11.1% dividend yields! A FTSE 100 dividend stock to buy

I’m looking for the best FTSE 100 dividend stocks to buy in April. Here are three big-yielding shares I’d buy today and hold for years. One of them carries a dividend yield north of 11%!

SSE

I’m considering buying SSE (LSE: SSE) shares as investment in green energy hots up. The business is a major wind power producer so stands to gain from the switch away from fossil fuels. British business minister Kwasi Kwarteng has laid out plans to quadruple offshore wind capacity and to double onshore capacity by 2030.

I like SSE because the essential nature of its services creates exceptional profits stability. This in turn means that investors can expect chunky dividends year after year. Speaking of which, SSE’s dividend yield sits at a handsome 5.2% today.

Rising interest rates create trouble for utilities like SSE, though. The company has a lot of debt on its books and the cost of servicing it rises, putting a dent in earnings. However, it’s my opinion that the benefits of owning this UK share in my portfolio outweigh this problem.

Rio Tinto

Rocketing Covid-19 cases in China poses huge risks to mining shares like Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO). The amount of copper, iron ore, and other key commodities that the country needs is in danger of sinking as mass lockdowns return and manufacturing grinds to a halt.

I still remain a big fan of this UK share today, though. It’s not just because of its mammoth 10.4% dividend yield either. I buy stocks based on their earnings potential over the long haul. And I believe demand for its products will soar in the years ahead amid a rapid growth of urbanisation in emerging markets and soaring electric vehicle sales globally.

Indeed, this week Rio Tinto completed the acquisition of Argentina’s Rincon lithium project for $825m to boost its exposure to the clean vehicle revolution. Demand for the battery-making material is tipped to explode as EV off-take increases.

Persimmon

I already own shares in housebuilding firms Barratt and Taylor Wimpey. I’m also considering adding Persimmon (LSE: PSN) to my portfolio on account of its gigantic dividend yields. This FTSE 100 dividend stock’s yield for 2022 sits at a titanic 11.1%.

Soaring inflation poses a threat to homes demand in the short-to-medium term. There is the risk that sustained Bank of England rate rises could hit mortgage affordability. But I’m encouraged by the ongoing resilience of the UK housing market and believe a shortage of available homes could continue driving newbuild demand.

In recent hours, FTSE 250 builder Bellway praised Persimmon’s “substantial order book” and said that revenues had risen 3.5% between August and January. This follows Persimmon’s own March trading update in which it said forward sales were up 2% year on year at £2.21bn.