Uncertainty in the Middle East, persistently high U.S. Treasury yields, and concerns over an AI bubble continue to keep global markets on edge. In this volatile environment, investors seeking stable income may consider enhancing their portfolios by adding dividend-paying stocks.
However, with a large number of dividend-paying stocks, narrowing down the options can be challenging. Tracking the ratings of top Wall Street analysts can help you identify more attractive dividend stocks, as their recommendations are based on in-depth research.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks closely watched by TipRanks and prioritized by top Wall Street professionals.
Chord Energy
Chord Energy is an independent exploration and production company with primary assets located in the Williston Basin and a long asset life. The company pays a quarterly base dividend of $1.30 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.67% for CHRD.
In a research report on third-quarter expectations, RBC Capital analyst Scott Hanold reaffirmed a "Buy" rating on CHRD stock with a price target of $175. Hanold stated, "We expect production to approach the upper end of the guidance range and continue to see strong performance from new wells and base production."
This five-star analyst specifically forecasts that Chord Energy’s third-quarter 2026 production will reach 283,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or Mboe/d, in line with Wall Street’s consensus estimate and near the upper end of the guidance range of 278,000 to 284,000 Mboe/d. Hanold raised his third-quarter 2026 EPS estimate for Chord Energy to $5.29 due to lower non-cash depreciation, depletion, and amortization expenses.
Meanwhile, due to the current backdrop and commodity valuation, Hanold has lowered his per-share cash flow estimate to $13.59. He expects Chord Energy to announce a capital expenditure of $3.75 billion in the third quarter of 2026, slightly above Wall Street’s forecast of $3.69 billion.
Overall, Hanold remains bullish on CHRD, citing its balance sheet as the best in the industry. He expects a free cash flow payout ratio of 80% for the third quarter, with potential for upside. Hanold anticipates that investors will focus on management’s comments regarding the 2027 capital plan, Williston acquisition opportunities, and the long-term performance of the four-mile horizontal wells.
Among the 12,500+ analysts tracked by TipRanks, Hanold ranks #310. His ratings generate profits 63% of the time, with an average return of 14.9%.
Williams
Williams is an energy infrastructure company that transports natural gas and is the next dividend stock to consider. The company recently completed a $5.5 billion acquisition of Momentum Midstream, which will expand its natural gas infrastructure in the Haynesville region to meet growing demand from LNG, power, and industrial facilities along the Gulf Coast. Williams pays a quarterly dividend of $0.5250 per share, yielding 2.89%.
In its latest research report, RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reaffirmed a "Buy" rating on Williams stock with a price target of $87. She stated ahead of WMB’s Q3 earnings report that she expects the company to deliver a strong quarterly performance.
Scotto raised her estimates to reflect information from the quarterly earnings call, the completion of the Momentum Midstream acquisition, and commodity mark-to-market prices through the current quarter. She expects WMB's adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2026 to reach $2.036 billion, slightly above the Wall Street consensus estimate.
In addition, Scotto expects Williams’ Transmission, Power & Gulf segment to grow sequentially, driven by the commissioning of the Socrates power project and favorable natural gas liquids (NGL) margins.
Scotto noted that WMB's stock has underperformed the broader market due to market rebound expectations for data centers and investor anticipation of another Power Innovation project from the company. She expects the company to announce at least one new project before the end of this year, potentially with new customers and contract terms of 15 to 20 years, which would serve as a positive catalyst for the stock price.
Among the 12,500+ analysts tracked by TipRanks, Scotto ranks #175. Her ratings generate profits 67% of the time, with an average return of 16.2%.
EOG Resources
EOG Resources is an oil and natural gas exploration and production company that will hold its third-quarter earnings conference call on November 6. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.75%.
Before the third-quarter earnings report, Jefferies analyst Lloyd Byrne reiterated a "Buy" rating on EOG Resources stock and raised the price target from $175 to $185. The analyst expects the company’s third-quarter cash flow per share to exceed Wall Street’s consensus estimate by 13%, primarily driven by stronger-than-expected production.
Byrne expects crude oil production, excluding the UAE, to reach 551,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, at the upper end of the guidance range of 546,000 to 551,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, and above Wall Street’s forecast of 548,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, driven by continued growth in the Utica region.
In addition, Byrne expects cash operating expenses per barrel of oil equivalent to be $10.27, below the midpoint of the guidance range of $10.05 to $11.35, driven by lower lease operating expenses. Overall, the analyst expects EOG to generate $2.65 billion in free cash flow, supporting the company’s repurchase of shares near the minimum 70% shareholder return threshold and implying approximately $1.5 billion in share buybacks.
Byrne said: “As an initial signal of the 27-year plan, we expect EOG to deliver another year of single-digit, approximately 3.5% growth, with a flat capital budget of about $6.55 billion, which exceeds Wall Street models’ expectations of only 1% oil production growth under a $6.6 billion capital expenditure.”
Among the 12,500+ analysts tracked by TipRanks, Byrne ranks #303. His ratings have been successful 58% of the time, with an average return of 18.5%.