Top analysts recommend these 3 dividend stocks for solid returns
Global stock markets remain volatile due to uncertainty in the Middle East and focus on AI stocks. Investors who want to earn a stable income can strengthen their portfolios by adding dividend stocks with attractive returns.
Top Wall Street analysts can help select stocks that pay regular dividends and also have the ability to generate capital gains and increase total return.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros, tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
Viper Energy
Viper Energy is a subsidiary Diamondback Energy and is particularly focused on owning and acquiring mineral and concession rights in the Permian Basin. The company declared a basic dividend of 38 cents per share and a variable dividend of 30 cents per share for the first quarter of 2026. VNOM It offers a 5% dividend yield.
Recently, RBC Capital analyst Scott Hanold gave Viper Energy shares a buy rating and price target $58. “The company has an advantage given its scale, core Permian focus, inventory duration and compatible operating partner,” Hanold said.
In particular, the five-star analyst emphasized that Viper’s Permian-focused asset base and significant scale relative to its peers position it as a best-in-class operator. Hanold added that VNOM’s 75% liquid-heavy production mix offers meaningful leverage in a strong oil price environment.
In addition, Hanold estimates the Viper’s inventory life at 15 to 20 years, considering the current development pace of its operating partners, which is significantly faster than its peers. Among other advantages, the analyst highlighted VNOM’s relationship with Diamondback Energy, which owns a nearly 39% stake in the company. Hanold said Viper’s relationship with Diamondback gives it an advantage over its peers because it provides visibility into forward-looking activity and production, high-margin organic growth and stable revenue and cash flows.
Finally, Hanold highlighted Viper’s solid balance sheet. He noted that the company is rated investment grade and has a lower cost of capital, which will support sustainable deployments and strategic mergers and acquisitions. The analyst also highlighted VNOM’s attractive capital return framework.
Hanold is ranked #152 out of more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. It did well in the ratings 67% of the time and delivered an average return of 20.2%. See Viper Energy Stock Buybacks on TipRanks.
Permian Resources
Hanold is also positive about the independent oil and gas company. Permian Resources. It has purchase points on it public relations one with stock price target $27. Permian declared a base dividend of 16 cents per share for the second quarter of 2026. PR shares offer a 3.2% dividend yield.
In a recent research note, Hanold updated his estimates for the Permian Resources: Devon EnergyAnd Matador Resources It will reflect the impact of the acquisition by these companies as part of a federal lease sale of undeveloped lands in New Mexico’s Delaware Basin. Devon and Matador spent $2.6 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively, while Permian spent $152 million on 6,634 acres and added 50-60 net positions.
In particular, Hanold stated that the $152 million spent by Permian corresponds to almost a quarter of drilling, considering this year’s pace. He added that the transaction is in line with Permian Resources’ quarterly acquisition activity and is financed with available cash.
The analyst expects PR shares to outperform its peer group over the next 12 months. It expects Permian Resources to generate peer-leading free cash flow returns by supporting a solid shareholder return strategy.
“The company has large, contiguous land positions in the central southern and northern Delaware Permian and a sizeable position in the southern Midland Permian, as well as a 12- to 15-year inventory,” Hanold emphasized. See Permian Resource Ownership Structure on TipRanks.
Strip
Finally, let’s look at the oil and gas giant. Strip. company $6 billion in cash returned The first quarter included $2.5 billion in share buybacks and $3.5 billion in dividends to shareholders. With a quarterly dividend of $1.78 per share, CVX The stock’s dividend yield is 3.8%.
Recently, Mizuho analyst Nitin Kumar reaffirmed his buy rating on Chevron. price target $230. The analyst raised his 2026 and 2027 oil price forecasts as he expects the impact of the US-Iran conflict on oil prices and refining cracks to outlast the impact on Nymex crude prices.
Kumar emphasized that despite a more constructive macro view on oil, large-scale oil-focused exploration and production companies, US refiners and integrated oil companies have all traded below the average price-net asset-value range over the last 15-plus years. The analyst said his ratings for the upstream and IOC segments currently reflect this “value” opportunity in Chevron. ConocoPhillipsDevon, Diamondback and Western Oil stocks.
Meanwhile, the five-star analyst noted that the main debate surrounding Chevron centers on inventory depth and whether the company can maintain production volumes over the long term without sacrificing capital efficiency. In this context, Kumar highlighted that the management has shifted its focus from growth expenditures to maximizing free cash flow.
Additionally, Kumar thinks increased well productivity in the Permian Basin, including the use of surfactants, has eased some investors’ concerns and increased confidence in CVX’s plan to maintain plateau production of more than 1 mmboe per day in the basin by the end of the next decade. Among other positives, Kumar listed the acquisition of Hess; This added a top-quality deepwater asset, recent investments in the lithium and energy sectors and a “strong track record of delivering cash returns to shareholders.”
Kumar is ranked #1,098 out of more than 12,200 analysts followed by TipRanks. is ranked. Their ratings were 60% profitable and delivered an average return of 7.2%. Check out Chevron Financials on TipRanks.
