10 High Dividend Stocks With Safe Payouts

Published on December 3rd, 2025 by Bob Ciura

High dividend stocks are stocks with a dividend yield well in excess of the market average dividend yield of ~1.3%.

We define a high dividend stock as having a current yield above 5%, which is more than four times the S&P 500 average.

High-yield stocks can be very helpful to shore up income after retirement.

For example, a $120,000 investment in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5% creates an average of $500 a month in dividends.

With that in mind, we have created a free list of over 200 high dividend stocks with dividend yields above 5%.

You can download your copy of the high dividend stocks list below:

However, not all high dividend stocks are equally safe.

There are many examples of high dividend stocks reducing or eliminating their dividends. Overall, despite the positive attributes attached to high dividend stocks, their risk profile can be elevated.

In this article, we discuss the 10 high dividend stocks from our Sure Analysis Research Database with the safest dividends based on their dividend payout ratios.

The 10 safest high dividend stocks below have the lowest dividend payout ratios among all stocks with current yields above 5% and Dividend Risk Scores of ‘C’ or better.

The stocks are listed below according to their payout ratio, in ascending order.

Table of Contents

Safe High Dividend Stock #10: Best Buy Co. (BBY)

Best Buy Co. Inc. is one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in North America with operations in the U.S. and Canada. Best Buy sells consumer electronics, personal computers, software, mobile devices, and appliances, and provides services.

At the end of Q3 FY2026, Best Buy operated 886 Best Buy stores and 18 Best Buy Outlet Centers in the U.S., 20 Pacific Sales Stores, 2 Yardbird Stores, 129 Best Buy stores in Canada, and 28 Best Buy Mobile Stand-Alone Stores in Canada. Best Buy exited its Mexico operations in fiscal 2021.

The company continues to reduce its total store count, a long-term trend. Annual sales exceeded $13.5B in fiscal 2025.

Best Buy reported Q3 FY2026 results on November 25th, 2025. Enterprise revenue increased to $9,672M from $9,445M, and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share increased to $1.40 from $1.26 on a year-over-year basis. GAAP diluted EPS declined to $0.66 from $1.26. Comparable enterprise revenue increased 2.7%.

Domestic revenue gained 2.1% on higher comparable sales in computing, gaming, and mobile phones. Sales were lower for 3 out of 5 categories: Computing and Mobile Phones (+7.6%), Consumer Electronics (2.9%), Appliances (-8.4%), Entertainment (+14.0%), and Services (-1.0%).

Comparable domestic online sales increased +3.5% to $2.82B compared to the prior year. Domestic online sales comprised about 31.8% of total domestic revenue. International segment revenue grew 6.1% to $794M from $748M year-over-year, driven by a 6.4% comparable sales increase in Canada.

Sales were higher in 4 out of 5 categories: Computing and Mobile Phones (+9.2%), Consumer Electronics (+3.6%), Appliances (-4.1%), Entertainment (+11.3%), and Services (+3.9%).

Best Buy raised FY 2026 guidance to revenue of $41.65B to $41.95B and non-GAAP diluted EPS at $6.25 to $6.35.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on BBY (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #9: Eastman Chemical (EMN)

Eastman Chemical is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day.

It serves transportation, consumables, building and construction, animal nutrition, crop protection, energy, personal and home care, amongst other markets.

On November 3rd, 2025, Eastman Chemical reported its Q3 results. For the quarter, sales declined by 11% to $2.20 billion.

Revenue decreased primarily due to a 10% lower sales/volume mix and a 1% lower selling price, reflecting weaker demand in consumer discretionary end markets and continued customer inventory reductions.

Additives & Functional Products sales fell 4%, Advanced Materials declined 7%, Chemical Intermediates declined 16%, and Fibers fell 24%. Adjusted EPS decreased by 50% to $1.14.

Management emphasized strong execution on cash generation, delivering $402 million in operating cash flow (roughly in line with last year) supported by about $200 million in inventory reduction and continued cost-cutting efforts.

The company remains on track to achieve more than $75 million in net cost reductions this year and an additional $100 million in 2026.

Despite the challenging macroeconomic and trade environment, Eastman continues to focus on cash flow discipline, structural cost reductions, and progress in its circular economy initiatives.

Looking ahead, management expects 2025 adjusted EPS between $5.40 and $5.65 and operating cash flow approaching $1 billion, aided by cost savings, stable pricing, and a ramp-up in Renew rPET volumes.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on EMN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #8: Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)

Enterprise Products Partners was founded in 1968. It is structured as a Master Limited Partnership, or MLP, and operates as an oil and gas storage and transportation company.

