What does the market’s best dividend stocks look like?

Annoying an answer as this is, it depends on what you’re looking for. Maybe you want prolific dividend growth, for instance. Or maybe you’re looking for high current yield.

But today, I want to focus on so-called “total package” dividend stocks: top-quality companies that pay well-covered dividends that amount to above-average yields. In some cases, these companies have been growing their distributions, and a few deliver truly high yields. However, the main point across the board here is these companies’ overall quality.

Read on as I highlight Wall Street’s best dividend stocks, as rated by research firms that routinely cover these companies. I’ll also take some time to explain the importance of dividend income and sustainable payouts.

Editor’s Note: Tabular data presented in this article is up-to-date as of April 7, 2026.

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Disclaimer: This article does not constitute individualized investment advice. Individual securities, funds, and/or other investments appear for your consideration and not as personalized investment recommendations. Act at your own discretion.

Table of Contents

Why Dividend Stocks?

a person shuffles through five and hundred dollar bills. — DepositPhotos

Dividend stocks can do wonders for the long-term performance of your portfolio. These companies pay a regular flow of their profits directly back to shareholders, meaning you receive some sort of return—even when share prices aren’t cooperating.

Stocks that can both grow and pay dividends are the ultimate long-term stocks given just how much in additional returns they can generate over the long term.

The Importance of Dividends

sp 500 25-year chart through april 6 2026. — Morningstar

The image above shows a look at the return someone could expect if they received just the price returns from the S&P 500 over the past 25 years.

Next, we’ll look at what your returns might look like in comparison when you reinvest those dividends.

But What If I Reinvested My Dividends?

sp 500 vs VOO 25-year chart through april 6 2026. — Morningstar

Now look at the chart above to see how much better the return is when you factor in dividends had you had reinvested those dividends back into the S&P 500 (returns illustrated by an S&P 500-tracking ETF; note that expenses are included in performance).

The price return is right around 485%. The total return (price plus dividends) is 815%!

Just like price return on stocks can be improved upon with dividends, though, a stock that pays dividends but doesn’t go anywhere isn’t exactly ideal, either. Thus, the best dividend stocks will provide both a steady baseline of income and provide you with the potential for meaningful price upside.

Dividend Yields (And Dividend Safety)

Dividend yield is a simple calculation—annual dividend / price x 100—that can mean a world of difference for investors, especially those reliant on income.

But dividend yield isn’t everything. Sometimes, stocks with high yields can look more attractive, but they’re actually flashing a warning signal that the dividend isn’t sustainable. You see, a company can get a very high annual dividend yield in two very different ways: the dividend growing very rapidly, or the share price falling very quickly.

For example, Alpha Corp., which trades for $100 per share, pays a 75¢-per-share quarterly dividend, or $3 across the whole year. It yields 3.0%. In a month, however, it yields 6.0%. Here are two ways that could have happened:

1. Alpha Corp. doubled its dividend to $1.50 per share quarterly, good for a $6-per-share annual dividend. The share price stays the same. ($6 / $100 x 100 = 6.0%)

2. Alpha Corp. kept its dividend at 75¢ quarterly ($3 annually), but its share price plunged in half to $50 per share. ($3 / $50 x 100 = 6.0%)

In one of those scenarios, Alpha Corp. has a very safe dividend. In the other one, Alpha’s dividend could be ready to implode.

So, if you’re sniffing out the best dividend stocks to buy for 2026, make sure you’re not just looking at yield, but also gauging a dividend’s safety. Among other things, you’ll want to look at payout ratio, which determines what percentage of a company’s profits, distributable cash flow, and other financial metrics (depending on the type of stock) are being used to finance the dividend. Generally speaking, the lower the payout ratio, the more sustainable the payout.

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How I Chose the Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2026

Before I started this article, I was video calling a colleague and joked, in a pseudo-philosophical voice, “What is a good dividend stock, anyways?”

