Which of These 3 Dividend Stocks Is Best?

Investing in dividend stocks is an easy way for investors to pad their overall returns, and they can also help offset bad years -- as long as the businesses are strong and profitable, their dividends should remain safe. The three stocks listed below are good long-term investments even without their dividends, making them attractive dividend stocks to buy and hold.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is still growing in interesting ways, but it's also a mature company that is past its high-growth years, which is why it can afford to pay a dividend. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) offers a slightly higher dividend than Microsoft, but at 1.5% it too falls short of even the S&P 500. Brookfield Property Partners (NASDAQ: BPY) is the highest-yielding dividend stock on this list. The company's dividend of $0.33 per quarter translates to a 6.7% annual dividend yield. It's appealing to gravitate to the high yield that Brookfield offers, but Microsoft may be the better overall stock for dividend investors who want to maximize their total returns.

Source: NASDAQ

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