economy
Investors are piling into dividend stocks this year. These names top Wall Street’s buy list
CNBC Pro screened for dividend-paying stocks that have an average rating of buy and at least 15% upside to the average price target.
TL;DR
- Investors are pouring money into dividend stocks and ETFs due to market volatility, with nearly $22 billion flowing into dividend ETFs in Q1 2026.
- Market volatility is attributed to concerns over the Iran war, oil prices, and AI disruption.
- Timing the market by shifting to dividend stocks during downturns may not always be effective, as demonstrated by tech stocks leading a recent market bounce.
- Analysts recommend a buy-and-hold strategy for dividend stocks to benefit from total return over the long term.
- CNBC Pro identified dividend stocks with strong analyst ratings (buy or overweight), significant upside potential, and dividend yields above 1.5%.
- Key stocks highlighted include AbbVie (3.4% yield, 26% upside), Chevron (3.9% yield, 17% upside), PNC Financial Services (3.1% yield, 16.5% upside), and PPL (3.1% yield, 17% upside).