3 No-Brainer Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now

Motley Fool spotlights three dividend names—Evergy, Prudential Financial and Realty Income—each offering attractive yields and multi‑year dividend growth. Evergy (EVRG) yields about 3.8%, has increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years (including a 4% hike last month), serves ~1.7m Kansas/Missouri customers and cites a sizable backlog of data‑center power contracts as a long‑term growth driver despite 2025 weather headwinds. Prudential (PRU) yields ~4.7%, manages roughly $1.6 trillion AUM, has raised dividends for 17 years, reported record adjusted EPS in Q3 2025, trades at a low forward P/E (~7.8) with a ~73% payout ratio and is targeting margin improvement and retiree‑focused product growth. Realty Income (O) yields ~5.7%, has grown its payout for 30 years (113 quarters), owns 15,542 properties (~$61bn) across nine countries, pays monthly dividends and offers a low‑volatility REIT exposure with meaningful expansion opportunities internationally—making the three stocks a mix of income, defensive volatility profiles and differentiated growth levers for income‑oriented allocators.

Analysis

Evergy offers a 3.8% forward dividend yield and has raised its payout for 22 consecutive years, including a 4% increase announced last month. The utility serves roughly 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri and reports one of the largest U.S. backlogs for large power customers driven by state tax incentives for data centers; management noted cooler-than-normal summer weather as a headwind in Q2–Q3 2025. Prudential manages about $1.6 trillion of AUM, yields ~4.7%, and has grown its dividend for 17 consecutive years; it reported record-high adjusted EPS in Q3 2025 with growth across every business and trades at a low forward P/E of ~7.8. The company’s payout ratio is ~73%, and upside rests on margin improvement and successful expansion into retiree-focused products amid year-to-date share underperformance versus a market up 17%. Realty Income yields ~5.7%, has increased dividends for 30 consecutive years (113 quarters), and owns 15,542 properties valued at $61 billion with 1,647 tenants across 92 industries. The REIT’s monthly dividend, low beta (~0.5) and cited $14 trillion addressable market (about $8.5 trillion in Europe) support a defensive income allocation, while total-return upside depends on property-valuation trends and international expansion execution; disclosures note analyst and Motley Fool positions and that Evergy was not on the Stock Advisor top-10 list.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Consider a modest tactical allocation to Evergy for a stable dividend (3.8%) and data-center backlog exposure, but size positions conservatively and monitor backlog conversion milestones and seasonal/weather impacts
• Consider Prudential as a value-oriented, high-yield candidate given its 4.7% yield, low forward P/E (~7.8) and record Q3 adjusted EPS, while actively watching the ~73% payout ratio and management's execution on margin and retiree-product initiatives
• Allocate to Realty Income for a defensive, monthly-income sleeve given a 5.7% yield, 30 years of dividend growth and low volatility, but monitor property valuations and progress on European expansion as key catalysts or risks
• Diversify exposure across the three names to capture distinct levers (utility backlog, financials turnaround, REIT stability) and rebalance on quarterly results or any material change to dividend guidance
• Validate recommendations against independent valuation and stress-test dividend sustainability before increasing exposure, noting the author/Firm disclosures and Evergy's omission from the Stock Advisor top-10 list