On Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted at the possibility of more interest rate cuts, citing weakness in the labor market. Given the uncertain macroeconomic environment and potential rate reductions, investors may consider adding dividend stocks to their portfolios to secure stable income.
Top Wall Street analysts’ recommendations can help investors identify attractive dividend-paying stocks with strong fundamentals. Below are three dividend stocks highlighted by leading Wall Street experts, as tracked by TipRanks—a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
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### 1. EOG Resources (EOG)
The first dividend pick this week is **EOG Resources (EOG)**, a crude oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) company with reserves in the U.S. and Trinidad. EOG recently announced a $5.6 billion acquisition of Encino Acquisition Partners, a deal expected to be accretive to the company’s free cash flow and supportive of its shareholder return commitments.
EOG raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to $1.02 per share, payable on October 31. With an annualized dividend of $4.08 per share, the stock offers a yield of 3.8%.
RBC Capital analyst Scott Hanold reiterated a **buy** rating on EOG and raised his price target from $140 to $145. TipRanks’ AI Analyst has an **“outperform”** rating with a price target of $133.
Hanold updated his earnings per share (EPS) and cash flow per share (CFPS) estimates for 2025 and 2026, driven by higher oil price expectations. He now forecasts EPS of $10.07 (2025) and $9.46 (2026), up from previous estimates of $9.54 and $7.15, respectively. Additionally, he initiated EPS and CFPS estimates for 2027 ($11.63 and $23.59) and 2028 ($12.97 and $25.65).
Hanold praised EOG’s leading-edge technology, strong balance sheet, low-cost operations, and capital efficiency as key value drivers, describing it as a core E&P holding expected to outperform its peers over the next 12 months.
Hanold ranks No. 79 out of more than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks, with a 64% success rate on his ratings and an average return of 26.5%.
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### 2. Coterra Energy (CTRA)
Another dividend-paying energy company is **Coterra Energy (CTRA)**, an exploration and production firm focused on the Permian Basin, Marcellus Shale, and Anadarko Basin. Coterra paid a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share in Q2 2025, yielding 3.4%.
Siebert Williams Shank analyst Gabriele Sorbara reiterated a **buy** rating on Coterra but lowered his price target from $35 to $32. In contrast, TipRanks’ AI Analyst has a **“neutral”** rating with a $26 price target.
Sorbara remains cautious amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and has a selective near-term outlook. Despite this, he counts Coterra among his “favorite names” heading into Q3 results.
He expects Q3 oil production to beat expectations, although EBITDA and free cash flow estimates might lag due to “stale consensus gas pricing.” Sorbara sees potential upside in Q4 oil production from incremental gains linked to the Harkey remediation wells.
He reaffirmed his buy rating, citing Coterra’s attractive valuation—trading at an EV/EBITDA discount—and above-average free cash flow yield, alongside strong capital return potential.
Sorbara ranks No. 315 among more than 10,000 analysts on TipRanks, with a 52% success rate and an average return of 20%.
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### 3. AT&T (T)
The third dividend stock pick is **AT&T (T)**, a wireless telecom giant scheduled to announce Q3 results on October 22. AT&T recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2775 per share, payable November 3. The stock offers an annualized dividend of $1.11 per share, yielding 4.3%.
Citigroup analyst Michael Rollins reiterated a **buy** rating on AT&T with a base case price target of $32, calling it a top-ranked pick. TipRanks’ AI Analyst also has an **“outperform”** rating with a $31 price target.
Rollins expects AT&T to deliver strong operating performance in Q3 across its strategic products and segments. Despite intense wireless competition, he forecasts 300,000 postpaid phone net additions in Q3, along with 2.5% year-over-year wireless service revenue growth.
He also projects 286,000 fiber net additions during the seasonally strong quarter, and continued expansion of fixed wireless access (FWA) with 210,000 net additions.
While Rollins’ Q3 revenue, EBITDA, and EPS forecasts are slightly below Street consensus, his free cash flow estimates align with expectations.
Rollins highlighted likely upward momentum in wireless churn, upgrades, and gross adds, driven by active replacement rates. He also noted that AT&T’s broadband opportunity remains an underappreciated driver of the company’s annual financial growth prospects.
Michael Rollins ranks No. 548 out of more than 10,000 analysts on TipRanks, with a 62% success rate and an average return of 11.7%.
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### Final Thoughts
With the potential for further interest rate cuts amid economic uncertainties, dividend-paying stocks like EOG Resources, Coterra Energy, and AT&T offer investors a viable path to stable income coupled with growth potential. Leveraging the insights of top-rated analysts can help investors build resilient portfolios that weather market volatility while generating steady cash flow.
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*See more on EOG Resources, Coterra Energy, and AT&T stock ratings, financials, and hedge fund activity on TipRanks.*
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/19/top-wall-street-analysts-are-upbeat-on-these-3-dividend-paying-stocks.html
