Optimism about the strong growth opportunities presented by the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom has been tempered by tariff-related distractions and macroeconomic challenges.
Against this uncertain backdrop, investors looking for consistent income can add attractive dividend-paying stocks to their portfolios, and studying top Wall Street analysts can offer useful insights into picking the right dividend payers.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street's top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance
ConocoPhillips
Oil and gas exploration and production company ConocoPhillips (COP) is this week's first dividend pick. The company distributed $2.5 billion to shareholders in the first quarter of 2025 via $1.5 billion of share repurchases and $1.0 billion in dividends. At a quarterly dividend of $0.78 per share (annualized dividend of $3.12), COP pays a dividend yield of 3.3%.
In a research note on the third-quarter update on RBC Capital's Top 30 Global Ideas for 2025, analyst Scott Hanold reiterated a buy rating on ConocoPhillips with a price target forecast of $115. The analyst expects COP to outperform its large-cap exploration and production peers.
“COP has a returns-focused value proposition, a strong balance sheet, and peer-leading distributions,” Hanold said.
The analyst believes that ConocoPhillips is well-positioned to generate competitive free cash flow (FCF) through various commodity price cycles. Hanold highlighted that the company has a global and diversified asset base, which gives it spending flexibility to deliver industry-leading shareholder returns through economic and commodity price cycles.
Moreover, Hanold expects ConocoPhillips' vast position in the Permian basin to enable greater FCF generation, while providing asset diversity and development flexibility. He noted that the company has a low break-even point of below $40/bbl (WTI), where it can fund its production maintenance capital and dividends. The analyst also noted COP's solid balance sheet, which allows it to enhance shareholder value.
Hanold ranks No. 12 among more than 9,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 71% of the time, delivering an average return of 31.2%. See ConocoPhillips Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks.
U.S. Bancorp
U.S. Bancorp (USB) is another stock that is a part of RBC Capital's list of Top 30 Global Ideas for 2025. It is the parent company of the U.S. Bank and offers customers financial services through a diversified mix of businesses, including consumer banking, commercial banking and wealth management, among others.
With a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share (annualized dividend of $2 per share), USB offers a dividend yield of 4.2%.
RBC analyst Gerard Cassidy reaffirmed a buy rating on USB stock with a 12-month price target of $50. He highlighted several positives supporting his bullish stance, including the bank's new leadership. Cassidy noted that Gunjan Kedia, who succeeded Andy Cecere as the CEO of U.S. Bancorp in April 2025, has reiterated the company's financial goals, including a target of delivering more than 200 basis points of operating leverage. USB reported 270 basis points of operating leverage in the first quarter of 2025.
Cassidy also highlighted that USB has consistently been one of the best-performing banks in the U.S., as reflected in an attractive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in shareholder return generated over the past 20 years. That growth is mainly driven by the bank's focus on increasing its tangible book value and dividends per share. Notably, U.S. Bancorp has consistently returned as much as 80% of its earnings every year through stock buybacks and dividends.
Cassidy also cited USB's strong asset quality and underwriting skills. The long-time analyst believes that “following general underperformance over the last two years, USB is at an inflection point in 2025 where headwinds are becoming tailwinds.” The improvement is driven by the investments made by the bank over the past decade, which are expected to fuel revenue growth ahead of expense growth in years to come, Cassidy said.
Cassidy ranks No. 24 among more than 9,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 72% of the time, delivering an average return of 21%. See U.S. Bancorp Statistics on TipRanks.
HP Inc.
Finally, dividend-paying technology company HP (HPQ) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2894 per share last month, payable on October 1, the fourth dividend in the company's fiscal year 2025. At an annualized dividend of $1.1576 per share, HPQ yields of 4.5%.
Despite tariffs and other ongoing challenges, Evercore analyst Amit Daryanani reiterated a buy rating on HPQ stock with a price target of $29. Following an investor webinar with HP's chief enterprise officer Ernest Nicolas, the analyst highlighted key takeaways supporting his bullish stance.
Daryanani noted that HP is successfully diversifying and is on track to achieve its target of manufacturing 90% of all U.S.-bound products outside China. Much of the manufacturing will remain in Asia and take place in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, along with some planned in Mexico. The analyst added that HP is attempting to close the gap with rivals by adopting a multi-site approach to manufacturing and optimizing its supply chain.
HP expects the “tariff environment to remain fluid,” but management believes the company is now better equipped to face tariff-related challenges, Daryanani said.
HP also remains focused on generating $2 billion in gross annual run-rate savings from its Future Ready cost savings plan, the analyst said. The plan includes various initiatives, including internal artificial intelligence tools that could drive productivity and efficiencies.
Daryanani ranks No. 174 among more than 9,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 64% of the time, delivering an average return of 15.3%. See HP Ownership Structure on TipRanks.
