(Plus the AI Stock No One Saw Coming)

Real estate might not be everyone’s favorite asset class right now, but smart investors know that REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) can quietly deliver stable, high-yield dividends, even when the market gets messy.

After five years of being the market’s punching bag, REITs are starting to show signs of life. With interest rates possibly peaking and the U.S. dollar cooling off, 2025 could be a turning point. While traditional sectors lag, dividend-focused REITs, especially those with niche focuses like healthcare or cannabis, are catching investor attention again.

Here are three of the best REIT dividend stocks to consider in 2025:

1.   Universal Health Realty Income Trust (UHT) – 7.2% Yield

A 41-year streak of uninterrupted dividend hikes? That is not a fluke.

UHT focuses on healthcare properties, generating strong cash flows and distributing over $10 million to shareholders in Q1 alone. It’s not flashy, but it’s rock-solid.

2.   Arbor Realty Trust (ABR) – 11.49% Yield

Yes, it cut its dividend recently, but ABR is still one of the highest-yielding mortgage REITs around.

Despite pressure from rising rates, its diversified income, from loans to single-family rentals, could stabilize payouts in the months ahead.

3.   Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR) – 13%+ Yield

A cannabis REIT with low debt, high margins, and growing dividends. Even with tenant challenges, it continues to pay out big, thanks to strong fundamentals and a net lease model that keeps expenses low.

And here’s where things get interesting…

What If the Next Great Dividend Play Isn’t a REIT at All?

While most investors are chasing AI chipmakers, a handful of hedge funds are secretly pouring capital into a company that quietly powers the entire AI revolution, literally.

This under-the-radar stock owns critical nuclear infrastructure, helps export U.S. LNG, and sits at the intersection of AI, energy, and tariffs. It’s not just debt-free, it is sitting on a massive cash pile and trading at under 7x earnings. Hedge funds are whispering their name at closed-door summits. Retail investors haven’t caught on yet.