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

The S&P 500 roseate to a caller grounds connected Friday, but macro uncertainties persist. Investors whitethorn privation to see dividend-paying stocks arsenic a mode to heighten returns successful the lawsuit of choppy markets.

Tracking the banal picks of apical Wall Street analysts tin assistance investors prime charismatic dividend stocks, fixed that these experts delegate their ratings aft an in-depth investigation of a company's fundamentals and its quality to make coagulated currency flows to consistently wage dividends.

Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street's apical pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a level that ranks analysts based connected their past performance.

Fast-food concatenation McDonald's (MCD) is this week's archetypal dividend pick. The institution offers a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share. With an annualized dividend of $7.08 per share, MCD banal offers a dividend output of 2.4%. It is worthy noting that McDonald's has accrued its yearly dividend for 49 consecutive years and is connected way to becoming a dividend king.

Recently, Jefferies expert Andy Barish reiterated a bargain standing connected McDonald's banal with a price people of $360. The expert believes that MCD banal is simply a bargain connected a pullback. Meanwhile, TipRanks' AI expert has an "outperform" standing connected McDonald's stock and a terms people of $342.

Barish sees near-term acceleration successful McDonald's U.S. same-store income (SSS) and medium-term acceleration successful portion maturation arsenic the large drivers for the stock, which would assistance constrictive the existent valuation spread compared to rivals Yum Brands and Domino's. The expert besides noted improved planetary SSS, arsenic the institution remains a trade-down beneficiary owed to its worth proposition and low-price constituent combos.

Among different positives, Barish mentioned marque powerfulness and competitory advantages successful size, scale, advertising, proviso concatenation and astir up-to-date concatenation of restaurants. He is besides optimistic astir MCD owed to its antiaircraft qualities and marque positioning during uncertain times, higher visibility successful delivering low-single to mid-single digit SSS compared to rivals, acceleration of planetary portion maturation to 4% to 5%, category-high operating margins and monolithic escaped currency travel procreation to enactment dividends and repurchases.

"Despite a brushed 1Q and well-known pressures connected the low-end consumer, MCD is executing good by balancing value, innovation, and marketing," said Barish.

Barish ranks No. 591 among much than 9,600 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been profitable 57% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 9.9%. See McDonald's Ownership Structure on TipRanks.

We determination connected to EPR Properties (EPR), a existent property concern spot (REIT) that is focused connected experiential properties specified arsenic movie theaters, amusement parks, eat-and-play centers and skis resorts. EPR precocious announced a 3.5% summation successful its monthly dividend to $0.295 per share. At an annualized dividend of $3.54 per share, EPR banal offers a dividend output of 6.2%.

Following an extended sojourn to EPR's firm office and meetings with immoderate teams successful the company, Stifel expert Simon Yarmak upgraded EPR banal to bargain from clasp and accrued the terms people to $65 from $52. TipRanks' AI expert besides has an "outperform" rating connected EPR with a terms people of $61.

Yarmak turned bullish connected EPR, noting the caller emergence successful the banal and improvements successful the outgo of capital. He said that the institution tin "once again instrumentality to tenable outer growth."

Specifically, the expert estimates that twelvemonth to date, EPR's weighted mean outgo of superior (WACC) has improved to astir 7.85% from astir 9.3%. At these improved levels, Yarmak said that helium thinks the institution tin commencement aggressively making much acquisitions and boost outer growth.

Moreover, Yarmak highlighted the continued betterment successful the fundamentals of the theatre manufacture and expects percent rent to heighten EPR Properties' net implicit the adjacent respective years. Meanwhile, the improved outgo of superior is enabling absorption to look astatine different outer maturation opportunities, chiefly play assets and wellness and wellness assets.

Yarmak ranks No. 670 among much than 9,600 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been profitable 58% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 8.2%. See EPR Properties Stock Charts on TipRanks.

The 3rd banal connected this week's dividend database is Halliburton (HAL), an oilfield services institution that provides products and services to the vigor industry. HAL offers a quarterly dividend of 17 cents per share. At an annualized dividend of 68 cents per share, Halliburton stock's dividend output stands astatine 3.3%.

Following a virtual capitalist gathering with management, Goldman Sachs expert Neil Mehta reaffirmed a bargain standing connected Halliburton banal with a terms people of $24. Also, TipRanks' AI expert has an "outperform" rating connected HAL banal with a terms people of $23.

While absorption acknowledged near-term risks to the North American business, Mehta noted that astir 60% of HAL's gross comes from planetary markets and presents a comparative grade of resilience, which is not priced into the stock. Halliburton expects continued softness successful definite geographic locations specified arsenic Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. However, astir of HAL's planetary rigs are exposed to unconventional drilling, and absorption does not expect these rigs to acquisition ample suspensions.

Interestingly, absorption expects "idiosyncratic growth" from 4 cardinal areas: unconventional completion opportunities successful Argentina and Saudi Arabia, marketplace stock maturation successful directional drilling, involution opportunities arsenic operators are much apt to walk greater clip optimizing existing assets than processing greenfield assets, and artificial assistance opportunities. Mehta expects these opportunities to heighten margins and enactment beardown escaped currency travel conversion, making HAL banal charismatic astatine these levels.

Despite the expected softness successful pricing successful North America, Halliburton expects to support a premium to the marketplace owed to its differentiated Zeus exertion and the semipermanent quality of its electrical contracts, noted the analyst.

Mehta ranks No. 541 among much than 9,600 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings person been palmy 60% of the time, delivering an mean instrumentality of 9.2%. See Halliburton Technical Analysis on TipRanks.