High dividend stocks are stocks with a dividend yield well in excess of the market average dividend yield of ~1.3%. We define a high dividend stock as having a current yield above 5%, which is more than four times the S&P 500 average.

High-yield stocks can be very helpful to shore up income after retirement. However, not all high dividend stocks have safe dividend payouts. 

This article will discuss 3 of the safest high dividend stocks now.

Prudential Financial (PRU)

Prudential Financial, now in business for over 140 years, operates in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America, with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM).

The company provides financial products – including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, and investment management.

Prudential operates in four divisions: PGIM (formerly Prudential Investment Management), U.S. Businesses, International Businesses and Corporate & Other.

On April 30th, 2025, Prudential reported first quarter results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, the company reported net income of $707 million, or $1.96 per share, versus net income of $1.138 billion, or $3.12 per share, in the prior year.

Adjusting for investment losses, earnings-per-share of $3.29 compared to $3.05 in the prior year and was $0.11 better than expected. At quarter-end, Prudential held $1.522 trillion in AUM versus $1.496 trillion in the year ago period. Prudential’s adjusted book value per share equaled $96.37 compared to $97.03 in the year ago period.

The company repurchased $250 million worth of shares during the quarter. Prudential has a share repurchase authorization of $1 billion total for 2025.

During the Great Recession, Prudential generated earnings-per-share of $7.31 in 2007 followed by $2.69, $5.58 and $6.27 in 2008 through 2010. It was not until 2014 that earnings finally eclipsed their pre-recession peak. Similarly, the dividend was slashed from $1.15 in 2007 down to $0.58 in 2008 and did not recover until 2010. This sort of cyclicality is certainly possible in the next downturn. Still, the company has a reasonable payout ratio and financial position.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY)

Bristol-Myers Squibb was created when Bristol-Myers and Squibb merged on October 4th, 1989. This leading drug maker of cardiovascular and anti-cancer therapeutics has annual revenues of about $46 billion.

On December 11th, 2024, Bristol-Myers raised its quarterly dividend 3.3% to $0.62.

On April 24th, 2025, Bristol-Myers reported first quarter results for the period ending March 31st, 2025. For the quarter, revenue declined 6% to $11.2 billion, but this was $490 million above estimates.

Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.80 compared to -$4.40 in the prior year and was $0.30 better than expected. The company suffered a steep earnings-per-share loss in Q1 2024.

Adjusting for unfavorable currency exchange, revenue fell 4% for the quarter. U.S. revenues declined 7% to $7.9 billion. International was down 2% to $3.3 billion, but revenue grew 2% when excluding currency exchange.

Revlimid, which treats myeloma, decreased 44% to $936 billion due to generic competition.

Bristol-Myers provided revised guidance for 2025 as well. Adjusted earnings-per-share are projected to be in a range of $6.70 to $6.90 for the year, up from $6.55 to $6.85 previously.

Altria Group (MO)

Altria Group was founded by Philip Morris in 1847. Today, it is a consumer staples giant. It sells the Marlboro cigarette brand in the U.S. and a number of other non-smokeable brands. Altria also has a 10% ownership stake in global beer giant Anheuser Busch InBev, in addition to large stakes in Juul, a vaping products manufacturer and distributor, as well as cannabis company Cronos Group (CRON). 

On April 29, 2025, Altria Group reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2025. The company posted net revenues of $5.26 billion, a 5.7% decline from the same period in 2024, attributed primarily to lower cigarette shipment volumes, which fell by 13.7%. Despite this, adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) rose by 6% year-over-year to $1.23, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.19. 

In the smokeable products segment, net revenues declined by 5.8%, but adjusted operating companies income increased by 1.2%, driven by higher pricing and lower manufacturing costs. The oral tobacco products segment saw a 0.5% increase in net revenues, supported by an 18% rise in on! nicotine pouch shipments, despite a 3.1 percentage point decline in retail share. NJOY consumables experienced a 23.9% increase in shipment volume, while NJOY device shipments plummeted by 70% due to the aforementioned importation ban. 

Altria continued its shareholder return initiatives, repurchasing 5.7 million shares for $326 million and paying $1.7 billion in dividends during the quarter. The company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 adjusted diluted EPS guidance of $5.30 to $5.45, representing a 2% to 5% increase over 2024,

Altria ranks very highly in terms of safety because the company has tremendous competitive advantages. It operates in a highly regulated industry, which virtually eliminates the threat of new competition in the tobacco industry. Altria enjoys strong brands across its product portfolio, including the No. 1 cigarette brand. 

As a result, it has pricing power and brand loyalty. In addition, tobacco companies enjoy low manufacturing and distribution costs, thanks to its economies of scale. This has fueled Altria’s tremendous dividend growth, enabling it to boast an impressive dividend growth streak of 54 years.