AGNC's 75-Month Dividend Streak Leads 3 Ultra-High-Yield Stocks Yielding Over 13.5% for August

The Quick Take

• AGNC Investment has maintained its current dividend for 75 consecutive months, making it one of the most reliable ultra-high-yield dividend payers in the U.S. market
• Three dividend stocks offering ultra-high yields — with at least one yielding over 13.5% — are highlighted as August buying opportunities for income investors
• Ultra-high yields above 10% typically signal either exceptional income generation or elevated payout risk, requiring careful fundamentals screening before purchase

AGNC Investment Corp., a mortgage REIT (mREIT) that invests in agency-backed mortgage securities, has now paid its current dividend level for 75 consecutive months — an unusual track record for an asset class notorious for dividend cuts during rate cycles. The Nasdaq and Motley Fool coverage highlights AGNC alongside two other ultra-high-yield names as August 2026 buying opportunities for income investors. With yields above 13.5%, AGNC compensates investors generously for taking on interest rate spread risk, as the company's earnings are tied to the differential between borrowing costs and agency MBS yields.

Ultra-high dividend yields above 10% are often value traps if the yield reflects a depressed share price after a fundamentals deterioration rather than genuine excess cash generation. However, mREITs like AGNC have a structurally high yield profile by design: they pass through substantially all income to shareholders as dividends under REIT tax treatment. The 75-month dividend consistency record suggests that AGNC's portfolio of agency-guaranteed mortgage securities has provided sufficient income stability through both the COVID-era low-rate environment and the subsequent rate hike cycle. Investors seeking income diversification beyond corporate bonds may find mREIT yields attractive if they understand the interest rate duration risk.

Investors should assess whether the elevated yields on these three stocks reflect genuine income generation or compressed principal value before committing capital. For AGNC specifically, the key risk metrics are book value per share (which declines when interest rates rise, compressing the price) and the dividend coverage ratio (net investment income divided by declared dividends). The macro variable is Fed rate trajectory: mREIT spreads widen when short-term borrowing costs fall while long-term agency MBS yields remain elevated, directly boosting earnings and dividend coverage.

Synthesized from 2 sources.