7 High-Yield Dividend Stocks for Massive Passive Income in 2025

The last few years have been rough for United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) shareholders. The total return for UPS stock in the last three years is a negative 34%. The company has been battered by labor negotiations with the Teamsters union and fewer discretionary purchases by consumers. 

However, through it all, UPS has continued to deliver for income investors in the way that matters most: a dividend. As of December 31, 2024, the stock has a 5.21% dividend yield. The company has also increased its dividend by an average annual rate of over 17% in the last three years.  

The UPS dividend payout ratio was 98%. Income-oriented investors like to see high payout ratios, but a number above 80% is sometimes seen as dangerously high. However, on the company’s last earnings call in October, CEO Carol Tome reiterated that UPS was committed to paying and growing its dividend—which it has done for 15 consecutive years—explaining it would grow earnings to lower the payout ratio. 

Many investors are wondering if 2025 is going to be the year that energy stocks have their long-awaited breakout. But if you’ve been investing in Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB), you already did well in 2024. That's because ENB stock posted a total return of around 24%. A good bit of that return comes from the company’s dividend, which yields 6.34% (as of December 31, 2024). 

The Canadian midstream company owns and operates pipelines across the United States and Canada. But the bigger story in 2025 is the company’s position as the largest natural gas utility in North America. More significantly, the company operates in markets where the population is growing as is the need for supplying power to data centers.  

That means Enbridge has a reliable business model that generates significant cash flow. The company expects its cash flow to increase by between 3% and 5% in the next few years. It currently uses about 70% of that cash flow to grow its dividend, which it has increased for 30 consecutive years.  

Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) is another high-yield dividend energy stock to consider. ET has delivered a total return of over 52% in 2024 and has a dividend yield of 6.6% (as of December 31, 2024).  

Like Enbridge, Energy Transfer is a midstream company with pipelines throughout the United States and Canada.  And, like Enbridge, Energy Transfer has an attractive portfolio of natural gas pipelines, which it has been adding to through strategic acquisitions in the last few years. That pipeline will likely give the company a tailwind, particularly during what is expected to be a cold start to the new year in much of the Northeast and Great Lakes regions.  

Analysts are projecting double-digit earnings growth for Energy Transfer in the next 12 months. That may not be factored into the company’s stock price, which has a consensus price target of $20.55.  

Not only does Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) have one of the highest dividend yields of the stocks on this list at 7.86% with a payout per share of $4.08, but it has also increased its dividend for 56 consecutive years, making it a Dividend King. In 2024, MO stock delivered shareholders a total return of over 36%. 

The company is well known for its smokable and oral tobacco products, notably under the Marlboro brand name. However, Altria is in the process of pivoting to smokeless products, which are showing increased demand. 

Whatever form its products take, the company has demonstrated a sustainable business model that should allow it to maintain its revenue and earnings. That makes the company’s dividend sustainable as well. With an average annual growth rate of over 4% in the last three years, investors can expect the returns in MO stock to outpace the rate of inflation.  

The financial sector is another good place to look for high-yield dividend stocks, and where we found Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC). Truist is a regional bank that does business in 15 states, mostly in the mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.  

In 2024, TFC stock delivered a total return of 21%. That’s below the average of the S&P 500 as well as the best-performing regional banks. However, there are reasons for that, which are likely to become more favorable in 2025.  

First, Truist’s revenue was lower in 2024 due to the sale of its insurance business. But that is now behind the company, and investors should expect to see improvements in 2025 and beyond. The same may be true for the bank’s loan portfolio, which is showing a year-over-year decline in demand. However, if the Trump administration is successful at lowering corporate taxes and regulations, demand on the commercial side is likely to increase.  

Truist's dividend yield is 4.78%, and it has increased its dividend payout in each of the last 13 years.  

Because of their business structure, real estate investment trusts (REITs) can be attractive choices among high-yield dividend stocks. One name to consider is Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ: GLPI), the nation’s first gaming-oriented REIT. 

When investing in REITs, it’s important to understand the underlying business model. In the case of GLPI, the company focuses on gaming operators with triple-net lease arrangements. This means that the company’s tenants are responsible for all costs related to the leased property (e.g. facility maintenance, insurance) in addition to rent. 

At the end of 2024, the company’s pipeline included 66 properties in 20+ states, valued at over $2 billion. GLPI has operated at 100% capacity since its inception, and most of the company’s current leases were negotiated with higher interest rates. Analysts believe the company will benefit from sticky capitalization rates in the sector, even in a lower interest rate environment.  

Gaming and Leisure Properties pays a quarterly dividend with a 6.35% yield, which has been growing at an average annualized rate of 5.7% in the last three years.  

Precious metals, and gold in particular, are expected to outperform the market again in 2025. Despite its penny stock status, B2Gold Corp. (NYSE: BTG) is a high-yield dividend stock to consider in this sector. As of December 31, BTG stock had a dividend yield of 6.53% and has increased its dividend at an average rate of over 13% in the last three years. 

BTG stock delivered a negative total return of over 17% in the last year. However, some of that loss is due to geopolitical concerns in the African country of Mali, where B2G generates over 50% of its revenue. Nevertheless, the company has a solid balance sheet with $430 million in cash on hand and approximately $200 million in debt.  

Analysts are forecasting earnings growth of over 90% in the next 12 months, which makes this a solid example of a stock that could be due for significant share price growth.