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Investors love dividend stocks because they provide dependable passive income streams and an excellent opportunity for solid total return. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over time. In other words, the total return on an investment or portfolio consists of income and stock appreciation. At 24/7 Wall St., we have focused on dividend stocks for over 15 years because, despite the stock market's ups and downs, many people need reliable passive income streams to supplement their income from employment or other sources such as Social Security and pensions.

The chances of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve are narrowing as inflation is rising again.

While energy is the leading cause of the inflation spike, that problem may not be solved anytime soon.

Quality dividend stocks with yields of 6% or higher are solid gold for investors seeking passive income streams.

The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks. Get them here FREE.

While many investors love the diversification that exchange-traded funds offer, they sometimes come with hefty expenses, year-end capital gains, and holdings that investors plain don't want to own. Selecting high-quality, well-known companies that offer dividends of 6% or more is one of the best ways to build a reliable passive income stream that can provide years of dividend payments. Plus, some investors can choose to write covered call options on their holdings to generate additional income.

READ: The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks

We screened our 24/7 Wall St. dividend stocks database, looking for well-known companies that pay reliable dividends of 6% or higher to shareholders and are also rated Buy on Wall Street. Five companies that passive income investors are buying hand over fist made our list, and all make sense for growth and income investors now.

The more passive income can help cover rising costs—such as mortgages, insurance, taxes, and other expenses—the easier it is for investors to set aside money for future needs as they prepare for or begin retirement. Dependable recurring dividends from quality, high-yield stocks are a recipe for success.

Altria (NYSE: MO) is one of the world's largest producers and marketers of cigarettes and other tobacco-related products. This stock offers value investors a solid entry point and a 6.46% dividend. Altria manufactures and sells smokable and oral tobacco products in the United States through its subsidiaries.

The company primarily sells cigarettes under the Marlboro brand, as well as:

Cigars and pipe tobacco, principally under the Black & Mild and Middleton brands

Moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands

on! Oral nicotine pouches

e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand

It sells its tobacco products primarily to wholesalers, including distributors and large retail organizations, such as chain stores.

Altria used to own over 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD), the world's largest brewer. In March of 2024, the company sold 35 million of its 197 million shares through a global secondary offering. That represents 18% of its holdings but still leaves 8% of the outstanding shares in its back pocket. Altria also announced a $2.4 billion stock repurchase plan partially funded by the sale.

Altria increased its quarterly dividend in the fall of 2025 by 3.9%, from $1.02 to $1.06 per share, marking its 55th consecutive dividend increase.

UBS has a Buy rating with a $74 target price.

Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) is one of North America's largest and most diversified midstream energy companies. This top master limited partnership is a safe option for investors seeking energy exposure and income, as the company pays a 7.03% distribution yield. It owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States, with a strategic footprint across all major domestic production basins. Core operations include:

Complementary natural gas midstream, intrastate, and interstate transportation and storage assets

Crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL), and refined product transportation and terminalling assets

NGL fractionation

Various acquisition and marketing assets

Following the acquisition of Enable Partners in December 2021, Energy Transfer owns and operates over 114,000 miles of pipelines and related assets in 41 states, spanning all major U.S. producing regions and markets. This further solidifies its leadership position in the midstream sector.

Through its ownership of Energy Transfer Operating, formerly known as Energy Transfer Partners, the company also owns Lake Charles LNG; the general partner interests, the incentive distribution rights, and 28.5 million standard units of Sunoco (NYSE: SUN); and the public partner interests and 39.7 million standard units of USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC).

Wells Fargo has an Overweight rating on the shares, with a $25 target price.

With products that never go out of style, and a strong 6.85% dividend yield, General Mills (NYSE: GIS) is a rebound story that will reward patient investors. This global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods trades at a cheap 10.4 times estimated 2026 earnings. Its segments include:

North America Retail

International

North America Pet

North America Foodservice

The North America Retail segment reflects business with a variety of grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, drug, dollar, and discount chains, convenience stores, and e-commerce grocery providers.

The International segment consists of retail and foodservice businesses outside the United States and Canada. Its product categories include super-premium ice cream and frozen desserts, meal kits, salty snacks, snack bars, dessert and baking mixes, and shelf-stable vegetables.

The North America Pet segment includes pet food products sold in the United States and Canada in national pet superstore chains, e-commerce retailers, and grocery stores. And the North America Foodservice segment product categories include ready-to-eat cereals, snacks, and baking mixes.

Piper Sandler has an Overweight rating and a $45 target price.

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) was one of the best ideas among the top dividend picks, with a current dividend yield of 6.16%. It provides a range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 200 countries and territories.

The delivery giant announced last year that it would cut its shipping volume for e-commerce giant Amazon by more than 50% by the second half of 2026. The company faced headwinds from discontinuing its Amazon business and expectations of slower economic growth. It said the move was part of UPS's broader strategy to focus on more profitable, less risky business segments.

While UPS has never trimmed its dividend since listing in 1999, that track record offers reassurance rather than a guarantee: growth may pause, but a cut remains off the table for now.

Its U.S. Domestic Package segment offers a range of domestic air and ground package transportation services within the United States. Its air portfolio offers time-definite, same-day, next-day, two-day, and three-day delivery alternatives as well as air cargo services. The ground network enables customers to ship using its day-definite ground service. UPS SurePost provides residential ground service for customers with non-urgent, lightweight residential shipments.

The International Package segment comprises its small package operations in Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Africa, Canada, Latin America, and Asia. It offers a selection of guaranteed day- and time-definite international shipping services. Its supply chain solutions consist of forwarding, logistics, and other businesses.

Jefferies has a Buy rating with a $130 price objective.

Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is an American multinational telecommunications company that continues to offer tremendous value. Its shares trade at 11.5 times its estimated 2026 earnings, and it pays a 6.15% dividend (our stock chart is incorrect). Verizon provides a range of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and government entities worldwide.

Verizon's trailing 12 -month interest coverage ratio is 4.6× to 5×, providing ample cushion for dividend payments. With a very predictable revenue stream from telecom services, the company has less exposure to commodity cycles. In addition, the large scale helps in financing and absorbing shocks.

It operates in two segments:

Verizon Consumer Group

Verizon Business Group

The Consumer segment provides wireless services across the United States through Verizon and TracFone networks, as well as through wholesale and other arrangements. It also provides fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband through its wireless networks and related equipment and devices, such as:

Smartphones

Tablets

Smartwatches and other wireless-enabled connected devices

The segment also offers wireline services in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States through its fiber-optic network, Verizon Fios product portfolio, and copper-based network.

The Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including:

FWA broadband

Data

Video and conferencing

Corporate networking

Security and managed network

Local and long-distance voice

Network access services to deliver various IoT services and products to businesses, government customers, and wireless and wireline carriers in the United States and internationally.

Raymond James has an Outperform rating and a $56 price target.

 

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