But I was only partly kidding. What’s ideal to one investor might not fit the bill for another. Ultimately, though, I coalesced around safe dividends, with some capacity to grow, sporting above-average yields, paid by larger (and thus likelier to be more stable) companies. Specifically, they have to …

Be in the S&P 500.
Have a yield greater than 1.5%, to ensure they’re better than the overall market. Most of the stocks on this list yield more than 2%, some north of 3%,and one yields more than 5%. (If that’s too low a baseline yield for you, I suggest you instead read our list of high-yield dividend stocks, where 5%-plus yields are the norm.)
Have an earnings payout ratio below 70%. This is a generally safe level where there’s still at least some room for dividend growth, and the lower the payout ratio, typically the more growth potential there is. (Note: Free cash flow payout ratio is an even better metric, but screening data for this tends to be unreliable.)
Have at least a consensus Buy rating according to analysts tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence. S&P boils down consensus ratings down to a numerical system where anything less than 1.5 is a Strong Buy, 1.5 to 2.5 is a Buy, between 2.5 and 3.5 is a Hold, 3.5 to 4.5 is a Sell, and anything greater than 4.5 is a Strong Sell. In this case, I only included stocks with a 2.0 rating or less—so at least a pretty firm consensus Buy rating, if not an outright Strong Buy.

I also limited the energy sector to just two stocks. Energy companies were extremely overrepresented in the screen; most problematic is that several sport variable dividends that rise and fall based on available cash flow, which is largely tethered to the motion of energy prices. So a 3% yield today could be 1% in a year, 2% the year after, and so on. The rest of the list is populated with stocks that have more traditional dividend programs—regular payouts that typically only change when the company announces a hike.

The equities here are listed in reverse order of their consensus analyst rating, starting with the worst-rated stock and ending with the best-rated stock.

10. Hasbro

hasbro has stock large 2024 — DepositPhotos

Sector: Consumer discretionary
Market cap: $12.6 billion
Dividend yield: 3.1%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.56 (Buy)

Toys are a part of everyday life that has endured for eons. The toys might change—wooden dolls have given way to kids’ tablet computers and chemistry sets—but the desire to make a business out of entertaining children isn’t going anywhere.

Hasbro (HAS) is one of the world’s largest toy and gamemakers, offering action figures, dolls, trading cards, plush products, preschool toys, play sets, and other consumer products across dozens of both its own brands as well as third parties it has contracted with. Indeed, just a partial rundown of Hasbro’s biggest brands include the likes of Star Wars, Magic: The Gathering (MTG), Play-Doh, Transformers, Peppa Pig, Final Fantasy, The Lord of the Rings, The Avengers, Nerf, and Monopoly.

Hasbro appears to be clawing its way out of a prolonged earnings slump, posting eight consecutive quarters of earnings growth. That hasn’t come without bumps—the company suffered a $1 billion noncash goodwill impairment charge in Q2 related to the impact of tariffs—but strength in the firm’s Wizards of the Coast (responsible for MTG) and Digital Gaming arm, which represents 45% of revenues, has helped carry the firm. Last quarter, for instance, the division’s top line jumped by 86% year-over-year.

“Can Magic comp the comp in 2026?” writes Xian Siew, BNP Paribas Equity Research Senior Analyst, who rates the stock at Outperform (equivalent of Buy). “We believe engagement remains strong with Google Trends up year-over-year, new set launches in ’26 could match those in ’25 with nice starts from Lorwyn (1P), and we estimate distribution growth could add up to 8 pts to growth.”

Siew represents one of 13 Buy-equivalent calls on HAS stock, versus just three Holds and no Sells, putting it among the best dividend stocks to buy right now.

Speaking of dividends: Hasbro’s cash distribution has either remained steady or grown every year for a quarter-century. Its current 70¢ quarterly dole comes out to a well-above-average yield of 3.1%, and represents just about half of this year’s projected earnings—a plenty comfortable cushion that should at least allow Hasbro to maintain the dividend at current levels, if not modestly raise in the future.

