If you're looking for regular income, it's hard to beat dividend-paying stocks. A particularly attractive one is Realty Income (NYSE: O). It's a real estate investment trust (REIT) -- a company that owns lots of real estate and charges its tenants rent.

REITs are required to pay out at least 90% of their taxable earnings as dividends, and Realty Income has been kicking out a lot of income to its shareholders. Its dividend yield was recently 5.3%. Better still, unlike most dividend stocks, it pays its dividend on a monthly basis.

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If you're looking for $500 in monthly income (which is $6,000 per year) from Realty Income stock, you would need to own a bunch of shares. How big a bunch? Well, the stock's most recent monthly dividend per share was $0.2705, to be paid in April.

Therefore, to collect $500, divide $500 by $0.2705, arriving at 1,848.43. Let's round up a bit, to 1,850 shares. At a recent stock price of $60.46, that would cost you $111,851.

Before you spend such a sum on a stock, research it well. For starters, here are some things to know about this particular REIT:

It's a reliable dividend payer. It's paid nearly 670 consecutive monthly dividends and upped its payout 134 times since it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1994.

Its portfolio features more than 15,500 properties in all 50 states and nine European countries, as of the end of 2025.

Some of its top 20 tenants include 7-Eleven, Dollar General, Walgreens, FedEx, Tractor Supply, CVS Health, Home Depot, and Walmart.

It's an efficient cash-generating company, boasting 98.9% occupancy over its portfolio (as of Dec. 31, 2025).

Its business model is quite attractive, featuring "triple-net leases," which have tenants footing the bill for real estate taxes, property insurance, and operating expenses in exchange for generally small rent increases, often around 1%.

Give this stock -- or other compelling dividend payers -- some consideration.

Before you buy stock in Realty Income, consider this:

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Selena Maranjian has positions in Realty Income. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Home Depot, Realty Income, Tractor Supply, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends CVS Health and FedEx and recommends the following options: short April 2026 $55 calls on Tractor Supply. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

How to Earn $500 a Month From Realty Income (O) Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool