Top Wall Street analysts favor these dividend stocks for better returns [Video]

Dividend-paying stocks can help investors bolster their portfolios and boost returns.

Investors searching for these names will need to find companies that have a track record of making steady payments, backed by robust financials.

Here are three attractive dividend stocks, according to Wall Street’s top pros on TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.

Darden Restaurants

The first dividend stock is Darden Restaurants (DRI), which operates several popular brands in full-service dining, including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Yard House. The company recently announced mixed results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. While Darden exceeded analysts’ earnings expectations, its sales slightly missed the Street’s consensus amid increased discounting by rivals.

Darden issued $628 million in dividendsand committed $454 million to share repurchases in fiscal 2024. Moreover, the company announced a dividend hike of nearly 7%, bringing the quarterly dividend to $1.40 per share. The stock has a dividend yield of …