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9. BlackRock

Sector: Financials
Market cap: $148.4 billion
Dividend yield: 2.1%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.53 (Buy)

BlackRock (BLK) is one of the world’s largest asset management firms, boasting more than $14 trillion in assets across its many lines of business. Individual investors know it well for both its BlackRock mutual funds and closed-end funds (CEFs), as well as its iShares exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But it also manages money for institutional clients, including pension plans, foundations, charities, and insurance companies, among others.

BlackRock has been in a broader consistent uptrend since the depths of the Great Recession, and that has come alongside similar progression in both the company’s top and bottom lines. There have been a few hiccups along the way, of course, such as COVID and early 2026’s market downturn—but analysts frequently call out these dips as reasons to buy BLK shares.

In fact, it’s difficult to find any Wall Street pros with something negative to say about BlackRock right now despite double-digit losses for the stock in 2026. Shares currently enjoy 15 Buy calls versus two Holds and no Sells

“We believe that BLK remains well positioned to deliver above-peer organic growth given its unmatched product breadth and distribution footprint (helped by its iShares franchise),” say Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts Aidan Hall and Kyle Voigt, who rate BlackRock’s stock at Outperform (equivalent of Buy). “Also, its scale and demonstrated ability to generate operating leverage bodes well for future earnings growth and operating leverage. The firm’s increasing alternatives presence and growing technology revenue stream add further breadth to what is already a diverse product/solutions offering.”

BlackRock has been a fount of dividend growth since the Great Recession, too. In the past decade alone, BLK has managed to average 10% annual dividend growth. Its most recent hike, announced in early February 2026, was a stout 10% bump to $5.73 per share. Still, a payout ratio just above 40% of 2026 profit estimates should keep investors plenty confident in the dividend’s health and its ability to keep growing.

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8. Ventas

Sector: Real estate
Market cap: $39.7 billion
Dividend yield: 2.5%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.52 (Buy)

Ventas (VTR) is one of the market’s largest health care landlords, boasting more than 1,400 properties in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. This includes more than 850 senior housing communities, with the rest spread across outpatient medical, research, hospitals, long-term acute care, in-patient rehabilitation, and skilled-nursing facilities.

In short: Ventas sits at the intersection of a number of “necessary” health care properties.

Real estate broadly took a hit from the COVID pandemic, but operators like Ventas were among the hardest hit. VTR in specific hemorrhaged roughly three-quarters of its value in less than two months as residents fled its senior housing and skilled-nursing facilities. That prompted its push into medical office real estate, which provided some stability. But the demographics that lifted senior housing and nursing operators certainly didn’t disappear, and now those properties are back in the spotlight.

Ventas isn’t resting on this tailwind, however; it’s also maximizing its senior housing properties by converting many of them from triple-net lease (NNN)—where tenants are responsible for taxes, maintenance, and insurance, and Ventas just cashes a check—to its more actively managed Senior Housing Operating Portfolio (SHOP). These SHOP properties have so far been a significant driver of net operating income (NOI).

“Ventas SHOP assets include independent living, assisted living, and memory care environments, many with high-end amenities which add pricing power,” Argus Research analyst Marie Ferguson (Buy) says. “The REIT maintains an active acquisition pipeline. A solid balance sheet and asset sales will help fund portfolio development. The SHOP segment has momentum and is expected to drive growth in 2026, from NOI [net operating income] growth and from the contributions of $2.5 billion in new investment in 2025.”

“The external growth recovery that we expected for the overall REIT group has not materialized as a whole, which arguably makes VTR’s external growth dynamic stand out a bit more to us,” add JPMorgan analysts, who rate the stock at Overweight (equivalent of Buy).

Importantly, Ventas is a real estate investment trust (REIT). REITs are structured differently than regular businesses. They receive significant tax breaks, but in return, they must pay out at least 90% of their taxable income back to shareholders in the form of dividends. While VTR was forced to slash its dividend ruing COVID, from 79¢ per share to 45¢, the company finally delivered positive movement in 2025, announcing a 6.7% hike to the payout, to 48¢ per share. The company followed that up with an 8.3% boost to 52¢ in Q1 2026.

