Top Wall Street analysts suggest these 3 dividend stocks for steady income

The ongoing earnings season, investor concerns about the durability of AI demand and spending, and geopolitical risks are key factors that have been contributing to stock market volatility in recent trading sessions. In this scenario, investors seeking steady income can consider adding dividend stocks to their portfolios. Recommendations of top Wall Street analysts can help them pick attractive dividend stocks that are backed by solid cash flows to support consistent payments. 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. ConocoPhillips Oil and gas exploration and production company ConocoPhillips is this week's first dividend pick. With a dividend of 84 cents per share (annualized dividend of $3.36 per share), COP offers a dividend yield of 3%. The company is scheduled to announce its second-quarter results on Aug. 6. Ahead of second-quarter results, Wells Fargo analyst Sam Margolin reiterated a buy rating on COP stock with a price target of $183 . Despite the pressure on oil prices from an increase in OPEC production quota, the analyst finds ConocoPhillips and Shell stocks appealing as the earnings season approaches. He cited their operational visibility and resilience as factors backing their appeal. The 5-star analyst expects ConocoPhillips to meet its production guidance of 2.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day at the mid-point. He expects lower Waha natural gas prices in the Permian Basin to be offset by stronger Brent crude premiums. Margolin expects capital expenditure to remain within COP's prior guided range of $12.2 billion annualized, with no significant impact on spending on the Northfield East project in Qatar despite the Strait of Hormuz disruption. Overall, Margolin expects COP to generate about $3.5 billion in free cash flow (before working capital) and earnings per share of $2.94. He expects continued strength in COP's free cash flow and regular dividend growth through the completion of the Willow project in 2028/2029. Prior to the Willow project coming online, the analyst expects free cash flow to grow by about $2 billion in 2027 and 2028, assuming Brent crude averages around $60 per barrel. "COP's track record of capital efficiency and strong Permian well productivity underpins its ability to pursue long-cycle developments," said Margolin. Margolin ranks No. 457 among more than 12,300 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 70% of the time, delivering an average return of 13.3%. See ConocoPhillips Financials on TipRanks. Energy Transfer Energy Transfer is a limited partnership that operates 140,000 miles of pipeline and associated energy infrastructure. With a quarterly cash distribution of 33.75 cents per common unit ($1.35 per unit on an annualized basis), ET offers a yield of 6.8%. Heading into Energy Transfer's Q2 earnings on Aug. 4, Jefferies analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith reaffirmed a buy rating on ET stock with a price target of $23 . The analyst noted that his adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization estimate of $4.46 billion is 1% below the Street's consensus of $4.49 billion. The 5-star analyst noted that Energy Transfer has slightly outperformed Enterprise Products Partners recently. However, it still trades at a relative discount of 19% compared to EPD, which is below its historical discount range of 17%-20%. Smith believes that ET stock could be re-rated higher if the company provides a clearer long-term strategy...