Top Wall Street analysts prefer these dividend stocks to strengthen portfolios [Video]

The Federal Reserve recently cut interest rates by 50 basis points, setting a favorable backdrop for dividend-paying stocks.

Wall Street analysts’ recommendations and in-depth analysis can help investors choose dividend stocks that can enhance total returns with passive income and stock price appreciation.

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

Northern Oil and Gas

This week’s first dividend stock is Northern Oil and Gas (NOG), a non-operated, upstream energy asset owner. It acquires minority interests in assets across multiple basins operated by leading operators.

In August, NOG announced a dividend of 42 cents per share, payable on Oct. 31. This dividend marked an 11% year-over-year increase. NOG offers a dividend yield of 4.8%.

Recently, Mizuho analyst William Janelainitiated a buy rating on NOG stock with a price target of $47. He thinks that the combination of NOG’s extensive …