Also, unlike regular stocks, with which we use profits or free cash flow to determine payout ratio, REIT dividend coverage is typically gauged by funds from operations (FFO), a metric of profitability that falls outside of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) standards. FFO payout ratio standards are somewhat different, with 70% to 80% considered quite healthy. VTR pays out only about 55% of normalized FFO (NFFO) estimates for 2026, which is pretty conservative.

Meanwhile, VTR enjoys 17 Buy calls versus four Holds and no Sells, which is good enough to put Ventas not only on this list of elite dividend stocks, but also the best REITs you can buy now.

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7. NXP Semiconductors

An electronic circuit board with chips. — DepositPhotos

Sector: Technology
Market cap: $49.0 billion
Dividend yield: 2.1%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.50 (Strong Buy)

Dutch chip firm NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) is an automotive specialist. Its microcontrollers, processors, near-field communications (NFC) solutions, sensors, and more. While its products are used in applications such as mobile, communications, industrial, and Internet of Things, NXPI’s primary business is automotive—on that front, it’s one of the world’s largest suppliers.

Again, not as scintillating as being a straight-up AI play, but there’s plenty to like.

“We believe NXPI has revenue drivers that are not broad-based macro-driven, but rather company-specific product cycles developed by an engaged management team, and margin expansion drivers that are under-valued by investors,” says Truist Managing Director William Stein, who rates the stock at Buy. “Idiosyncratic product cycles abound, including in automotive, IoT, and mobile. It’s these product cycles that back our thesis.”

Stein is among 27 Buys on NXP Semiconductors, which compares well to just five Holds and no Sells. The dividend-growth picture, however, is a bit mixed. On the one hand, the dividend is 170% higher than it was in 2020. On the other hand, all that growth came across three giant “chunk” raises in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The payout has remained level since then, at $1.014 per share.

Still, those high ratings paired with a yield that’s well above the sector average puts NXPI among the top technology dividends on offer right now, and makes it one of the market’s best dividend stocks overall.

6. Bunge Global

Sector: Consumer staples
Market cap: $24.5 billion
Dividend yield: 2.2%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.50 (Strong Buy)

Bunge Global (BG) is a leading agribusiness and food company, operating across the entire agricultural supply chain through its many subsidiaries. All told, its operations span roughly 23,000 employees across more than 300 facilities in over 40 countries.

The U.S.-headquartered but Switzerland-incorporated firm is a leading global oilseed processor and producer of vegetable oils and protein meals. It sources, processes, and distributes grains such as soybeans, wheat, and corn. It produces agricultural products such as fertilizers and sugars. And that’s just some of what this ag giant does.

Bunge has been a “patience stock” for years thanks to lower margins on crush (the process that produces soybean oil and protein meal), as well as delays to its proposed mega-acquisition of Canadian grain handling business Viterra. However, investors who have had patience are finally seeing the payoff, with the stock up more than 50% over the past six months amid optimism over renewable volume obligation (RVO) and the closing of its Viterra deal.

“We attended BG’s Investor Day, at which management updated its mid-cycle EPS [earnings per share] baseline including Viterra to ~$13 (from ~$8.50) and laid out a framework to achieve $15-plus mid-cycle EPS baseline by 2030,” says BMO Capital Markets Analyst Andrew Strelzik, who rates the stock at Outperform. “We came away with greater confidence in BG’s multi-year earnings trajectory. We remain constructive as BG is poised to realize an inflection in fundamentals beginning in 2026 from which it can grow, and the multi-year earnings opportunity is not yet fully reflected in shares.”

Strelzik is one of nine analysts with a Buy-equivalent rating on Bunge. That compares well against just one Hold and no Sells.

Bunge, meanwhile, can pay investors at least a modest sum for their patience. The 2%-plus yield, on a quarterly dividend of 70¢ per share, is about a percentage point better than what you’ll get from the S&P 500. That dividend has also grown by a decent 40% over the past five years, and it’s as safe as you could want it, with Bunge maintaining a conservative payout ratio of 35% of 2026 profit estimates.

