Top Wall Street analysts recommend these 3 dividend stocks for income investors

The tariffs under the Trump administration have rattled global markets and shaken investors’ confidence, leaving them in search of some portfolio stability.

In this challenging scenario, investors looking for stable income can add some dividend stocks trading at attractive levels to their portfolios. Top Wall Street analysts can inform investors’ search for the right dividend stocks that have the wherewithal to faithfully make their payments, backed by strong cash flows

Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros on TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.

We start this week with Rithm Capital (RITM), a global asset manager focused on real estate, credit, and financial services. Interestingly, Rithm conducts its operations to qualify as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income tax purposes.

Recently, Rithm Capital announced a dividend of 25 cents per share for the first quarter. Since its inception in 2013 through the fourth quarter of 2024, the company has paid about $5.8 billion in dividends to shareholders. RITM stock offers a dividend yield of about 8.9%.

Following virtual meetings with Rithm Capital’s management, RBC Capital analyst Kenneth Lee reiterated a buy rating on RITM stock with a price target of $13. “We favor RITM as it pivots towards being an alternative investment manager, with a fee-based, capital-light business model, over time,” said Lee.

The analyst said that he observed from the meetings that management intends to change its corporate structure to become more of an alternative investment manager than a mortgage REIT or real estate firm, with more upside potential in the times ahead. However, the timing of this potential change remains uncertain as management wants to ensure that the change in capital structure or “de-REITing” enhances value.

Lee highlighted that management had previously stated that they might have to restructure Rithm Capital such that there is a C-corp structure at the top level like other publicly-traded alternative asset managers, with the company evaluating a potential listing or spin-off of the Newrez business. Notably, the possible listing or spin-off of Newrez, a mortgage origination platform, would enable RITM to re-assign capital away from mortgage service rights/mortgages into other investment areas while giving Newrez more independence.

Lee ranks No. 28 among more than 9,400 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 70% of the time, delivering an average return of 17.5%. See Rithm Capital Ownership Structure on TipRanks.

The next dividend stock on this week’s list is Darden Restaurants (DRI). The restaurant company, which owns the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse chains, recently reported better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 but missed the Street’s revenue expectations due to unfavorable weather.

Darden declared a quarterly dividend of $1.40 per share. DRI stock offers a dividend yield of 2.8%.

Following the Q3 FY25 print, JPMorgan analyst John Ivankoe reaffirmed a buy rating on DRI stock and boosted the price target to $218 from $186. The analyst recommends accumulating Darden stock more aggressively during periods of volatility, as “visibility to headline trends acceleration and overall margin expansion remains intact.”

In particular, Ivankoe highlighted that the quarter-to-date comparable sales trends for Q4 FY25 are tracking above 3% at both the flagship Olive Garden and LongHorn brands and, consequently, for Darden overall. The analyst expects continued operating margin expansion from 12.1% in FY25 to 12.3% in FY28, partially fueled by above-average Olive Garden comparable sales.

The analyst highlighted that Darden reiterated its FY25 outlook, supported by tangible drivers like the flexibility the company has in running extended versions of high-value price point promotions. This includes Darden’s decision to bring back its “Buy One, Take One” offer, starting at $14.99, to boost traffic. Among other positives, Ivankoe also noted the systemwide rollout of Uber Direct at qualifying Olive Garden restaurants that was completed at the end of Q3 FY25 and a 10-store pilot at Cheddar’s, with plans for a wider rollout.

Ivankoe ranks No. 241 among more than 9,400 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 66% of the time, delivering an average return of 13.5%. See Darden Restaurants Hedge Fund Trading Activity on TipRanks.

Midstream energy services provider Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) is another dividend-paying stock recommended by a top analyst. For Q4 2024, EPD paid a cash distribution of $0.535 per unit on Feb. 14, with this payment reflecting a 3.9% year-over-year increase.

EPD stock offers a yield of 6.4%. Notably, 2024 marked EPD’s 26th consecutive year of distribution growth, with the company’s distributable cash flow (DCF) providing 1.7 times coverage of the distributions declared for the year.

Recently, RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reiterated a buy rating on EPD stock with a price target of $37 and updated her estimates to reflect the Q4 2024 results and the details in the 10-K filing. “We still believe EPD is positioned well given its backlog of growth projects and incremental growth opportunities,” said Scotto.

Specifically, EPD’s project backlog increased to $7.6 billion from $6.9 billion, with new projects primarily related to Permian gathering and processing. Scotto expects the full project backlog to drive higher cash flows and translate into incremental returns to unitholders in the form of increased distributions or buybacks.

Moreover, Scotto is optimistic that EPD’s consistent cash flows and solid balance sheet with a target leverage of 3.0-times (at the midpoint) will provide the company the financial flexibility to support its planned growth expenditure and pursue additional opportunities. Overall, the analyst is bullish on EPD stock and views it as a core master limited partnership holding, having both offensive and defensive characteristics.

Scotto ranks No. 11 among more than 9,400 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been successful 71% of the time, delivering an average return of 20.6%. See Enterprise Products Partners Stock Charts on TipRanks.