Enterprise Products has a tremendous asset base which consists of nearly 50,000 miles of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, and refined products pipelines. It also has storage capacity of more than 250 million barrels. These assets collect fees based on materials transported and stored.

On October 30, 2025, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. reported third-quarter 2025 results showing earnings per common unit of $0.61, missing the analyst consensus of approximately $0.68. Revenue for the quarter declined by about 12.7% year-over-year to $12.02 billion, but still slightly exceeded expectations around $11.83 billion.

Management cited headwinds from lower NGL and commodity service volumes, softer offshore export activity and modest mark-to-market hedging impacts, which weighed on net income despite stable downstream processing margins and strong midstream flows.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on EPD (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #7: Edison International (EIX)

Edison International is a renewable energy company that is active in energy generation and distribution. Edison International also operates an energy services and a technologies business. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Rosemead, CA.

On October 28, 2025, Edison International (EIX) reported third-quarter 2025 results with GAAP earnings of $2.16 per share and core earnings of $2.34 per share, up from $1.33 and $1.51 respectively a year earlier.

Net income attributable to common shareholders was $832 million, compared to $516 million in Q3 2024. Operating revenue increased about 10.6% year-over-year to $5.75 billion, while operating expenses were held to a lower rise of 2.7%; purchased power and fuel costs notably fell about 10.4%.

For full-year 2025, Edison narrowed its core EPS guidance to a range of $5.95 to $6.20, and reaffirmed its medium-term target of 5-7% annual core EPS growth through 2028.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on EIX (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #6: United Bancorp (UBCP)

United Bancorp a financial holding company based in the United States, operating primarily through its wholly-owned subsidiary, United Bank.

The company offers a wide range of banking services including retail and commercial banking, mortgage lending, and investment services.

Some of its other solutions include checking and savings accounts, personal and business loans, as well as wealth management.

It generated $39.5 million in total interest income last year, and is based in Martins Ferry, Ohio. On August 21st, 2025, United Bancorp raised its dividend by 4.2% (YoY) to a quarterly rate of $0.1850, marking the 19th consecutive sequential (QoQ) increase.

On November 6th, 2025, United Bancorp reported its Q3 results for the period ending September 30th, 2025. The company announced total interest income of $10.6 million, representing a 7.0% year-over-year increase.

This growth was primarily supported by higher loan yields and a 4.5% expansion in gross loans to $496.5 million, as well as new investments in municipal securities at favorable yields.

Net interest income rose 9.6% to $6.7 million, driven by a 16 basis-point expansion in the net interest margin to 3.66%.

Total interest expense rose modestly by 2.7%, with interest expense to average assets rising by 3 basis points year-over-year to 1.80%.

Despite a higher provision for credit losses, which grew to $186,000 from $70,000 last year, net income improved to $1.93 million, up 6.1% year-over-year.

EPS was $0.34, marking a 9.7% increase from the prior year’s $0.31, reflecting continued balance sheet growth, disciplined expense management, and stable credit quality.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on UBCP (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #5: Franklin Resources (BEN)

Franklin Resources offers investment management (which makes up the bulk of fees the company collects) and related services to its customers, including sales, distribution, and shareholder servicing.

As of September 30th, 2025, assets under management (AUM) totaled $1.661 trillion. On July 31st, 2020, Franklin Resources acquired Legg Mason (previous ticker LM) for $4.5 billion in cash, to go along with the assumption of $2 billion in debt.

On November 7th, 2025, Franklin Resources reported fourth quarter 2025 results. Total assets under management equaled $1.661 trillion, up $49 billion sequentially, as a result of $54 billion of net market change, distributions, and other, and $7.2 billion of cash management net inflows, partly offset by $11.9 billion of long-term net outflows.

For the quarter, operating revenue totaled $2.344 billion, up 6% year-over-year. On an adjusted basis, net income equaled $358 million or $0.67 per share, up 14% from $0.59 in Q4 2024. During Q4, Franklin repurchased 2.6 million shares of stock for $67 million.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on BEN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #4: Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY)

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a leading drug maker of cardiovascular and anti-cancer therapeutics, and has annual revenues of about $46 billion.

On October 30th, 2025, Bristol-Myers reported third quarter results for the period ending September 30th, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 2.8% to $12.2 billion, which was $420 million above estimates. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.63 compared unfavorably to $1.80 in the prior year, but this was $0.11 more than expected.