5. Bank of America

Sector: Financials
Market cap: $359.1 billion
Dividend yield: 2.3%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.48 (Strong Buy)

Bank of America (BAC) is one of the world’s largest banks, serving roughly 69 million Americans through 3,800 branches and 15,000 ATMs across 39 states. However, BofA is much, much more than its consumer business—it also provides financial products and services for small and midsized businesses, large corporations, institutional investors, and even governments. Its offerings range from checking and savings accounts to commercial loans, trade finance, treasury management, and securities clearing.

BAC shares enjoyed a market-beating 28% total return in 2025. Relatively volatile markets have helped push trading revenues higher, loans are growing, and the company’s net interest margin (NIM) picture is improving.

“Investor Day goals outlined for the company at large over the medium term included deposit growth of 4%, loan growth of 5%, operating leverage of 200-300 basis points leading to an efficiency ratio of 55%-59%, EPS growth of at least 12%, and a return on tangible common equity of 15% in the near term and 16%-18% in the medium term,” says Argus Research analyst Stephen Biggar (Buy). “We believe the targets are achievable given the company’s breadth of products and investment capabilities, and are competitive enough to push BAC into the upper range on these metrics in the peer group.”

“We model NIM expanding from 2.08% in 4Q25 to 2.21% in 2027 as commercial loan growth accelerates and low yielding securities gradually roll off,” say Morgan Stanley analysts, who rate the stock at Overweight. “We expect BAC to deliver strong expense ratio improvement, from 61% in 2025 to 59% in 2027 and 57% in 2028, within BAC’s target range of 55-59%. This corresponds to positive operating leverage in each of 2026, 2027, and 2028.”

“We view BAC as one of the industry’s leaders in AI, supporting the firm’s efficiency targets,” add Morgan Stanley analysts, who rate BAC at Overweight. “In Consumer, BAC’s Erica agent is currently doing the work of ~11k employees (~5% of headcount) by supporting clients and teams with automation and personalized recommendations (20 million regular users, 2 million daily interactions). The platform has delivered a 60% reduction in service call volume and a 50% reduction in fraud loss rate through AI models.”

Analysts have only gotten more bullish on the Big Four bank amid its recent declines, with the stock now boasting 24 Buys against just three Holds and no Sells. As for the dividend? Bank of America has raised its cash distribution by 55% between 2020 and today. Most recently, it announced a roughly 8% hike, to 28¢ per share, effective as of the September 2025 payout. That dividend is very well-covered at just 25% of 2026’s expected earnings.

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4. Cigna

a cigna group sign outside an office complex. — DepositPhotos

Sector: Health care
Market cap: $73.0 billion
Dividend yield: 2.3%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.48 (Strong Buy)

Cigna Group (CI) is perhaps best known for the Cigna brand, which is one of America’s largest health insurers, offering health, dental, and other plans. But Cigna actually makes up less than half of Cigna Group’s revenues—60% come from its Evernorth Health Services unit, which includes its Express Scripts pharmacy and pharmacy benefit management businesses, Accredo specialty pharmacy, MDLive telehealth, and more.

“Cigna’s managed care portfolio targets strong growth business lines, and is highly diversified, with a relative concentration in the stable [administrative services only] business,” says Oppenheimer, which rates shares at Outperform. “We believe the market is undervaluing the opportunity from the highly accretive Express Scripts deal, which should pay strong long-term returns for shareholders given the diversification, opportunity to cross-sell its services, and a more equity-friendly capital structure. Furthermore, Cigna typically trades at a discount to its peers, leaving upside from multiple expansion.”

Oppenheimer is among 22 Buy-equivalent calls on the stock, which compares nicely to just three Holds and no Sells. Also among the bulls is BofA Global Research analyst Kevin Fischbeck, who believes the company’s pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) business is misunderstood.

“The market appears to be concerned about a race to the bottom on PBM margins, but we haven’t seen any evidence of margin compression outside of the largest accounts,” he says. “Meanwhile, CI screens cheap even assuming the implementation costs don’t go away over time and despite what we see as an improved PBM business (extended contracts, derisked legislatively, PBM a smaller part of earnings).”

