Top Wall Street analysts suggest these 3 dividend stocks for enhanced total returns

The absorption connected dividend stocks is growing, arsenic the U.S. Federal Reserve announced different complaint cut. Investors tin see stocks that connection dividends and besides person the imaginable to thrust superior appreciation, enhancing the full return.

In this regard, recommendations of apical Wall Street analysts tin assistance america place stocks that person coagulated upside and wage charismatic dividends. The banal picks of these experts are backed by in-depth investigation of a company's maturation opportunities and quality to wage dividends consistently.

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.

We commencement this week with Valero Energy (VLO), a shaper of petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid proscription fuels and petrochemical products. In Q3 2025, Valero returned $1.3 cardinal to stockholders via $351 cardinal successful dividends and $931 cardinal successful stock repurchases. On Oct. 29, Valero declared a quarterly dividend of $1.13 per share. At an annualized dividend of $4.52, VLO banal offers a output of 2.7%.

Valero Energy precocious reported upbeat Q3 results, backed by beardown refining margins. Keeping successful presumption the Q3 performance, beardown refining outlook, and the company's charismatic superior returns strategy, Goldman Sachs expert Neil Mehta reiterated a bargain standing connected VLO banal and raised his terms people to $197 from $180.

"We proceed to presumption VLO arsenic a cardinal beneficiary of our much constructive refining outlook, fixed the company's equilibrium expanse strength, low-cost operations, and operational execution," said Mehta.

The 5-star expert noted that during the third-quarter net call, absorption discussed a constructive refining outlook, driven by constricted nett capableness additions and widening crude differentials. Mehta besides highlighted that Valero's non-refining businesses performed amended than Goldman Sachs' expectations. Looking ahead, Mehta believes that debased inventories, resilient demand, and constricted nett refining capableness additions enactment tighter supply/demand expectations for 2026.

In particular, Mehta noted management's continued absorption connected superior returns and committedness to allocating excess escaped currency travel to shareholders. The expert expects a stronger refining backdrop to lend to meaningful escaped currency travel generation, which could enactment astir $4.6 cardinal of superior returns successful 2026, implying a 9% superior instrumentality yield.

Mehta ranks No. 812 among much than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been profitable 58% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 8.7%.

We determination connected to the adjacent dividend-paying stock, Albertsons Companies (ACI). The nutrient and cause retailer precocious announced upbeat results for the 2nd 4th of fiscal 2025, driven by beardown pharmacy income and integer business. On October 14, Albertsons announced a quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share, payable connected November 7. At an annualized dividend of 60 cents per share, ACI banal offers a dividend output of 3.3%.

Following Albertsons' better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter results, Tigress Financial expert Ivan Feinseth reiterated a bargain standing connected ACI banal and modestly accrued his price people to $29 from $28. The expert is bullish connected Albertsons arsenic the institution "accelerates maturation done AI-powered integer sales, expanding loyalty ecosystem, and high-margin retail media platform."

Feinseth highlighted that Albertsons is transforming from a accepted market relation into a data‑driven, digitally integrated nutrient and wellness platform. This alteration is being fueled by the company's e-commerce expansion, loyalty integration, and rapidly expanding Albertsons Media Collective advertizing network, which Feinseth believes is well-positioned to go 1 of its astir profitable semipermanent maturation engines.

The top-rated expert pointed retired that ACI's For U loyalty programme is driving some integer engagement and spending growth. In fact, For U rank accrued much than 13% year-over-year successful Q2 FY25, reaching implicit 48 cardinal progressive participants. The increasing subordinate basal boosts ACI's concern arsenic members transact much frequently, walk more, and are progressively utilizing cross-channel rewards, noted Feinseth.

Additionally, Feinseth highlighted that Albertsons is enhancing shareholder returns done ongoing dividend increases and stock repurchases, including the precocious announced further $750 cardinal accelerated stock repurchase authorization. He expects ACI banal to present a full instrumentality of adjacent to 50%, including dividends.

Feinseth ranks No. 296 among much than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been profitable 62% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 14.2%.

Finally, let's look astatine vigor infrastructure provider Williams Companies (WMB). On October 28, Williams announced a quarterly currency dividend of 50 cents per share, payable on December 29, 2025, and reflecting a 5.3% year-over-year increase. At an annualized dividend of $2 per share, WMB banal offers a 3.5% yield.

Ahead of Williams' Q3 results scheduled aft the marketplace closes connected November 3, RBC Capital expert Elvira Scotto reiterated a bargain standing connected WMB banal with a price forecast of $75. In a preview connected the Q3 results of the companies successful the U.S. midstream space, Scotto stated that Williams and Targa Resources (TRGP) are her favored names into the earnings.

Scotto noted that the secular tailwind for earthy state owed to rising powerfulness request for electrification and artificial quality (AI)/data halfway maturation is driving the request for much vigor infrastructure. The 5-star expert believes that among the stocks wrong her coverage, "WMB is champion positioned to payment fixed its state transmission plus footprint and its Power Innovation projects."

Furthermore, Scotto expects WMB to present a CAGR (compound yearly maturation rate) of astir 10% successful its EBITDA (earnings earlier interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) from 2025 done 2030. The expert looks guardant to further accusation connected WMB's precocious announced Power Innovation projects and immoderate caller projects. Scotto expects an uptick successful Q3 2025 numbers connected a quarter-over-quarter ground crossed each concern segments, with Transmission, Gulf, and Power driving the biggest implicit increase.

Scotto views WMB's February expert time arsenic the adjacent catalyst for the stock. The expert expects WMB to summation its EBITDA maturation people from the scope of 5% to 7% to precocious azygous digits oregon more.

Scotto ranks No. 270 among much than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings person been palmy 64% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 13.7%.