When it comes to ASX dividend shares that investors love to buy for income, we have a bevvy of usual suspects. Investors, for example, love to hold the ASX banks for their passive income prowess. BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) is also a popular option, as are Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW).
However, many of these dividend shares have risen significantly in value over the past year or two, having the unwanted side effect of lowering the dividend yield available if one buys today.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is a great example. Its 48.3% gain since this time last year has left CBA with a very unbank-like 2.53% yield right now.
So today, let's go through three lesser-known ASX dividend shares that are currently trading on yields that might surprise you. Remember, a dividend yield only reflects what a company has paid out in the past year, not what it will pay out going forward. As such, there's no guarantee that you'll actually secure the yields that these income stocks are currently trading on in the future.
Three ASX dividend shares with surprisingly large yields today
Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN)
This ASX retail share and furniture and electronics pruveyor has been a great investment over recent months, rising almost 17% since last June. Even so, at the current share price (at the time of writing) of $5.30, Harvey Norman stock is trading on a trailing dividend yield of 4.53%. That typically comes with full franking credits attached too.
Investors should take this with a grain of salt, though (even more than usual). That's because Harvey Norman's dividend has been dropping for consecutive years. Back in 2022, the company funded a pandemic-fuelled 37.5 cents per share in dividends. But last year, that had fallen to an annual total of 22 cents per share.
Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS)
IGA and Mitre 10 distributor Metcash is next up. This consumer staples stock reported its latest half-year earnings just this week. As we covered at the time, this saw the company hike its interim dividend by 11.8% to 9.5 cents per share, fully franked.
Metcash's payouts have also been falling since 2022, when the company paid out an annual 22.5 cents per share in dividends. Even so, the company paid out a total of 17 cents per share in income in 2024, which was up materially from the 13 cents investors received in 2019. Today, Metcash stock trades at a yield of 4.4%.
Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)
Finally, let's talk about the bottle-shop stock and owner of Dan Murphy's and BWS, Endeavour Group. Endeavour has been a disappointing performer since the company was spun out of Woolworths back in June of 2021. Today, it remains down more than 33% from where it debuted on the ASX.
Despite this, Endeavour has consistently paid out a solid dividend since its independence. Its 2025 interim dividend of 12.5 cents per share was a reduction from the 14.3 cents it doled out in 2024. But even so, the company trades on a sizeable yield of 6.2% at current pricing. Given Endeavour's dividends have always come fully franked too, this one is certainly a head-turner.