Unlike many of the dividend stocks on this list, Cigna doesn’t have a particularly illustrious dividend history. In 2004, the company cut its quarterly payout by 92%, to 2.5¢ per share (adjusted for its 3-for-1 stock split in 2007). Then in 2008, the company transitioned to 4¢ annual dividends, which lasted until 2021, when Cigna announced a new quarterly dividend of $1 per share. Since then, the company has raised its payout by another 56%, to $1.56 per share.

Cigna certainly has more headroom for higher dividends going forward—the company’s current payout represents just 20% of 2026’s expected earnings.

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3. Diamondback Energy

Sector: Energy
Market cap: $56.1 billion
Dividend yield: 2.2%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.47 (Strong Buy)

Energy businesses are typically referred to by their “stream.” Upstream companies search for and extract oil, gas, and other raw energy resources; midstream companies transport, store, and sometimes process those resources; and downstream companies refine these resources into final products such as gasoline, diesel, and natural gas liquids (NGLs).

Diamondback Energy (FANG) is an upstream firm—an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) firm that operates “unconventional” onshore reserves in West Texas’ Permian Basin.

E&P companies are more beholden to commodity prices than the other “streams,” so as oil and nat gas prices go, so go their shares. Their differences boil down to operational efficiency, and FANG is among the best, according to Wall Street analysts, who as a group have a whopping 29 Buys on the stock, versus two Holds and no Sells.

“Diamondback laid out convincing well economics around recent and potential upcoming Barnett wells, suggesting that if costs can get down to $800 per foot, returns can get competitive versus core Midland wells given that Barnett oil production is 60% better on a first-year cumulative basis than core,” says William Blair analyst Neil Dingmann, who recently initiated coverage at FANG with an Outperform rating. “Investors and companies alike likely took notice of Diamondback’s inventory update, which suggests over a decade of drilling at the current pace.

“The company also continues to demonstrate its shareholder return flexibility, boosting its base dividend once again and remaining opportunistic with share buybacks.”

Diamondback, like a growing number of energy companies, has a base-plus-variable dividend that provides a combination of flexibility for the company and security for investors. Specifically, it pays $1.05 per share quarterly in base dividends (up 5% over 2025, and a little less than 30% of 2026 earnings estimates), and it will distribute additional variable dividends as cash flow allows. The current yield reflects no special dividends over the past year, however.

2. Targa Resources

Sector: Energy
Market cap: $53.9 billion
Dividend yield: 1.6%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.41 (Strong Buy)

Targa Resources (TRGP) deals in the midstream energy market segment—alongside its subsidiary, Targa Resource Partners LP, it owns a wide array of gathering, processing, logistics, and transportation assets across numerous natural resource plays, including the Permian Basin, Bakken Shale, Anadarko Basin, and the Gulf of Mexico, among others. The Permian Basin is arguably Targa’s biggest growth driver; roughly 3 in 5 lower-48 U.S. shale rigs are located there, and about 80% of Targa’s natural gas inlet volumes are sourced from there.

Targa went public in 2010, peaked in 2014, cratered, then largely hovered for a few years after that. But after bottoming out during COVID, the stock has roared back to life and nearly doubled in 2024 to hit all-time highs. After flatlining in 2025, shares have exploded by 35% in 2026, and the analyst community remains wildly bullish: 20 Buys dwarf just two Hold calls and no Sells, making TRGP one of the market’s best dividend stocks for 2026.

Much of this can be attributed to Targa’s positioning in the Permian.

“We believe Targa is executing at all levels,” say “TRGP reported 4Q25 results above our expectations and see continued Permian growth in 2026 whereas other peers are striking a more cautious tone. Targa servicing the largest producers with strong economics continue to push volumes on its system higher. In addition, TRGP continues to augment their footprint through acquisitions. As a result TRGP is confident in its EBITDA growth over several years.”