Excluding currency exchange, sales were up 2%. U.S. revenues grew 1% to $8.3 billion. International grew 6% to $3.9 billion, but revenue was up 3% when excluding currency exchange.

Eliquis, which prevents blood clots, grew 25% to $3.75 billion as demand was strong for the product. Eliquis remains the top oral anticoagulant outside of the U.S. and generated more than $13 billion in revenue for 2024, which was a 9% increase from the prior year.

Opdivo, which treats cancers such as advanced renal carcinoma, was higher by 7% to $2.5 billion as global demand remains high.

Bristol-Myers provided revised guidance for 2025 as well. Adjusted earnings-per-share are now projected to be in a range of $6.40 to $6.60 for the year.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on BMY (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #3: Prudential Financial (PRU)

Prudential Financial, now in business for over 140 years, operates in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America, with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM).

The company provides financial products – including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, and investment management.

Prudential operates in four divisions: PGIM (formerly Prudential Investment Management), U.S. Businesses, International Businesses and Corporate & Other.

On October 29th, 2025, Prudential reported third results. For the quarter, the company reported net income of $1.43 billion, or $4.01 per share, versus net income of $448 million, or $1.24 per share, in the prior year.

After-tax adjusted operating income totaled $1.521 billion, or $4.26 per share, compared to $1.208 billion, or $3.33 per share. Adjusted EPS was $0.54 better than expected.

At quarter-end, Prudential held $1.612 trillion in AUM versus $1.558 trillion in the year ago period. Prudential’s adjusted book value per share equaled $99.25 compared to $98.71 in the year ago period.

The company repurchased $250 million worth of shares during the quarter. Prudential has a total share repurchase authorization of $1 billion total for 2025.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on PRU (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #2: Sonoco Products (SON)

Sonoco Products provides packaging, industrial products and supply chain services to its customers. The markets that use the company’s products include those in the appliances, electronics, beverage, construction and food industries.

The company generates more than $5 billion in annual sales. Sonoco Products is now composed of 2 major segments, Consumer Packaging, and Industrial Packaging, with all other businesses listed as “All Other”.

On October 22nd, 2025, Sonoco Products reported third quarter results for the period ending September 28th, 2025. For the quarter, revenue grew 57.8% to $2.13 billion, but this was $20 million below expectations. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.92 compared to $1.49 in the prior year, but this was $0.01 below estimates.

Revenues and earnings once again benefited from the addition of Eviosys. For the quarter, Consumer Packaging revenues were up 117% to $1.44 billion, mostly due to contributions from Eviosys. Results were also aided by price increases that were implemented to offset tariffs and favorable currency exchange rates.

Industrial Paper Packing sales were unchanged at $585 million as price increases were offset by weaker volume following two plant divestitures in China last year. All Other grew 1% to $108 million as volume gains in temperature-assured packaging was only partially offset by lower volume in industrial plastics.

Sonoco Products provided an updated outlook for 2025 as well, with the company now expecting adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $5.65 to $5.75 for the year, down from ~$6.00 previously.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SON (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Safe High Dividend Stock #1: AES Corp. (AES)

AES is a utility stock with businesses in 14 countries and a portfolio of approximately 152 generation facilities. AES produces power through various fuel types, such as gas, renewables, coal, and oil/diesel.

The company has approximately 34,000 Gross MW in operation. In 2024, AES produced $12.3 billion in revenues.

AES Corporation reported third quarter results on November 4th, 2025, for the period ending September 30, 2025. Adjusted EPS increased 5.6% to $0.75 for Q3 2025, which missed analyst estimates by two cents.

Year-to-date, the company completed construction of 2.9 GW of energy storage, solar and wind, and signed or awarded new long-term PPAs for 2.2 GW of renewables.

The company constructed and acquired 3 GW of renewable energy in 2024, as well as constructed a 670 MW combined cycle gas plant in Panama. In 2025, it expects to add 3.2 GW of new projects in operation, of which 2.9 GW is complete.

Leadership maintained its 2025 guidance, expecting adjusted EPS of $2.10 to $2.26 for the full fiscal year.

Additionally, the company reaffirms its expectation it can grow EPS on average 7% to 9% through 2025 from a base year of 2020. It also expects annual EPS growth of 7% to 9% from 2023 through 2027.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on AES (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Additional Reading

If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks and/or other high-yield securities and income securities, the following Sure Dividend resources will be useful:

High-Yield Individual Security Research

And see the resources below for more compelling investment ideas for dividend growth stocks and/or high-yield investment securities.