Top Wall Street analysts are upbeat on these 3 dividend stocks for enhanced returns

The U.S. Federal Reserve chopped cardinal involvement rates by 25 ground points, lowering borrowing costs for the 3rd clip successful 2025. Given the little involvement complaint backdrop (which reduces the entreaty of fixed-income investments) and a volatile banal market, immoderate investors mightiness privation to see adding dividend stocks to their portfolios to guarantee unchangeable income and heighten wide returns.

The banal picks of apical Wall Street analysts tin assistance investors prime charismatic dividend-paying companies.

Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street's apical pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a level that ranks analysts based connected their past performance.

This week's archetypal dividend prime is Devon Energy (DVN), an autarkic lipid and earthy state exploration and accumulation (E&P) company. In the 3rd 4th of 2025, Devon returned $401 cardinal to shareholders done stock repurchases and dividends. The company's fixed quarterly dividend of $0.24 per stock (annualized dividend of $0.96 per share) indicates a output of 2.5%.

Recently, JP Morgan expert Arun Jayaram upgraded Devon Energy banal to bargain from hold, though helium lowered the price people to $44 from $49. TipRanks' AI Analyst has an "outperform" standing connected DVN banal with a terms people of $43.

Jayaram explained that his standing upgrade was based connected DVN's compelling valuation compared to its peers, supported by escaped currency travel gains from the company's $1 cardinal concern optimization plan. The 5 prima expert noted that Devon achieved astir 60% of its $1 cardinal extremity successful a small implicit fractional a twelvemonth pursuing the plan's ceremonial rollout.

The expert noted that Devon's Delaware Basin good productivity was adversely impacted by the company's absorption connected completing a higher proportionality of Wolfcamp B wells. That said, Jayaram expects good productivity to beryllium unchangeable successful 2026 and 2027 owed to a "steadier premix of secondary zones" compared to 2025.

Overall, Jayaram is bullish connected Devon, fixed that it has a top-quality acreage presumption successful the astir important parts of the Delaware Basin, Bakken, and Eagle Ford shale regions. Moreover, the institution has the enactment to grow successful the STACK and Powder River Basins.

"We judge DVN's halfway franchise assets person the imaginable to supply a ample inventory of lower-risk, precocious rate-of-return improvement drilling opportunities that are captious fixed the depleting quality of an E&P's plus base," said Jayaram.

Jayaram ranks No. 655 among much than 10,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been profitable 59% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 10.3%. See Devon Energy Statistics connected TipRanks. 

The adjacent dividend-paying banal is EOG Resources (EOG), a crude lipid and earthy state exploration and accumulation institution with reserves successful the U.S. and Trinidad. In the 3rd 4th of 2025, EOG paid $545 cardinal successful regular dividends and repurchased shares worthy $440 million. Last month, EOG announced a quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share, payable on January 30, 2026. At an annualized dividend of $4.08, EOG's output stands astatine 3.7%.

Siebert Williams Shank expert Gabriele Sorbara reaffirmed a bargain standing connected EOG banal with a price people of $150. The banal besides scores an "outperform" standing from TipRanks' AI Analyst, with a terms people of $127.

Sorbara views EOG arsenic a "premier" large-cap institution with the quality to navigate done commodity cycles, supported by its coagulated equilibrium expanse and beardown inventory. The expert besides noted the company's monolithic escaped currency flow-generating capabilities.

Notably, Sorbara highlighted EOG's committedness to instrumentality astatine slightest 70% of its escaped currency travel to shareholders annually done dividends and stock buybacks. In fact, the vigor institution has the flexibility to instrumentality 100% of escaped currency travel based connected its equilibrium expanse strength.

The 5-star expert besides noted EOG's efforts to leverage precocious exertion to seizure further opportunities successful the Delaware Basin, with the institution present identifying much than 9 antithetic improvement targets. Among different positives, Sorbara besides mentioned that EOG is tracking up of its people for the archetypal twelvemonth with respect to the $150 cardinal synergies from its Encino acquisition. More savings are expected from factors similar improved infrastructure, accumulation efficiency, and selling deals done EOG's midstream network.

Sorbara ranks No. 225 among much than 10,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been palmy 61% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 18.4%. See EOG Resources Ownership Structure connected TipRanks. 

Finally, let's look astatine pharmacy concatenation CVS Health (CVS). The company's turnaround efforts are helping it thrust improved show successful a challenging concern backdrop. At its Investor Day lawsuit connected December 9, CVS Health provided affirmative updates and stated that it expects to execute a mid-teens adjusted net per stock (EPS) compound yearly maturation complaint (CAGR) done 2028. At a quarterly dividend of $0.665 per stock (annualized dividend of $2.66 per share), CVS banal offers a output of 3.4%.

Following Investor Day, Mizuho expert Ann Hynes reiterated a Buy standing connected CVS banal and raised her price people to $95 from $88. "CVS is our apical prime successful our sum universe," said the 5-star analyst, and cited structural betterment successful retail net forecast arsenic the crushed for her revised terms target. Interestingly, TipRanks' AI Analyst has a "neutral" standing connected CVS with a terms people of $81.

Hynes noted that CVS' mid-teens adjusted EPS CAGR people does not instrumentality into relationship immoderate further stock buybacks, which she expects to instrumentality spot erstwhile the institution achieves its leverage targets, perchance by the extremity of adjacent year.

The expert besides highlighted the company's efforts to amended margins of the Healthcare Benefits (HCB) segment, which has been nether unit owed to a continued emergence successful the aesculapian nonaccomplishment ratio (MLR). This ratio is expected to diminution by astir 50 ground points successful 2026 owed to amended pricing, reduced benefits nether Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, and the company's determination to exit the Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) business.

Hynes besides noted the betterment successful CVS' Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness (PCW) conception outlook, with the institution present expecting level adjusted operating income maturation compared to the erstwhile guidance of a mid-single-digit decline. This betterment is driven by marketplace stock gains, a amended reimbursement backdrop, and outgo savings.

Hynes ranks No. 733 among much than 10,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings person been palmy 60% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 8.5%. See CVS Health Options Activity connected TipRanks.