Energy infrastructure stocks are a different breed. Many of them are master limited partnerships (MLPs), which are required to return a majority of their income to unitholders (shares in MLPs) in the form of distributions (dividend-like payments to shareholders that have different tax consequences). Targa is technically a corporation, though, so it pays dividends like a traditional stock.

Its most recent dividend was $1 per share, but the company recently said it plans to recommend a 25% increase to $1.25 per share for the first fiscal quarter of 2026 that would be payable in May 2026. That would be about 55% of 2026 earnings projections.

1. Citizens Financial Group

a sign at citizens bank park. — DepositPhotos

Sector: Financials
Market cap: $26.0 billion
Dividend yield: 3.0%
Consensus analyst rating: 1.40 (Strong Buy)

Citizens Financial Group (CFG) is the holding company behind Citizens Bank, a large regional bank with roughly 1,000 branches serving 14 East Coast and Midwest states as well as Washington, D.C. It provides a wide variety of consumer and commercial banking services, including deposits, mortgages, credit cards, business loans, wealth management, foreign exchange, corporate finance, and more.

One noteworthy area of growth for CFG is Citizens Private Bank, which offers personal banking, wealth management, and other services to people with at least $10 million in net worth and at least $5 million in liquid assets. Since launching near the end of 2023, Private Bank has accumulated $12.5 billion in deposits, $5.9 billion in loans, and $7.6 billion in investments.

“CFG also reported that Citizens Private Bank continues to grow, reporting $14.5 billion in deposits, $10 billion in investments, and $7.2 billion in loans since the launch in 4Q23,” says Argus Research analyst Kevin Heal, who rates Citizens’ shares at Buy. “Management has remained confident that Private Bank will deliver 20% to 25% return on equity for FY26.”

“CFG has among the strongest [return on tangible common equity] improvement stories among large regional banks, supported by net interest income/net interest margin improvement, Private Bank buildout, balance sheet optimization efforts, and a capital markets recovery,” add Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts, who have the stock at Outperform. “Overall, we continue to believe CFG has among the most attractive risk/reward setups for super regional banks.”

All told, CFG has a broad bull camp of 19 Buys versus one Hold and no Sells, putting it at the tippy top of the S&P 500’s best dividend stocks right now.

Citizens Financial has paid a dividend every year since its initial public offering (IPO) in 2014. Its dividend-growth history is less consistent; nonetheless, the quarterly payout has improved by 360% since its initial 10¢ payout. Most recently, in October 2025, it announced a 9.5% improvement to the dividend, to 46¢ per share. It’s a very well-covered payout that represents about 35% of Citizens’ anticipated profits for 2026.

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Related: 15 Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever

As even novice investors probably know, funds—whether they’re mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—are the simplest and easiest ways to invest in the stock market. But the best long-term stocks also offer many investors a way to stay “invested” intellectually—by following companies they believe in. They also provide investors with the potential for outperformance.

So if you’re looking for a starting point for your own portfolio, look no further. Check out our list of the best long-term stocks for buy-and-hold investors.

Related: 10 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks for Frequent, Regular Income

The vast majority of American dividend stocks pay regular, reliable payouts—and they do so at a more frequent clip (quarterly) than dividend stocks in most other countries (typically every six months or year).

Still, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “it’d sure be nice to collect these dividends more often,” you don’t have to look far. While they’re not terribly common, American exchanges boast dozens of monthly dividend stocks.

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The 10 Best Dividend Stocks on Wall Street Right Now

Featured Financial Products

Why Dividend Stocks?

The Importance of Dividends

But What If I Reinvested My Dividends?

Dividend Yields (And Dividend Safety)

How I Chose the Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2026

10. Hasbro

Featured Financial Products

9. BlackRock

8. Ventas

7. NXP Semiconductors

6. Bunge Global

5. Bank of America

4. Cigna

Featured Financial Products

3. Diamondback Energy

2. Targa Resources

1. Citizens Financial Group

Related: 15 Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever

Related: 10 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks for Frequent, Regular Income

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