Investors appreciate having dividend stocks in their portfolios as they provide a steady stream of income, even during periods of market volatility. Dividend-paying stocks can help cushion downside risk while offering consistent returns.
Given the sheer number of stocks offering dividends, identifying the right ones is not always straightforward. Investors can turn to top Wall Street analysts and follow their insights as they pick dividend stocks that are backed by strong cash flows.
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.
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.
Brookfield Infrastructure owns and operates a diversified portfolio of utilities, transport, midstream and data assets. It recently announced first-quarter earnings and declared a quarterly distribution of about 46 cents per unit, payable on June 30. This distribution represents 6% year-over-year growth. At an annualized distribution per unit of $1.82, BIP offers a yield of about 5%.
Following the Q1 2026 print, TD Cowen analyst Cherilyn Radbourne reiterated a buy rating on Brookfield Infrastructure stock with a price target of $57. The analyst noted that BIP delivered a 10% growth in its Q1 FFOPU, or funds from operations per unit, to 90 cents, in line with the Street’s expectations.
The five-star analyst added that organic growth reached the high end of BIP’s target range of 6% to 9%, supported by inflation-linked pricing, robust midstream utilization, and $1.7 billion of capital expenditure commissioned over the trailing twelve months.
Radbourne highlighted that BIP is optimistic about delivering more than 10% growth in FFOPU this year, supported by strong investment activity and a solid start to its capital recycling efforts. So far this year, BIP has secured about $400 million of new investment opportunities, including the launch of an equipment leasing platform with a leading global investment-grade original equipment manufacturer and a project under the strategic partnership with Bloom Energy.
Interestingly, BIP is exploring combining with Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation. “Such a consolidation should improve trading liquidity and increase BIP’s eligibility for index inclusion,” said Radbourne.
Radbourne ranks No. 644 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been successful 67% of the time, delivering an average return of 13.6%. See Brookfield Infrastructure Options Activity on TipRanks.
Diamondback Energy
Independent oil and natural gas company Diamondback Energy announced solid first-quarter results on May 4 and raised its full-year production guidance. Moreover, the company hiked its Q1 2026 base cash dividend by 10% year-over-year to $1.10 per share. FANG stock offers a dividend yield of more than 2%.
Impressed by the results, Siebert Williams Shank analyst Gabriele Sorbara reiterated a buy rating on Diamondback Energy stock with a price target of $224. While he expected FANG to accelerate activity amid an improving oil macro backdrop, the revised 2026 outlook came in stronger than anticipated. Specifically, FANG raised its oil production to 2% above the higher end of its prior forecast, while capital expenditure was set at the top end of the previous outlook.
The 5-star analyst added that given the improved macro backdrop, FANG plans to draw down its backlog of drilled-but-uncompleted wells, known as DUC. The company has decided to operate five completion crews for the rest of the year while adding two to three rigs to maintain a sufficient DUC backlog and ensure operational flexibility.
Importantly, Sorbara highlighted FANG’s decision to remove its formal target of returning 50% of free cash flow to shareholders starting next quarter, giving the company more flexibility to use excess cash in the current oil price environment. While some investors may prefer the previous fixed framework, the analyst expects FANG to continue to deliver best-in-class capital returns.
“We view FANG as a best-in-class Permian Basin player with a sustainable free cash flow yield that should remain competitive through the commodity cycles,” said Sorbara.
Sorbara ranks No. 243 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 65% of the time, delivering an average return of 15.7%. See Diamondback Energy Financials on TipRanks.
Enterprise Products Partners
This week’s third dividend pick is midstream energy services provider Enterprise Products Partners. EPD announced a quarterly cash distribution of 55 cents per unit for Q1 2026, payable on May 14 and reflecting a 2.8% year-over-year growth. Based on a distribution of $2.20 per unit on an annualized basis, EPD stock offers a yield of 5.9%.
Reacting to the recently announced Q1 results, RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reiterated a buy rating on Enterprise Products stock with a price target of $42. The analyst noted that the company’s Q1 EBITDA of $2.692 billion surpassed expectations, driven by solid natural gas marketing results. Scotto expects notable free cash flow generation and a strong balance sheet to easily cover the capex guidance increase. She also sees upside to her 2027 estimates if the high commodity price backdrop persists.
Furthermore, Scotto highlighted that global tailwinds, including rising Permian gas-oil ratios, known as GORs, in Texas and Middle East supply disruptions, are expected to benefit EPD’s diverse and integrated asset base. These tailwinds are expected to drive stronger-than-expected growth this year, beyond EPD’s prior outlook for modest growth. Notably, EPD announced two new Permian natural gas processing plants, one in the Midland and the other in the Delaware Basin, with in-service timelines of Q3 2027 and Q4 2027.
“We believe rising GORs are now driving an ~2 plants/year cadence in the Permian going forward, which should provide EPD with additional longer-term growth potential,” said Scotto.
Scotto ranks No. 88 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been successful 72% of the time, delivering an average return of 17.6%. See Enterprise Products Partners Ownership Structure on TipRanks.
