• Utility company stocks are among those with higher paying dividend yields.Utility Lineman image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com
  
  Utility stocks are well-known for being among the highest dividend-paying stocks. For investors looking for stability and ongoing income , high-yield stocks like utilities often make sense. Utility stocks are shares of ownership in utility companies that are traded on stock exchanges. Limited investment opportunities for income cause executives at utility companies to opt for dividend payouts on profits often.
  
  

NiSource Inc. (NI)

• According to Yahoo! Finance, NiSource Inc. (stock symbol: NI) offers a dividend yield of 92 cents, or 5.2%, as of Oct. 4, 2010. Yahoo! Finance describes the company as "an energy holding company, [that,] through its subsidiaries, provides natural gas, electricity, and other products and services." The company operates in four segments, centering on gas distribution and transmission.
  
  

Duke Energy Group (DUK)

• Duke Energy Corp. (stock symbol: DUK) is an energy company with major operations in the Americas. Its three segments of business operations are U.S. Franchised Electric and Gas, Commercial Power, and International Energy. The dividend yield for Duke Energy on Oct. 4, 2010, is 98 cents, or 5.5%.
  
  

Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (TEG)

• Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (stock symbol: TEG) offers one of the higher nominal dividend values available in the stock market, with an Oct. 4, 2010, yield of $2.72, or 5.20%. Integrys "operates as a regulated electric and natural gas utility company in the United States and Canada" through its business subsidiaries, according to Yahoo! Finance.
  
  

Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED)

• Another utility stock that delivers a high nominal dividend yield is Consolidated Edison Inc. (stock symbol: ED), a provider of electric, gas and steam utility services in the United States. The company provides electric service to approximately 3.3 million customers and gas service to approximately 1.1 million customers in the New York area. The Oct. 4, 2010, dividend yield for Consolidated Edison is $2.38, or 4.9%.
  
  

AGL Resources, Inc. (AGL)

• AGL Resources is another nice dividend-paying utility stock. It offers a $1.76, or 4.5%, dividend yield as of Oct. 4, 2010. Yahoo! Finance describes AGL as an energy services holding company that "distributes natural gas primarily in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia." The company has a sizeable market cap, at $3 billion.