Uncertainty in the Middle East, elevated Treasury yields and fears about an AI bubble continue to keep global markets on edge. Given this volatile backdrop, investors seeking stable income can consider enhancing their portfolios by adding dividend-paying stocks.
However, the vast universe of dividend stocks can make selection challenging. Tracking the ratings of top Wall Street analysts can help shortlist attractive dividend stocks, as their recommendations are backed by in-depth research.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks that are highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
Chord Energy
Chord Energy is an independent exploration and production company with long-lived assets primarily in the Williston Basin. With a quarterly base dividend of $1.30 per share, CHRD offers a dividend yield of 3.67%.
In a research note on third-quarter expectations, RBC Capital analyst Scott Hanold reiterated a buy rating on CHRD stock with a price target of $175. “We model production near the top of guidance and continue to see strong performance from new wells and base production,” said Hanold.
Specifically, the five-star analyst expects Q3 2026 production at 283 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, or Mboe/d, in line with the Street’s consensus and near the high end of the 278 to 284 Mboe/d guidance. Hanold said his Q3 2026 earnings per share estimate increased to $5.29 due to lower non-cash depreciation, depletion and amortization.
Meanwhile, cash flow per share estimate moved lower to $13.59 to reflect Hanold’s update based on the current backdrop and commodity mark-to-market. He expects Chord Energy to report capital spending of $375 million for Q3 2026, slightly above the Street’s estimate of $369 million.
Overall, Hanold remains bullish on CHRD, given its best-in-class balance sheet. He expects a free cash flow payout of 80% in the third quarter, with the possibility of an upside. Hanold expects investors to focus on management commentary on 2027 capital plans, Williston M&A opportunities, and long-term performance of 4-mile wells.
Hanold ranks No. 310 among more than 12,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 63% of the time, delivering an average return of 14.9%. See Chord Energy KPIs on TipRanks.
Williams
Williams, an energy infrastructure company that delivers natural gas, is the next dividend pick. The company recently completed the $5.5 billion acquisition of Momentum Midstream, which will expand its natural gas infrastructure in the Haynesville to meet growing Gulf Coast LNG, power and industrial demand. At a quarterly dividend of $0.5250 per share, Williams offers a yield of 2.89%.
In her latest research note, RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reiterated a buy rating on Williams stock with a price target of $87. Ahead of Q3 2026 earnings, the analyst said that she expects WMB to announce strong quarterly performance.
Scotto raised her estimates to reflect insights from the quarterly catch-up call, the completion of the Momentum Midstream acquisition, and mark-to-market quarter-to-date commodity prices. She expects WMB to report Q3 2026 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $2,036 million, which is modestly above the Street’s consensus estimate.
Furthermore, Scotto expects Williams’ Transmission, Power & Gulf segment to increase quarter-over-quarter, driven by the startup of the Socrates power project and favorable natural gas liquids, or NGL, margins.
Scotto noted that WMB stock has underperformed due to backlash related to data centers and investor anticipation of another Power Innovation project. She expects the company to announce at least one more project before the end of this year, potentially with a new customer and a contract duration of 15 to 20 years, which would be a positive catalyst for the stock.
Scotto ranks No. 175 among more than 12,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been profitable 67% of the time, delivering an average return of 16.2%. See Williams Ownership Structure on TipRanks.
EOG Resources
EOG Resources, a crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company, will hold its third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 6. At a quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share, EOG offers a dividend yield of 2.75%.
Heading into Q3 earnings, Jefferies analyst Lloyd Byrne reiterated a buy rating on EOG Resources stock and increased his price target to $185 from $175. The analyst expects the company’s Q3 cash flow per share to exceed the Street’s consensus by 13%, driven by better-than-expected production.
Byrne expects crude oil production, excluding the UAE, to reach 551 Mboe/d, which is at the high end of guidance (546-551 Mboe/d) and above the Street’s projection of 548 Mboe/d, driven by continued growth in the Utica.
Furthermore, Byrne expects cash operating expenses to come in at $10.27 per barrel of oil equivalent, below the midpoint of guidance of $10.05 to $11.35, helped by lower lease operating expenses. Overall, the analyst expects EOG to deliver free cash flow of $2.65 billion, supporting another quarter of buybacks near the minimum 70% shareholder return threshold and implying about $1.5 billion in share repurchases.
“As a first indication of the ’27 plan, we expect EOG will message another year of mid-single-digit (~3.5%) growth on a flat capital budget (~$6.55bn), which is above the Street modeling 1% oil growth at $6.6bn,” said Byrne.
Byrne ranks No. 303 among more than 12,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 58% of the time, delivering an average return of 18.5%. See EOG Resources Statistics on TipRanks.