3 High-Yield Stocks Beating the Market Slump That You Can Still Buy Hand Over Fist

When you see the major market indexes slide even lower, it might seem as if every stock is falling. Granted, many stocks have declined year to date. However, there are plenty of exceptions.

Income investors should especially find some of the outliers attractive. Here are three high-yield stocks beating the market slump that you can still buy hand over fist.

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1. Enbridge

Shares of Calgary-based energy company Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) are up roughly 6% year to date while the S&P 500 has sunk into a correction. This market-beating performance is even more impressive considering that the Trump administration has levied tariffs on energy products imported from Canada to the U.S.

Enbridge operates an extensive network of pipelines that transport oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Canada and the U.S. It owns the largest gas utility in North America, serving around 7 million customers in Ohio, Ontario, North Carolina, and Utah. The company also has wind, solar, and geothermal power generation facilities in Canada and the U.S.

Income investors should like Enbridge's forward dividend yield of 5.91%. They'll probably love the company's dividend track record: Enbridge has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years.

This energy leader also has solid growth prospects. Enbridge pegs its growth opportunities through 2030 at roughly $50 billion, with its gas transmission business offering especially great growth potential.

2. Realty Income

You might expect real estate investment trusts (REITs) to respond negatively to the Fed's hesitation in lowering interest rates. That isn't the case for Realty Income (NYSE: O), though. This top REIT's shares have jumped almost 9% in 2025.

Much of Realty Income's appeal stems from its diversified tenant base. The company owns over 15,600 properties in the U.S., U.K. and six European countries. It leases those properties to 1,565 clients representing 89 industries. Realty Income's tenants include leaders such as 7-Eleven, Chick-fil-A, Dollar General, FedEx, Lowe's, and Walmart.

One thing that jumps out with Realty Income is its stability. Roughly 91% of its total rent is relatively resilient to economic downturns. The REIT has never delivered a negative operational return in its history.

Another eye-catcher with Realty Income is its dividend. The REIT calls itself "The Monthly Dividend Company" and even registered the trademark. Realty Income's forward dividend yield stands at 5.56%. The company has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years with an average annual growth of 4.3%.

3. Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is another high-yield stock defying the overall market sell-off. Shares of the telecommunications giant are up around 7% year to date -- more than Verizon gained in all of 2024.

One key reason behind Verizon's outperformance is that its business is booming. The company added almost 1 million postpaid mobile and broad subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2024. Those were its best quarterly numbers in more than 10 years. Verizon also posted wireless service revenue in Q4 of $20 billion, setting the pace for the entire industry.

Many investors might not view Verizon as an AI company, but it's becoming one. Verizon offers solutions that connect data centers. The company is working with Nvidia to integrate GPU-based edge platforms with its 5G private networks. Verizon and Alphabet's Google Cloud unit have teamed up to deploy advanced AI technology for network maintenance and anomaly detection. Major AI companies such as Google and Facebook parent Meta Platforms have bought some of Verizon's excess network capacity to use for their AI processing.

Then there's the dividend. Verizon is a longtime favorite among income investors for good reason. Its forward dividend yield currently tops 6.3%. The company has also increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years.

Should you invest $1,000 in Enbridge right now?

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Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keith Speights has positions in Alphabet, Enbridge, Lowe's Companies, Meta Platforms, Realty Income, and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Enbridge, FedEx, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, Realty Income, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Lowe's Companies and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.