Realty Income Corporation (O) will raise its monthly dividend by another 0.2 percent to $0.236 per share in the third quarter of 2021. This comes after five small increases in 2020 and similar 0.2 percent hikes in Q1 and Q2 of 2021 announced by the Dividend Aristocrat. Realty Income has raised its monthly dividend for 27 years in a row if 2021 is included. Dividend growth is 0.6 percent YTD.

The next Realty Income monthly dividend of $0.236 per share is payable on October 15, 2021 to shareholders of record as of October 1, 2021. A new annualized dividend amount of $2.832 per share for O yields 4.1% at a stock price of $68.

This is the 112th dividend increase since Realty Income's listing on the NYSE in 1994. The ex-dividend date for October's dividend is September 30, 2021. The new monthly dividend represents an annualized dividend amount of $2.832 per share as compared to the current annualized dividend amount of $2.826 per share.

"We remain committed to our company's mission of paying dependable monthly dividends to our shareholders that increase over time," said Sumit Roy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Realty Income. "Our Board of Directors has once again determined that we are able to increase the amount of the monthly dividend to our shareholders, marking the 112th increase since our company's public listing in 1994. With the payment of the October dividend, we will have made 615 consecutive monthly dividend payments throughout our 52-year operating history."

Last year Realty Income hiked its dividend five times for a total increase of 3.1 percent. This completed 26 consecutive years of annual dividend increases by the company. Dividend growth has been slowing down a bit since last year, but Realty Income had periods of slower dividend growth before like in 2014 when the dividend was hiked by only 0.7 percent. The biggest dividend increase was announced in 2013, when Realty hiked its dividend by a total of 20.0 percent. With a 3.1 percent increase Realty Income was growing the dividend faster in 2020 than in 2019.

Currently Realty Income pays an estimated $1.1 billion in dividends to its shareholders annually. .

Realty Income Corporation is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with properties owned under long-term lease agreements with regional and national commercial tenants. The company has tenants active in 48 segments, including Apparel, Automotive tire services, Beverages, Child care, Convenience stores, Dollar stores, Drug stores, Financial services, Food processing, Grocery stores, Health and fitness, Health care, Home improvement, Restaurants-casual dining, Restaurants-quick service, Sporting goods, Theaters, Transportation services and Wholesale club. The company's biggest tenants include Walgreens, 7-Eleven, FedEx, LA Fitness, AMC Theaters and Dollar Tree (including Family Dollar Stores).