Top Wall Street analysts like these dividend stocks for solid returns

US stock markets continue to fluctuate due to tensions in the Middle East. Investors seeking portfolio stability may prefer dividend-paying stocks with attractive upside potential.

Recommendations from top Wall Street analysts can help investors look to stocks that consistently pay dividends and have the ability to generate long-term capital gains. The opinions of these experts inform investors about their searches, as their ratings are supported by an in-depth analysis of macro and micro factors.

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.

Diamondback Energy

Independent oil and gas company Diamondback Energy (FANG) is this week’s first dividend pick. The company is focused on the exploration of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas. Made a payment recently base cash dividend $1.05 per share. FANG offers a dividend yield of approximately 2%.

Recently, Goldman Sachs analyst Neil Mehta discussed the impact of ongoing commodity volatility on exploration and production companies. Assuming that Brent and WTI are at $75 and $70 per barrel, respectively, and Henry Hub natural gas is at $3.75/MMBtu as the 2027-2030 normalized price average, the analyst is optimistic about bullish expectations. ovintiv (OVV), Permian Resources (PR), subsidiary of Diamondback and FANG Viper Energy (VNOM). He expects these stocks to generate an average total return of 22%.

Notably, Mehta reiterated his buy rating on FANG shares. price target $216. The five-star analyst continues to view FANG as a compelling pick, given that the stock is trading at an attractive average free cash flow yield of 12% compared to its major oil exploration and production peer average of 10% based on 2027 and 2028 estimates.

The analyst is confident in Diamondback’s ability to deliver better-than-expected performance during periods of strong commodity prices, supported by the company’s low-cost structure and lower capital intensity than its peers.

“FANG continued to reiterate the flexibility inherent in the company’s Permian operations and continue to move forward in further shifting costs away from the business,” Mehta said.

Mehta is ranked #452 out of more than 12,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Its ratings were successful 62% of the time, with an average return of 11.4%. See Diamondback Energy Stats on TipRanks.

Crescent Energy

Another energy game on this week’s list is Crescent Energy (CRGY), an oil and gas company operating in the Eagle Ford, Permian and Uinta basins. It also owns minerals and concessions in major U.S. oil and gas basins, mostly operated by large, well-capitalized companies. With a quarterly dividend rate of 12 cents per share, CRGY shares offer a 3.5% dividend yield.

JPMorgan analyst Zach Parham upgraded Crescent Energy to a buy at a price after a period of restraint and the “unrated” designation. $19 price target. JPMorgan previously had a hold rating on CRGY shares with a $14 price target.

The top-rated analyst highlighted Crescent as a diversified exploration and production company with a solid track record of creating value through acquisitions and divestitures. Parham, in particular, was impressed by Crescent’s increased capital efficiency and consolidation efforts in the Eagle Ford; The company now emerges as the third largest oil producer in the region.

The analyst noted that Crescent added debt to its balance sheet with $3.1 billion in Vital Energy. winThis helped it step into the Permian, a much more competitive basin for acquisitions and diversification. It’s worth noting that CRGY sold $800 million in assets before closing the Vital deal, reducing its pro forma net debt to approximately $4.8 billion. While Crescent’s near-term leverage remains high compared to peers, Parham expects the company to use free cash flow to reduce its debt load following the rise in strip prices due to the US-Iran conflict.

Parham also observed that Crescent plans to allow Vital’s production to decline, which would help extend Permian inventory life, thus addressing a major investor concern. “Over the long term, we are confident in CRGY’s ability to manage its E&P asset portfolio in a way that creates value for shareholders,” the analyst said.

Parham is ranked #1,067 out of more than 12,100 analysts followed by TipRanks. is ranked. Its ratings were successful 66% of the time, with an average return of 10.2%. See Crescent Energy Ownership Structure on TipRanks.

Darden Restaurants

Finally we look Darden Restaurants (DRI), operates many popular chains, including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Yard House. The company recently announced its third-quarter financial results and issued a solid outlook. Darden declared. quarterly dividend $1.50 per share, payable May 1. With an annual dividend rate of $6 per share, DRI shares offer a dividend yield of approximately 3.1%.

Following the third-quarter press, Mizuho analyst Nick Setyan reiterated his buy rating on Darden shares. price target $235. The analyst noted that despite high inflation and general and administrative expenses, the company achieved solid financial results in the third quarter.

Setyan stated that the quarterly performance was due to strong same-store sales growth and underlined the near- and mid-term visibility due to Darden’s scale and diversity. Additionally, strength in LongHorn Steakhouse’s same-store sales growth offset the weakness in Olive Garden’s (OG) performance due to three weeks of no price promotions.

The five-star analyst added that the company’s better-than-expected fourth-quarter outlook was supported by strength in comparable sales trends in March. Setyan is particularly confident about pricing in line with inflation in the fiscal fourth quarter at LongHorn Steakhouse, providing greater clarity on same-store sales growth and margin expectations in fiscal 2027.

“With OG starting a cycle of successfully beating tougher benchmarks, inflation cooling against F26, pricing accelerating modestly, and unit growth rising above 3%, visibility into DRI’s long-term EBITDA and EPS growth algorithm is higher than ever before,” Setyan said.

Setyan is ranked 729th out of more than 12,100 analysts followed by TipRanks. It did well in the ratings 53% of the time and delivered an average return of 10.6%. See Darden Restaurants Financials on TipRanks.