2 Tariff-Proof Retail Stocks to Buy Now

By Reuben Gregg Brewer – Mar 5, 2026 at 6:35AM ESTKey PointsRealty Income is a giant retail landlord with a 30-year history of dividend increases.Agree Realty is a U.S.-focused retail landlord that's been growing quickly.Fast-changing tariffs are a headache for retailers, consumer product companies, and consumers. However, at the end of the day, people will keep shopping. There are simple necessities to buy, and life's niceties are always enticing, regardless of price. Still, here are two dividend stocks that don't really care all that much about tariffs. Image source: Getty Images. 1. Realty Income is a net lease giant Realty Income (O 0.77%) generates roughly 80% of its rents from single-tenant retail properties. It uses a net lease approach, meaning its tenants are responsible for most property-level operating costs. With more than 15,500 properties, the risk presented by any one asset is very low. The consistency of the real estate investment trust's (REIT's) business model is highlighted by its 31 consecutive annual dividend increases. The big story here with regard to tariffs, however, is that they just aren't a big issue. Realty Income's lessees have to deal with the impact of tariffs on the products and services sold by the stores occupying the REIT's buildings. And given that Realty Income doesn't pay for property-level expenses, it is even protected from tariffs that could increase maintenance costs. With an attractive 4.8% dividend yield, income-focused investors looking to reduce their tariff risk would do well to take a look at Realty Income. ExpandNYSE: ORealty IncomeToday's Change(-0.77%) $-0.52Current Price$66.05Key Data PointsMarket Cap$62BDay's Range$65.32 - $66.4552wk Range$50.71 - $67.94Volume126Avg Vol6.7MGross Margin48.73%Dividend Yield4.90% 2. Agree Realty offers more growth The one notable problem with Realty Income is that it is so large that it tends to grow very slowly. For example, over the past 31 years, the dividend has increased at a 4.2% rate, which is only slightly higher than the historical rate of inflation growth. In 2025, the dividend only increased by 2.3%. ExpandNYSE: ADCAgree RealtyToday's Change(0.01%) $0.01Current Price$81.93Key Data PointsMarket Cap$9.8BDay's Range$80.78 - $81.9552wk Range$68.98 - $82.08Avg Vol1.3MGross Margin54.43%Dividend Yield3.79% Agree Realty (ADC +0.01%) is a smaller, faster-growing net lease REIT alternative. It owns around 2,600 retail properties in the United States, which is large enough to provide adequate diversification. However, it is also small enough that Agree Realty can still grow rapidly. The dividend has been increased annually for a decade, with an annualized growth rate of 5%. In 2025, the dividend increased roughly 3.5%, which is 50% more than Realty Income's dividend growth. More rapid dividend growth is a trend that is likely to continue. Agree's yield is a more modest 3.8% because of the dividend growth opportunity on offer. Tariffs could be an opportunity What's interesting about both Realty Income and Agree is that tariff strains could force their tenants to raise capital. One way to do that is to sell properties to a net lease REIT, meaning this pair of companies could even end up benefiting from tariffs.Read NextMar 4, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg BrewerTop Stocks to Double Up on Right NowFeb 28, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg BrewerThe Best Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now: 3 High-Quality, Long-Term Dividend IdeasFeb 27, 2026 •By Patrick SandersThe Smartest Dividend Stocks to Buy With $500 Right NowFeb 26, 2026 •By Rick MunarrizThe Smartest Dividend Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right NowFeb 26, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg Brewer2 Consumer Dividend Stocks to Buy for High-Yield Dividend GrowthFeb 25, 2026 •By Justin PopeIs Realty Income Stock a Long-Term Buy?About the AuthorReuben Gregg Brewer is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering energy, utilities, REITs, and consumer staples. He is the former director of research at Value Line Publishing, where he rose from mutual fund analyst to equity analyst before leading all research operations. Reuben holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Purchase, a master’s in social work from Columbia University, and an MBA from Regis University. He has been featured as a financial expert on CNBC and in the Financial Times, Barron’s, and InvestmentNews.TMFReubenGBrewerStocks MentionedRealty IncomeNYSE: O$66.05(-0.77%)-$0.52Agree RealtyNYSE: ADC$81.93(+0.01%)+$0.01*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.