9 Highest Dividend Paying Stocks

AT&T Inc.

AT&T Inc.

AT&T is valued at about $150 billion right now, and that's after the spinoff of its major stake in Warner Bros.

Williams Cos. Inc.

Dividend yield (MRD): 5.6%

The roughly $36 billion Williams is not a particularly iconic energy company, in part because it's a different flavor of stock with a focus on midstream operations.

Devon Energy Corp.

Another high-yield energy stock in the S&P 500 at present is the $35 billion Devon, an Oklahoma-based independent oil and gas exploration firm. Operating exclusively in the U.S., DVN owns and operates more than 5,100 wells nationwide.

Dividend yield (TTM): 6.2%

ONEOK Inc.

Dividend yield (TTM): 6.6%

The company operates some 17,500 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, 1,500 miles of interstate pipelines and a few dozen storage terminals and processing facilities. The highly regulated nature of this business and the capital hurdles to competition means that it's not likely OKE will see any major disruptions to its bottom line – or its dividend – anytime soon.

Simon Property Group Inc.

Simon is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, meaning it's a class of publicly traded stock that gets special tax treatment for its property-heavy business and in exchange must deliver 90% of its taxable income back to shareholders. That provides a mandate for big dividends.

Dividend yield (MRD): 6.8%

Kinder Morgan Inc.

Dividend yield (TTM): 6.5%

Kinder Morgan, Inc. is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. The company specializes in owning and controlling oil and gas pipelines and terminals. Kinder Morgan owns an interest in or operates approximately 83,000 mi of pipelines and 143 terminals.

Vornado Realty Trust

Vornado Realty Trust

Real estate operator Vornado barely makes it into the S&P 500 index with a valuation of just $6 billion or so at present. But while it's not one of the best-known S&P 500 dividends stocks, its worth a look because of its stable business and long-term income potential.

Dividend yield (TTM): 7.2%

Altria Group Inc.

Altria Group Inc.

Dividend yield (TTM): 8.3%

Altria is the U.S. arm of what used to be Philip Morris before its 2008 spinout. It sells top cigarette brand Marlboro, as well as cigars under the Black & Mild nameplate and smokeless tobacco products including Copenhagen and Skoal.

Lumen Technologies Inc.

Dividend yield (TTM): 8.8%

Only valued at about $12 billion, Lumen is a smaller telecom stock than the more recognizable names in the S&P 500 index. Still, its one of the top dividend stocks in the index from a yield perspective, with its 25-cent quarterly dividend per share delivering an annual yield that is north of 8% right now.