Just been looking at dividend stocks with monthly payouts, and there's something interesting happening in the REIT space right now. Two names keep coming up in conversations - EPR Properties and Realty Income - and honestly, they're worth paying attention to if you're building passive income streams.

EPR Properties caught my eye because they just bumped their monthly dividend up by 5.1%, which pushed their yield above 6%. That's solid. What's notable is that this acceleration came after they grew their funds from operations per share by the same percentage. They're not just talking about growth either - the company's planning to drop $400-500 million into new experiential properties this year (movie theaters, golf resorts, theme parks). That's a meaningful jump from $288.5 million last year.

The structure is pretty straightforward. They lease properties to operators under long-term net leases, which means tenants handle maintenance and taxes. Stable income model. They're paying out roughly 70% of FFO in dividends and reinvesting the rest, which is a healthy balance. Management expects FFO per share growth to exceed 5% again this year, so dividend increases should keep coming.

Then there's Realty Income. This one's basically built its entire reputation on consistency. They've raised their dividend every single quarter for the last 113 quarters straight. That's over 28 years of uninterrupted increases. Current yield sits at 4.9%. They're diversified across retail, industrial, gaming - all properties backed by long-term net leases with major companies.

What stands out is the scale of their investment program. They deployed $6.3 billion last year and are targeting at least $8 billion in 2026. With a $14 trillion total addressable market, they've got plenty of runway. Management's guiding for nearly 3% FFO per share growth at the midpoint, which should support continued monthly dividend increases. They maintain a 75% payout ratio, so they're funding growth through retained cash flow and their balance sheet.

If you're looking for stocks with monthly dividends that actually grow over time, these two are worth digging into. Both REITs have solid 2026 outlooks and the monthly payout structure means you're getting income distributed consistently throughout the year rather than quarterly lump sums. That alignment with monthly expenses is actually pretty useful for income planning.