Top Wall Street analysts like these 3 dividend stocks for solid returns

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images The Federal Reserve indicated the possibility of a rate hike this year after its latest meeting, which could have implications for income-seeking investors. Given this backdrop, dividend-paying stocks with strong yields and upside potential could help investors earn attractive returns. Backed by solid research, top Wall Street analysts can provide key insights to pick stocks having the ability to generate compelling capital appreciation and pay consistent dividends, driven by solid fundamentals. Here are three dividend-paying stocks that are highlighted by Wall Street's top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Kinetik Holdings Kinetik is a midstream company operating in the Delaware basin. With a quarterly dividend of 81 cents per share (annualized dividend of $3.24 per share), KNTK stock offers a dividend yield of about 7%. RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reiterated a buy rating on Kinetik stock and increased her price target to $53 from $50, citing expected growth from the KL2 project and sour gas opportunity in New Mexico. Scotto updated her estimates to reflect Kinetik's Q1 2026 results, with adjusted EBITDA beating estimates, driven by improved margins and Gulf Coast marketing gains that offset Waha price-related shut-ins. The five-star analyst expects the Waha price-related shut-ins to persist until incremental takeaway capacity comes online later this year. …