5 Dividend Stocks Yielding 5% or More to Buy Without Hesitation Right Now

With the S&P 500’s dividend yield at just 1.2%, the article highlights five higher-yield, cash-flow-backed names for income investors: Clearway Energy (CWEN/CWEN.A) yields ~5% and projects cash available for distribution to rise from $2.11 this year to at least $2.70 by 2027 (supporting a dividend rise to $1.98), Oneok (OKE) yields 5.9% with fee-based midstream cash flows, recent acquisitions and projects underpinning a 3–4% annual dividend growth plan, NNN REIT (NNN) yields 5.9% with 36 consecutive years of increases and a conservative ~70% payout on triple-net retail leases, Verizon (VZ) yields 6.7% after generating $28bn of operating cash flow in the first nine months and $15.8bn of free cash flow that comfortably covers $8.6bn of dividends while it closes a $20bn Frontier fiber deal, and VICI Properties (VICI) yields 6.2% with long-term NNN, inflation-linked rents, a ~75% payout ratio and a 6.6% dividend CAGR since 2018; together these names offer above-market income supported by long-term contracts, predictable cash flows and visible organic or acquisition-driven growth that could sustain dividend growth for income-focused portfolios.

Analysis

With the S&P 500 dividend yield at 1.2%, the article spotlights five names yielding above 5%: Clearway Energy (~5%), Oneok (5.9%), NNN REIT (5.9%), Verizon (6.7%) and VICI Properties (6.2%). It frames these payouts as supported by long-term contracts, fee-based cash flows or recurring operating cash that provide visible dividend coverage.

Clearway sells power under long-term fixed-rate PPAs, targets a ~70% free-cash-flow payout, and projects cash available for distribution (CAD) rising from $2.11 this year to at least $2.70 by 2027 with a dividend increase from $1.81 to $1.98 by 2027 and CAD guidance toward ~$3.00 by 2030. Oneok’s 5.9% yield is underpinned by resilient midstream fee-based cash flows, a multi-year acquisition synergy program and organic projects intended to support 3%–4% annual dividend growth.

NNN’s 36-year dividend-raise streak and ~70% payout reflect stability from triple-net retail leases; VICI’s ~75% payout, inflation-linked rents and 6.6% dividend CAGR since 2018 are supported by sale-leasebacks including a $1.2bn Golden Entertainment deal. Verizon generated $28bn of operating cash flow in the first nine months, invested $12.3bn in the network, left $15.8bn of free cash flow that covered $8.6bn of dividends, and is closing a $20bn Frontier deal to expand fiber.

These names offer above-market income with identifiable cash-flow levers, but the investment case hinges on CAD/FCF execution, integration of large M&A (Frontier, acquisition synergies) and the sustainability of stated payout ratios as capex and deal activity continue.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Allocate selectively to these above-5% yield names for income, favoring Verizon for the strongest reported free-cash-flow coverage where $15.8bn of FCF covered $8.6bn of dividends in the latest period
• Prefer NNN and VICI for predictable lease-backed and inflation-linked rent exposure while monitoring their ~70%–75% payout ratios and ongoing acquisition activity that will consume retained cash
• Treat Clearway and Oneok as income-plus-growth exposures and size positions to company-level execution risk while watching Clearway’s CAD path (from $2.11 to at least $2.70 by 2027) and Oneok’s delivery on synergies and mid-2028 project timelines
• Monitor upcoming CAD/FCF prints and M&A integration milestones (the $20bn Frontier close and recent $1.2bn sale-leaseback) as primary catalysts or triggers to trim, hedge, or add to positions