With an average dividend yield of approximately 4%, the Australian share market is one of the most generous share markets in the world.
But with so many dividend shares to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy. Here are my top three dividend shares right now:
Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR)
Dicker Data is a founder-led computer software and hardware wholesale distributor which I think would be a great fit for income investors. Due to its robust business model and favourable tailwinds in certain areas of its business, I believe Dicker Data is well-positioned to deliver solid earnings and dividend growth over the coming years. This year management intends to pay a full year fully franked dividend of 18 cents per share in quarterly instalments. This works out to be a yield of 5.9% today.
National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR)
National Storage is a real estate investment trust with a focus on self-storage assets. In FY 2018 the trust posted a strong result which saw underlying earnings grow 12.5% to $51.4 million. This was partly driven by a 3.8% increase in same-centre revenue per available square metre to $220 and a 330 basis points rise in occupancy levels to 80.8%. The strong result allowed the National Storage board to lift its distribution to 9.6 cents per unit, which works out to be a trailing yield of 5.6% based on the current share price. I feel this distribution could continue to grow over the next few years thanks to a combination of organic growth and growth through acquisition.
Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)
I think it is fair to say that the banks are largely out of favour with investors at present. This has led to their shares being dumped and their share prices sinking towards 52-week lows. I see this as a buying opportunity, especially for income investors in search of dividends. After all, the shares of Australia's oldest bank now offer a trailing fully franked 6.8% dividend yield. And thanks to its out of cycle rate rises, I feel there's a chance that this dividend could rise in FY 2019.
