
One of the most popular real estate investment trusts (REITs) among institutional and retail investors is Realty Income Corp (NYSE:O), and for good reason. The stock has produced a total return of 7.48% over the past 12 months compared to -0.3% for the S&P 500.
The company is also one of only a few REITs that pays a monthly dividend and it currently has an attractive yield of 4.34%.