Top Wall Street analysts recommend these dividend stocks for stable returns

The stock market has been coasting on enthusiasm as President Donald Trump takes the reins, but plenty of questions remain over tax cuts and tariffs. Dividend-paying stocks can offer investors some cushioning if the market becomes rocky.

Amid an uncertain macro backdrop, investors looking for stable returns can add some solid dividend stocks to their portfolios. To select the right dividend stocks, investors can consider insights from top Wall Street analysts, as they analyze a company's ability to pay consistent dividends, backed by solid cash flows.

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.

This week's first dividend stock is telecommunications company AT&T (T). Recently, the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2775 per share, payable on Feb. 3. AT&T stock offers a dividend yield of nearly 5%.

Recently, Argus Research analyst Joseph Bonner upgraded AT&T stock to buy from hold, with a price target of $27. Bonner's bullish stance follows AT&T's analyst day event, where the company discussed its strategy and long-term financial goals.

Bonner noted that management raised its 2024 adjusted EPS outlook and revealed strong estimates for shareholder returns, earnings and cash flow growth, as AT&T "finishes extricating itself from some troublesome acquisitions and focuses on the convergence of wireless and fiber internet services."

The analyst expects the company's cost-saving efforts, network modernization, and revenue acceleration to gradually reflect in its performance. He thinks that management's vision of capturing opportunities arising from the convergence of wireless and fiber, along with the