Investors are piling into dividend stocks this year. These names top Wall Street’s buy list

Investors looking to escape the volatility are turning to dividend stocks this year. Nearly $22 billion flowed into dividend exchange-funds in the first quarter of 2026 — the most since the second quarter of 2022, according to Morningstar. While the S & P 500 hit a fresh record on Monday, the market has been rocky this year, thanks to concerns about the Iran war, oil prices and artificial intelligence disruption. …