tower Corporation (AMT - Free Report) rewarded its investors with a 6.1% sequential hike in the quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock, increasing it to $1.56 per share from the $1.47 paid out earlier. The raised dividend is scheduled to be paid out on Feb 2 to shareholders of record as of Dec 28, 2022. Check American Tower’s dividend history here.

On Dec 5, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (ARE - Free Report) announced a 2.5% sequential hike in its fourth-quarter 2022 cash dividend payout. Delighting its shareholders, Alexandria Real Estate Equities will now pay out a dividend of $1.21 per share, up from the $1.18 paid out in the third quarter.

The increased dividend will be paid out on Jan 13, 2023 to shareholders on record as of Dec 30, 2022. Check Alexandria’s dividend history here.

On Dec 7, CubeSmart (CUBE - Free Report) announced a 14% increase in its quarterly dividend to 49 cents per share. CubeSmart will pay out the increased dividend on Jan 17 to common shareholders of record on Jan 3, 2023. Check CubeSmart’s dividend history here.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.


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