Dividend-paying stocks that combine healthy balance sheets with hefty yields can provide investors with steady incomes, cushion against market downturns, and grow investments at a healthy clip. In April 2024, the top-performing dividend payers included leisure company Hasbro HAS, independent power producer NRG Energy NRG, and regulated gas company UGI UGI.
To find the month’s 10 best-performing income-focused stocks, we screened the Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index, which tracks the performance of the 100 highest-yielding stocks from a broad basket of consistent dividend payers.
The Top-Performing US Dividend Leaders of April 2024
- Hasbro HAS
- NRG Energy NRG
- UGI UGI
- Philip Morris International PM
- Avista AVA
- Pioneer Natural Resources PXD
- Southern Company SO
- 3M MMM
- OGE Energy OGE
- Chevron CVX
How Have Dividend Stocks Performed?
Over the past month, the Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index, which captures the 100 highest-yielding names, fell 3.4%. The broad Morningstar Dividend Composite Index lost 3.6%. In the 12 months leading up to April 30, the Dividend Leaders Index gained 9.2%, while the Dividend Composite Index gained 13.3%.