Top Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yield to Safeguard Your Portfolio

An updated edition of the Aug. 18, 2025, article.

In a market where inflation is finally cooling, interest rates are easing, and geopolitical tensions continue to simmer in the background, investors are becoming more selective about where to put their money. With valuations running high across much of the market, the focus in 2025 has shifted toward something more dependable — companies that generate steady cash and actually return it to shareholders. That’s where shareholder yield stands out. By looking at dividends, net share buybacks, and debt reduction together, this metric offers a clearer picture of how committed a company is to rewarding investors — not just today, but over the long run.

This approach is gaining even more relevance in this year’s macro environment. After several years of rate hikes, inflation has eased enough for central banks to begin trimming rates again. Companies that tightened their belts and paid down debt during the tough years are now benefiting from lower financing costs and stronger balance sheets. This leaves them with more room to boost buybacks and dividends.

At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty, trade disruptions, and elevated stock prices have made investors hesitant about chasing growth at any cost. In that setting, reliable cash returns offer a welcome source of stability.

Researches consistently show that shareholder-yield strategies tend to outperform traditional high-dividend approaches. And it’s easy to see why — a high dividend alone doesn’t guarantee disciplined capital management. A company could be issuing new shares in the background or taking on more debt — moves that dilute long-term value.

When dividends are paired with genuine share count reduction and responsible deleveraging, investors get a truer sense of whether management is actually working in their favor. The debt-paydown component is especially important in 2025, after years of costly borrowing. Cutting debt not only reduces interest expenses but also strengthens a company’s resilience when economic conditions get choppy.

For investors reassessing their portfolio strategy this year, high-quality shareholder-yield names offer a strong blend of offense and defense. They provide consistent returns, help cushion volatility, and often reflect management teams that take a long-term view instead of chasing short-term earnings boosts. These four stocks — CION Investment Corporation CION, Invesco IVZ, TPG RE Finance Trust TRTX and W.P. Carey WPC — share key hallmarks, namely healthy payouts, thoughtful balance-sheet management and a clear commitment to shareholder value. For investors looking to protect their portfolios without sacrificing total-return potential, these shareholder-yield leaders deserve serious consideration.Our Shareholder Yield Screen makes it easy to identify high-potential stocks at any given time — just like the ones mentioned above.

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4 Top Stocks With Impressive Shareholder Yield

CION Investment stands out as a strong candidate for high shareholder yield due to its attractive dividend payments, consistent share buybacks and effective debt management. The company offers a competitive dividend yield of around 14.17%.

CION has increased its dividend payout seven times in the past five years, reflecting an annualized dividend growth rate of 8.32%. The payout ratio of 81% indicates that the company is paying less than its income, which is sustainable over the long term. This also reflects that CION is keeping funds for better investment opportunities. The company has also repurchased shares worth $12 million in the first nine months of 2025.

CION’s shareholder yield remains impressive, making it a compelling choice for investors seeking a combination of income and capital appreciation while benefiting from disciplined capital allocation.

CION currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and a Zacks Value Score of ‘A’, implying strong upside potential for the stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Invesco offers a wide range of investment products and services. With a dividend yield of 3.57%, IVZ provides investors with a steady income stream. The company has increased its dividend payout six times over the past five years, reflecting an annualized dividend growth rate of 7.01%. The payout ratio of 44% indicates that the company is paying less than its income, which is sustainable over the long term. This also reflects that Invesco is keeping funds for better investment opportunities.

Invesco also focuses on reducing its leverage, which ensures long-term financial stability. IVZ reduced its long-term debt from $10.08 billion in the second quarter of 2025 to $9.94 billion in the third quarter of 2025. In the first nine months of 2025, the company repurchased 4.4 million common shares for $75 million in the open market.

Invesco currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 and a Zacks Value Score of ‘B’, implying solid growth for the stock.

TPG RE Finance Trust is another strong candidate for high shareholder yield due to its attractive dividend payments, consistent share buybacks and effective debt management. The company offers a competitive dividend yield of around 10.73%.

TRTX has increased its dividend payout three times over the past five years, reflecting an annualized dividend growth rate of 2.84%. TRTX has been reducing its outstanding debt over the past few years. The company reduced its long-term debt from $3.71 billion in 2021 to $2.83 billion in third-quarter 2025. The company has also repurchased shares worth $25 million in the first nine months of 2025.

TRTX’s shareholder yield remains impressive, making it a compelling choice for investors seeking a combination of income and capital appreciation while benefiting from disciplined capital allocation.

TRTX currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 and a Zacks Value Score of ‘C’, implying modest upside potential for the stock.

W.P. Carey stands out as a strong candidate for high shareholder yield due to its attractive dividend payments, consistent share buybacks and effective debt management. The company offers a competitive dividend yield of around 5.38%.

Although WPC has a negative annualized dividend growth rate of 4.78%, it has increased its dividend payout 20 times over the past five years. The payout ratio of 74% indicates that the company is paying less than its income, which is sustainable over the long term. This also reflects that W.P. Carey is keeping funds for better investment opportunities.

WPC’s shareholder yield remains impressive, making it a compelling choice for investors seeking a combination of income and capital appreciation while benefiting from disciplined capital allocation.

WPC currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2 and a Zacks Value Score of ‘D’, implying moderate upside potential for the stock.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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