Investors continue to grapple with stock market volatility due to tensions in the Middle East. Anyone looking for a stable stream of passive income despite ongoing uncertainty can add shares of some established dividend-paying companies to their portfolio.
In this regard, insights from top Wall Street analysts can help investors select attractive dividend stocks because these experts’ ratings are supported by an in-depth analysis of a company’s financials and growth prospects.
Here are three dividend stocks highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros, tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on past performance.
ConocoPhillips
This week’s first dividend stock is an oil and gas exploration and production company ConocoPhillips (POLICEMAN). The energy company is expected to report its first-quarter results on Thursday. COP paid a dividend of 84 cents per share for the first quarter of 2026 and offers a dividend yield of 2.64%.
In a first-quarter earnings preview, Jefferies analyst Lloyd Byrne reiterated his Buy rating on ConocoPhillips shares and increased his price target to $160 from $129. He expects the company to beat first-quarter expectations on higher oil volumes.
Additionally, the 5-star analyst highlighted that his Q1 2026 EPS estimate of $1.89 is above the Street consensus of $1.70 (which is expected to be revised to $1.80). Byrne noted that while higher realized prices are the biggest driver of sequential improvement in the first quarter of 2026, a headwind that could persist throughout the year is natural gas realizations in the Lower 48, at a discount of about 6 cents compared to standard prices.
Byrne believes COP is well-positioned to benefit from volatility triggered by the US-Iran conflict, as approximately 57% (the highest in its reporting) of the company’s production relies on crude oil and TTF (the Title Transfer Facility Index is the primary measure of wholesale natural gas prices in Europe).
“Using roughly $90 Brent and $16 TTF in 2026, we find that COP has a compelling FCF.” [free cash flow] The analyst expects ConocoPhillips to make $8.5 billion in buybacks and add $3 billion to its balance sheet at $90 Brent in 2026. He highlighted that the estimated incremental free cash flow of $8 billion is the highest among peers.
Byrne is ranked #225 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His reviews were successful 61% of the time and delivered an average return of 20.9%. See ConocoPhillips stock buybacks on TipRanks.
Viper energy
Viper energy (WITHIN) is a subsidiary of Diamondback energy (FANG) and owns and acquires mineral and royalty interests primarily in the Permian Basin. In February 2026, the company announced a 15% increase in its annual base dividend to $1.52 per share. Taking into account the base and variable dividends declared last year, VNOM offers a dividend yield of 4.6%.
In an earnings preview report, Roth Capital analyst Leo Mariani reiterated a Buy rating on Viper Energy shares and increased his price target by 4% to $50 to reflect higher cash flows as a result of increased commodity prices. His bullish stance is supported by VNOM’s “highest organic growth rate compared to its peers, a solid and growing dividend, strong free cash flow even with lower oil prices, and a multi-year view of its operations that its peers do not have.”
The 5-star analyst expects Viper to deliver strong results in the first quarter. Oil production is expected to beat consensus by 0.8% and be near the high end of the company’s forecast of 62,500 to 64,500 bopd (barrels of oil per day). Mariani also expects the company’s total production in the first quarter of 2026 to beat the Street consensus estimate by 0.4%.
Additionally, Mariani expects Viper’s first quarter results to reflect solid oil price insights. However, he expects gas and NGL (natural gas liquids) prices to be weaker as Diamondback Energy has already reported lower prices. Still, he expects Viper to continue to outperform Diamondback on gas and NGL.
In terms of shareholder returns, Mariani estimates cash distributions of 60 cents per share in the first quarter of 2026 and share repurchases of $90 million. Interestingly, the analyst expects Viper’s return on capital plan to rely slightly less on share buybacks this year and variable dividends to gain priority given the strength in oil prices.
Mariani is ranked No. 23 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His reviews were successful 72% of the time and delivered an average return of 35.4%. See Viper Energy ownership structure on TipRanks.
Kinetics Holdings
Finally, let’s take a look Kinetics Holdings (KNTK), a midstream operator in the Delaware Basin. The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of 81 cents per share, payable on May 1. Based on an annual dividend of $3.24 per share, Kinetik offers a dividend yield of 6.74%.
Ahead of first-quarter results on May 6, RBC Capital analyst Elvira Scotto reiterated her Buy rating on Kinetik stock and slightly increased the price target from $49 to $50 to reflect higher expectations for commodity prices.
The 5-star analyst expects lower volumes due to weak Waha prices to continue to weigh on Kinetik’s performance until additional pipeline capacity becomes available in the second half of 2026. Still, Scotto expects these headwinds to be offset by higher commodity prices and marketing gains from price margins.
Meanwhile, Scotto increased her estimates based on insights from her quarterly catch-up call and RBC’s new commodity price deck. The analyst now expects Kinetik to deliver adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $236 million, $1.014 billion and $1.194 billion in the first quarter of 2026, 2026 and 2027, respectively, versus the previous forecast of $234 million, $1.011 billion and $1.184 billion.
Overall, Scotto remains bullish on kinetics given its focus on the Permian Basin, high-quality assets and pipeline connectivity. The analyst believes that “KNTK pays an attractive dividend that could increase over time as leverage and coverage improve.”
Scotto is ranked #162 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Their reviews were successful 70% of the time and delivered an average return of 16%. See Kinetik Holdings options activity on TipRanks.