If you are on the hunt for yield, the top 10 highest-yielding S&P 500 stocks are a tempting place to look for new ideas. Compared to the less than 1.6% yield offered by investing in an S&P 500 index fund, the average yield of the highest 10 dividend-paying S&P 500 stocks is 6.25%.
The list below includes the 10 highest yielding S&P 500 stocks along with their indicated dividend yield. Click the company name for more information on each stock.
Highest Yielding S&P 500 Stocks
| Company Name | Yield |
| Lumen Technologies (LUMN) | 8.69% |
| Coterra Energy Inc. (CTRA) | 8.27% |
| Altria (MO) | 6.83% |
| Devon Energy Co. (DVN) | 6.63% |
| Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (PXD) | 5.97% |
| Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) | 5.62% |
| Oneok Inc. (OKE) | 5.24% |
| Philip Morris International (PM) | 5.17% |
| International Business Machines (IBM) | 5.04% |
| Williams Cos. (WMB) | 5.03% |
There are some compelling indicated yields on the list, but indicated is the operative word. It is often the case that stocks with the highest indicated dividend yields are also the most likely to cut their dividends.
For example, 4 of the 10 highest yielding S&P 500 stocks at year-end 2016 have since decreased or eliminated their dividends. The average performance of that group of stocks over the following three years was -34%.
The Best Dividend Stocks
Selecting the best dividend stocks isn’t as simple as finding the highest yielding companies. The chart below compares the long-term performance of five different dividend investing strategies.
The first strategy represented by the column to the far right on the chart ranks all U.S. stocks by dividend yield and invests in the highest yielding 10% of stocks. All stocks are re-ranked and the portfolio is reformed annually. The second strategy, represented by the second column in from the right, buys companies in the second 10% or second decile as ranked by yield. The other three portfolios follow suit.
The Best Performing Dividend Investment Strategy
As the dividend strategy chart illustrates, investing in the highest yielding stocks doesn’t deliver the best returns. The best performing dividend investing strategy out of the five shown here is the portfolio that invests in dividend-paying stocks in the third decile ranked by yield.
The actionable investment advice is to look beyond stocks with the juiciest yields. Proper dividend investing should weigh a range of factors. Yield is certainly one consideration, but dividend safety and dividend growth are others that may be even more important.
Young Research’s Retirement Compounders® portfolio is a dividend-based strategy that takes into account dividend yield, dividend growth, dividend consistency, and dividend safety, among other factors. To learn more about a managed solution for the Retirement Compounders® visit younginvestments.com.
The 10 Highest Yielding S&P 500 Stocks
Lumen Technologies (LUMN) • 8.69%
Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LUMN) is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences.
Coterra Energy Inc. (CTRA) • 8.27%
Coterra is a premier exploration and production company based in Houston, Texas with focused operations in the Permian Basin, Marcellus Shale and Anadarko Basin. We strive to be a leading producer, delivering returns with a commitment to sustainability leadership.
Altria (MO) • 6.83%
Altria’s wholly-owned subsidiaries include Philip Morris USA Inc. (PM USA), U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC), John Middleton Co. (Middleton), Sherman Group Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries (Nat Sherman), Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. (Ste. Michelle) and Philip Morris Capital Corporation (PMCC). Altria owns an 80% interest in Helix Innovations LLC (Helix). Altria holds equity investments in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI), JUUL Labs, Inc. (JUUL) and Cronos Group Inc. (Cronos).
Devon Energy (DVN) • 6.63%
Devon Energy is a leading oil and gas producer in the U.S. with a premier multi-basin portfolio headlined by a world-class acreage position in the Delaware Basin. Devon’s disciplined cash-return business model is designed to achieve strong returns, generate free cash flow and return capital to shareholders, while focusing on safe and sustainable operations.
Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) • 5.97%
Pioneer is a large independent oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with operations in the United States.
Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) • 5.62%
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. Our mission is to provide energy transportation and storage services in a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible manner for the benefit of people, communities and businesses. Our vision is delivering energy to improve lives and create a better world. We own an interest in or operate approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 147 terminals. Our pipelines transport natural gas, refined petroleum products, crude oil, condensate, CO2 and other products, and our terminals store and handle various commodities including gasoline, diesel fuel chemicals, ethanol, metals and petroleum coke.
Oneok (OKE) • 5.24%
ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE) is a leading midstream service provider and owner of one of the nation’s premier natural gas liquids (NGL) systems, connecting NGL supply in the Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent and Permian regions with key market centers and an extensive network of natural gas gathering, processing, storage and transportation assets.
Philip Morris International (PM) • 5.17%
Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor and oral nicotine products, which are sold in markets outside the U.S. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of a version of PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 device and consumables as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP), finding that an exposure modification order for these products is appropriate to promote the public health. As of December 31, 2021, PMI’s smoke-free products are available for sale in 71 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 15.3 million adults around the world have already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, in February 2021 PMI announced its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and
deliver innovative products and solutions that aim to address unmet patient and consumer needs.
International Business Machines (IBM) • 5.04%
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a technology company. The Company segments include Cloud & Cognitive Software, Global Business Services (GBS), Systems and Global Financing. The Cloud & Cognitive Software Solutions segment delivers integrated and secure cloud, data and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to its clients. It comprises three business areas: cognitive applications, cloud & data platforms, and transaction processing platforms. The GBS segment provides consulting, business process and application management services. The Global Financing segment is engaged in financing, which is primarily conducted through IBM Credit LLC, and remanufacturing and remarketing. The Systems segment provides clients with infrastructure platforms to help meet the requirements of hybrid multi-cloud and enterprise AI workloads. It also provides telco consulting services and solutions to help communications service providers (CSP) and media on multiple cloud platforms.
Williams Cos. (WMB) • 5.03%
The Williams Companies, Inc., is an energy company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its core business is natural gas processing and transportation, with additional petroleum and electricity generation assets.
