#dividend-stocks

#dividend-stocks

Typically, these are companies that analysts have incredible conviction in. In addition, they often have a substantial upside to the assigned price target and are assigned either a Buy or Overweight rating, depending on the company providing the coverage. While we are a little tardy to the party with the top selections from Raymond James, it is always better late than never.

J.P. Morgan's 2026 U.S. Equity Year Ahead report highlights sector-specific opportunities and risks amid a K-shaped, AI-driven economy. Institutional investors should focus on companies with secular growth drivers, robust balance sheets, and exposure to transformative trends like data center expansion and infrastructure investment. While select sectors look poised for outperformance, others face headwinds from macro uncertainty, regulatory shifts, and cyclical slowdowns.

There are a host of dividend stocks that people don't spend enough time talking about, and they don't get the same kind of hype as the bigger names. The thing is, these firms operate in steady industries and continue to raise their payouts, all while delivering market-beating performance. The best of each of these three under-the-radar names is that they don't rely on hype.

Needless to say, over the last three years, the Artificial Intelligence explosion has been at the top of almost every investor's mind. Many have become wealthy, as stocks like NVIDIA and other top tech names soared in a rally some feel is reminiscent of the late 1990s dot-com boom and bust. Between billions being spent on capital expenditures related to AI, the circular financing that seems to shovel money between the top companies in the industry, the worries over depreciation being used in accounting, and off-balance sheet financing, concerns over an AI bubble are legitimate and need to be addressed.

The S&P 500 is packed with the biggest and the best companies, celebrated for the price swings, cash flow, and high upside potential. The index is massive and is often associated with the economic environment. LyondellBasell Industries NV ( NYSE:LYB), United Parcel Service ( NYSE:UPS), Pfizer ( NYSE: PFE), Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. ( NYSE: ARE) and ConAgra Brands ( NYSE:CAG) are the highest-yielding dividend stocks in the S&P 500.

At 24/7 Wall St., we have focused on dividend stocks for over 15 years because, despite the stock market's ups and downs, many people need solid passive income streams to supplement their income from employment or other sources. With many on Wall Street predicting that the S&P 500 will hit 7,000 by year-end, others have already voiced concerns about the pace of the three-year-old rally that began in late 2022 with the introduction of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI.

Markets often rally in anticipation of rate cuts but then decline when those cuts are implemented. J.P. Morgan's trading desk recently warned that despite stocks setting "more than 20 all-time highs this year," the Federal Reserve's next rate cut threatens to curb investor zeal through a potential sell-the-news drop. Sure enough, as soon as the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, the market promptly sold off for the next three days.

Like him or hate him, it's a fact that Jim Cramer is one of the personalities in the financial media that investors can certainly talk about. He's an opinionated individual with very strong views on the key stocks he likes and has continued to hold. His table-pounding recommendations of Nvidia ( NASDAQ:NVDA), which he is still pounding the table on, have turned out gloriously. However, some of his other picks have turned out, shall we say, less profitably for investors.

Some passive investors have done extraordinarily well by sticking with index funds and not worrying about the individual names that one can pick and choose from. Indeed, portfolio construction isn't for everybody, especially for those who are retiring and seeking to live off their investments. And while it can be as simple as buying and holding an index ETF that mirrors the S&P 500 (or the Nasdaq 100 for younger investors seeking a bit more of a growth jolt),